Behind the Shot
"Sometimes an image sticks in your head and you have to bring it to life." For Max, this is that image.” For as long as I can remember, I've had an image in my head of a girl walking in the desert carrying a surfboard. I don't consider myself the world's artsiest guy, but I like things that don't make sense. I like juxtaposition and oxymorons, and this photo asks a lot of questions.
"She's obviously not near a beach. Why does she have a surfboard? There's a lot of whys here. And to be honest, there's not a lot of answers, and I thought it would just be freaking cool. Why surfboards? Because surfboards are beautiful. Why is my girlfriend in the photo? 'Cause she's beautiful!"
While bringing this image to life was important to Max, he claims no deep meaning behind it. "There's not much more to say behind the motivation of this photo except to say that I find this photo to be completely aesthetically pleasing and that's absolutely what I was after. It started with an idea, a vision and something I've been wanting to bring to life. Years later we were in Joshua Tree, well outside of the park, and I didn't specifically intend on shooting this, but her surfboard was still in the back of my van, and the light was perfect and I thought, 'Oh my god; and she was all excited to do it, and we were just out in the middle of nowhere.”
