“If you have an IPhone, you can be a photographer.” That’s a pretty bold statement Max Flatow makes, considering the fact that his career revolves around being a photographer.
Flatow is based in Brooklyn and has been doing this for seven years. His love for photography stems from a 7th grade program. In order to better his skills, he worked by and taught himself. In college, he found a darkroom and taught himself the techniques. Still, he didn’t know what he wanted to do with his life. All that changed after his study abroad trip to Spain. When he came back to America, he showed his pictures took a local café and they decided to hold a gallery for him, where he sold the pictures.
From that, he worked for many set designers, which led him to be exposed to famous photographers. He even got a job in video production. But he didn’t like it so he quit to become a full-time photographer.
After he created his business, he needed to build clientele. The only way he saw he could do this is by using Facebook and doing work for free.
He likes to take wedding pictures, but he is versatile. In these shots, he doesn’t like the standard picture where the bride and groom stand in the middle. Instead, he creates a more dynamic image by applying the “rule of thirds”. He does have his preferences. He “doesn’t use flash”. It’s either natural light or his assistant would create an artificial light. Flatow likes shooting in black and white because it gives “classic taste, but only when appropriate”. Still, he loves to shoot silhouettes.
Besides weddings, food is another area where Flatow enjoys. He isn’t a fan of the pretty product. He rather see the backstory on “how it’s produced and caught”. Before he goes on a vacation, Flatow would call the restaurants and ask them that when he is there if he could take a picture of their meals. According to Flatow, “Chefs love when people take pictures of their creations”.
In all, Max was an interesting guy. As a young Brooklynite, he runs his own business and he is “his own boss”. He knows the classical techniques of working in a darkroom as well as the modern skills of Instagram and Photoshop. Most important is that his pictures are amazing!
Credits goes to Max Flatow
