Featured Photographer - Max Wanger

Born and raised by reformed hippies. Educated in Los Angeles, Honolulu, Berkeley and the here and there of Tokyo. Lover of lazy sundays, mismatched socks, negative space, NYC, soba, earl grey and last but almost certainly first, my wife, Margaux, our little boy, Dash and our little girl, Quincy, a.k.a Rocket.

WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM

HOW DID YOU GET STARTED IN PHOTOGRAPHY?

My earliest memory of picking up a camera is at 7 years old. It started out as a hobby and grew from there. Ultimately, after years of working and not doing something I loved, I chose to follow what made me happy and pursue photography full time. I haven't looked back since.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR STYLE?

I feel like as I've gotten older, it's changed a little bit, but mostly I'd describe it as clean, playful, off-beat.

WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN AN IMAGE?

Lines, color, shadows, negative space.

WHAT INSPIRES OR MOTIVATES YOU?

My kids inspire and motivate me to be/do my best. Also: NYC, Tokyo, Pharrell, Magnus Nilsson, Rodney Smith, Yayoi Kusama.

WHAT CHALLENGES YOU?

When I started photographing weddings 12 years ago, it was a very different world. Blogs were just starting to be the means of getting your work out there, social media didn't exist. Now, the wedding world feels completely saturated. So the challenge is finding new ways to stand out.

For me, I'm at my best when I'm using "tunnel vision" so I'm only focused on what I'm doing and tuning out all the outside noise.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MOMENT OF A WEDDING?

Right before the bride walks down the aisle. Usually there's a moment of calm, though you know her heartbeat is racing, and time stops for a second. Deep breath, then she's off.

OF ALL YOUR IMAGES, DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE ONE?

It's too hard to pick a favorite. Every wedding is unique and provides an image that becomes your new favorite. That's what helps keep you going: the pursuit of the "perfect" image :)

ANYTHING ELSE WE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT MAX?

Just that I'm grateful for all the years doing something I love. I've traveled the world and met so many amazing people along the way. Since having kids, life has been a new adventure and I couldn't love being a father more.

TELL US ABOUT DVLOP

What a wonderful discovery. I saw that friends of mine, Samm and Jonas had presets out and that's really how I fell in love with it. It's cool to be able to see how others (especially those you admire) edit and I love being able to play around with everything. It's given me new ways to be creative and it's provided a pretty seamless workflow. I couldn't recommend it more.