Max Leitner came to the US from Germany to attend the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. As a student, his photography began to reflect an interest in the city's hidden, unexplored spaces, and he started to make a point of shooting daily, inspired by Chicago’s architecture, density, and what he describes as the city’s “very specific light, a mixture of sun-filled yellow and reflected gray tones.” For a decade, Max traveled the United States, primarily focused on urban and lifestyle photography. Max has since returned to Germany and continues his work with a focus on typically inaccessible locales in Europe and Asia.
Regarding the editing process, Max admits to strong opinions on the term “filter,” viewing filters as physical attachments to a lens and everything that occurs afterwards on the computer to be a “treatment.” For his own editing, Max prefers to approach the RAW file with Lightroom and then move to Photoshop to make any further refinements.
Instagram: @maxleitner
Max’s work is featured in Trope Chicago, the first in the Trope City Editions series, a collection of photography books of cities around the world by today’s emerging photographers. His images are also included in the award-winning Trope London, volume two of the series, which spotlights the city’s intersections of traditional and modern architecture; and in Trope Hong Kong, volume three, celebrating the colorful chaos and architectural order of this iconic city.
Growing up in Germany, MAX LEITNER developed a love for photography. Throughout the past decade he traveled throughout the United States, living for several years in Chicago, where he predominately focused on trends in urban-exploring and lifestyle.
