My name is Maximilian Foster and I am a 25-year-old hobby outdoor photographer based in Aalen, Germany. My hometown is located on the edge of the Swabian Alps and since my mother grew up in the Austrian Alps, I spent a lot of time with my family in the mountains.
On the other hand, I discovered traveling quite late. By the time I was 16 I had barely seen anything other than the Austrian Alps and my homeland. That also was the point when I became independent and started to travel to new countries on my own as well as getting to know other cultures. Then my girlfriend and I decided to quit our jobs at the beginning of 2019 and traveled around the world. That was also the time when I started with Instagram to document our journey.
After returning home from my trip around the world and seeing many things, perfect beaches in Polynesia, the endless outback in Australia and the heaven on earth in New Zealand, I realized that I have one of the most beautiful landscapes just a few minutes from my home. So my love for the mountains also plays a significant role in my work and this is greatly reflected in my pictures.
My goal with photography is to always challenge myself and become a better creator, including editing images. However, I don’t use presets much for some time now because I try to give each picture its own mood. It has always been very important to me to leave something behind for future generations, who hopefully will be as excited to see my photographs one day as I am to see my grandfather’s slides today.
In this article, Massimo shares seven practical strategies, from embracing atmospheric haze to mastering complementary contrast, that transformed the way I approach golden hour.
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