Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Maust.
Chris, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’ve always had a camera in my hands since an early age, be it disposable throw-aways, early digital cameras my parents had laying around (think 1990’s digital technology, about the size/weight of a brick), all the way up to my current setup.
For most of this time, I was photographing anything and everything, trying out every different style I could think of. While this filled my time, it never quite filled my soul. I was left with a large quantity of less than stellar photos, however much I may have liked them at the time. Fast forward to a year and a half ago, and that all changed.
I was given a contract for a company who ran an online repository of outdoor activities, hikes, parks, etc. I had 3 months to hike/travel to/photograph/write about 30 different “adventures” as the site describes them. At this time I was living on the East Coast in Maryland, and this website had mainly West Coast content, so they were looking to expand. During this time, I had an epiphany: I could get paid to travel to amazing destinations and photograph them.
Thus began my love of landscape photography. I knew the West was where it was at, in multiple ways, but especially in regards to nature/landscapes, so a few months after that contract ended, my wife and I got rid of everything we couldn’t fit in our car and made the move to San Diego, where, almost every weekend, we get to explore the awesomeness that is California.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
As with anything worth doing in life, there are ups and downs, however, the ups far outweigh the downs. I’d say the hardest obstacle is just time. I still work a normal day job on top of my photography business, so it’s not always easy to jet out too dark skies and shoot the Milky Way if you have a 10 hour work day the next morning, bright and early.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Chris Maust Photography story. Tell us more about the business.
I am a landscape/nightscape photographer, based out of Ocean Beach. Over time I’ve begun to hone my editing style, with bright, vibrant, slightly surreal color palette. While the current trend in photography is desaturated and film-esque, I try to bring out as much magic within a photo as possible.
To me, it’s not about documenting the moment in a journalistic capacity, but to try and recreate the sense of awe and beauty felt while on location within a static image.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Luck is a mixed bag when it comes to landscape/nightscape (especially nightscape) photography. You can study every aspect of a location, but at the end of the day, everything depends on the multitude of factors which we call weather. Every condition with the exception of one can be perfect, and it’s that one that can make or break the photo.
That being said, just as in life itself, it’s up to you how to deal with these less than ideal situations, and turn meteorological lemons into lemonade.
Pricing:
- Prints available from my website, starting @ $50.00
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.chrismphotos.com
- Email: cmmaust@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/chrismaustphotos/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chrismaustphotos/
Image Credit:
Chris Maust Photography
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