Morgan Maassen

Morgan is an acclaimed underwater photographer with a passion for ocean conservation.

Jack Johnson and a bounty of trash we cleaned up over the course of a day on the windward side of Oahu last month. (Morgan Maassen)

In between waves on the North Shore of Hawaii with Jack Johnson (Morgan Maassen)

Interview

​My name is Morgan Maassen, i am a 27 year old photographer and filmmaker from Santa Barbara, California. I grew up in the ocean, spending all my free time surfing, spearfishing, skim boarding, swimming and boating. Through my parents and my passions surrounding the ocean, I couldn't help but fall in love with it, later using filmmaking and photography to explore it across the globe.

Morgan Maassen in his favourite place. 

Photography and conservation 

As someone who enjoys traveling to places both known and unknown, photography is an incredible way to document and share what is happening beyond the bubble of our own hometowns... And as more photographers and filmmakers collectively document what they see, whether its plastic pollution or humanitarian crises, we can provide both realtime updates and visual representation to what is sometimes lost in just words and data, or simply intangible to a viewer when not directly visible.

I think my photos naturally seek simplicity and curiosity, whether shooting plastic pollution or a cloud over the ocean... they always reflect what is captivating my attention. 

The ocean has given me everything, and it's time i give back. We as surfers, beachgoers, and humans have to do our part.. While plastic is unavoidable in everyday life, i'm proud to acknowledge the issue through education, and applying that to making changes that should have been in place long ago. (Morgan Maassen)

​Passion and inspiration

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Caring for the oceans is huge to me; they have given me everything.
​I'd really like to focus my time and energy more than ever to help take care of them, raise awareness for their plight, and get everyone onboard with streamlining our coexistence with them moving forward. Traveling inspires me! I just want to see as much of the world as possible. To be able to make photos and videos, to inspire people, and hopefully make the world a cleaner and better place is a dream come true.

'When visiting, we only took photos, and left only footprints... But in the 30 minutes it took to walk around the island, the amount of plastic pollution we saw on the beach and in the ocean was nothing short of astounding. Chris Hemsworth stands here with what he effortlessly gathered on one of the island's sandspits.' #100islandsprotected (Morgan Maassen)

​​​Projects with Corona, the UN and Parley

​I've had the good fortune to lend my abilities to major brands like Corona, artists like Jack Johnson, or organizations like the UN that are trying to make themselves and the world a better place. Its both an honour and incredibly gratifying to be able to use my passions of photography and filmmaking to not just satiate my desires, but to hand off to larger entities to use in their devices, like Corona x Parley tackling plastic pollution, or Jack Johnson launching an album and tour to raise awareness about ocean pollution, etc.

Here is a photo of me against the night sky. i'm not too hot on posting selfies, but i cannot stress how much development comes in just wandering alone with one's camera. for me, the night held many answers in my exploration into photography... (Morgan Maassen)

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You can find out more about Morgan Maassen's work here:

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