MORGAN MAASSEN

wow, i am so excited to share my latest film, on the amazing Malia Manuel!

Last spring, Malia reached out to me asking to make a film that saw her surfing in both her favorite places around the world, as well as adventuring to new waves she dreamt of visiting... and so we set off, first to Tahiti, followed by Indonesia and South Africa, France and a quick jaunt to Spain, back to Tahiti for whales and weather redemption, and then concluding with a sublime winter on her home island of Kaua’i. 

It was nothing short of a pleasure to hop around the world with Malia, from dancing with Humpback Whales to watching elephants pick fruit from trees in South Africa, sailing through Indian ocean archipelagos and being blistered by winter wind in the Atlantic. We scored waves of all shapes and sizes, sampled cuisine and smelly taxi rides across multiple continents, surfed in the belting rain and counted bands on poisonous sea snakes... I could go on and on, with so many experiences that could fill an anthology of films. But in-between all those moments I strived to capture with my lens, I watched a woman continuously spill her curiosity out into the world, while constantly striving to hone her athletic ability... and so I made a visual tale about a world-class human, surfing her way around the globe. 

Direct/film/edit: Morgan Maassen

Supported by Lululemon

IIXI or “Eleven By One” is a collection of eleven one-minute vignettes that each stand on their own, but are also designed and created to fit into a greater body of work. Each vignette is curated to encompass and tell a cohesive story of a winter spent turning on snow with the Korua family.

This is a conceptual short film that serves to capture and celebrate the details of style, turning, surroundings, and emotions – all the elements that make up our own little universe of snowboarding.

Featuring: Nicholas Wolken, Lars Popp, Thomas Stöckli, Raphael Rocha, Daria Fuchs, James Niederberger, Luca Kuppelwieser, Aaron Schwartz, Gabriele Torriani, Stephan Maurer

Direct/film/edit: Morgan Maassen Creative Direction: Morgan Maassen, Aaron Schwartz, Nicholas Wolken Graphic Design: Aaron Schwartz Sound Design: Morgan Maassen Music: Trees Speak, Daze, Monster Rally, Dirty Arts Club

So excited to share my newest film, made with KORUA Shapes! We made this film over this winter/spring in Switzerland, based around the new Uberegg shape designed by Nicholas Wolken.  Shooting him riding in these incredible powder days, traversing the glacier and racing down the frozen groomers, was such a blast! 

I’m elated to share another film I made with Korua Shapes, focusing on their Café Racer Plus. Nicholas Wolken rode this board during so many different sessions and conditions across Switzerland this winter, never failing to draw insane lines… Trying to keep up with him was no small feat, ha!

I am immensely proud to share my latest film, IIXI. This movie is the product of spending most of this last winter and spring in Switzerland and the surrounding mountains with the @Korua_Shapes family. While some would call the season’s snow fickle, I would call it the winter of a lifetime. Road trips, pipe days, splitboarding adventures, hiking and skateboarding and gas station dining like kings! I’ve long admired Korua for their approach to both riding on the mountain, and the art disciplines they use to document how they do it. To make this film was an honor and a pleasure, an ode to time spent with people I admire and love so much.

Direct/film/edit: Morgan Maassen Music by: The Daze, Trees Speak, Monster Rally & Dirty Arts Club

So excited to share my newest film, made with KORUA Shapes! We made this film over this winter/spring in Switzerland, based around the new Uberegg shape designed by Nicholas Wolken.  Shooting him riding in these incredible powder days, traversing the glacier and racing down the frozen groomers, was such a blast! Please check it out, and if you are into snowboards, check out the website page for more photos & videos:

https://koruashapes.com/products/uberegg

A short film about my affinity for the ocean, its mystery and power.

No project challenges me more creatively and physically; making these films is the absolute honor of a lifetime.

filmed on a Red Weapon, using a Nikon 14mm F/2.8 and 35mm f/1.4 lens in a SPL waterhousing

filmed in: Tahiti, Indonesia, Hawaii, Australia, Barbados, Maldives, Philippines and California

A short film about my infinity for the ocean, its mystery and power.

filmed on a Red Weapon, using a Nikon 14mm F/2.8 and 35mm f/1.4 lens in a SPL waterhousing

filmed in: Tahiti, Hawaii, Australia, Barbados, Maldives, Philippines and California

As Ben Thouard releases his latest book, “Turbulences”, I am proud to share this short film I made, documenting him in the throughs of his creative process.

Ben Thouard is based out of Teahupo’o, Tahiti, where he spends the vast majority of his time and energy swimming under the waves, obsessing over the power and mystery of their extreme hydrodynamics. It’s no coincidence that this is considered the strongest wave in the world; his creative process is aimed at documenting the detail of their massive and violent explosions as they break overhead. Watching Ben work is akin to a Swiss watchmaker – there is so much precision in what he moves to capture, the end result is so finely tailored for the public in what he shares.

If you’d like to see more of Ben’s work, you can view his new website, social media, and purchase “Turbulences” via the links below: benthouard.com • instagram.com/benthouard/

Direct/film/edit: Morgan Maassen Music: "Eel Drip" by Penelope Trappes

A short film on Vahine, Heimiti and Kohai Fierro of Tahiti.

Over the years of visiting what I’d reckon to be the most beautiful place in the world, I’ve also met some outstanding characters, forged by the power of their connection with the land and sea. Recently, I’ve had the honor and pleasure of getting to know the Fierro family. Loving parents Andrew and Hina have raised three young women who are pushing women’s surfing while gracefully sharing their Tahitian lifestyle with the world.

Vahine, Heimiti, and Kohai exude the vibrancy of life, and do it together. Their bond is nothing short of magic; these young women are woven into each other’s growth and success. Watching them knock on the door of Teahupo’o one-by-one, Vahine leading the way into some of the heaviest waves I’ve ever seen women surf, is enthralling. And so, to visit them at their home, to spend time with the family, to explore nature and the sea with them, all the while chasing swells and watching these women charge bigger and bigger surf, has been utterly moving. I am such a huge fan of these sisters, and the opportunity to point my lens at them as they live and grow was the thrill of a lifetime.

Direct/film/Edit: Morgan Maassen Music: "Young Girls" by Princess Nokia

As a life-long surfer, my exposure to snowboarding was (shamefully) only brought about recently, as visiting the snow was something far-off both my family's radar and my own free-time in my early twenty's. Upon my first run though, I was hooked, and the ensuing deep-dive into the culture landed me at the feet of Korua's social media, where i fawned over their obsessive hunger for speed and design. My cries for attention were finally acknowledged and I was invited to join the team as they sojourned across the Pacific Northwest at the beginning of 2020.

I met the Korua crew on a dreary February afternoon in Portland. Slightly downtrodden from a wet experience at Mt. Baker in Washington, they had their sights on Oregon's Mt. Bachelor to see if a change in luck was in store. The ensuing week of snowboarding was absolutely wild. No two days were the same; some eerily calm with fresh trails to explore, others wind-swept to high hell, ice blasting through every entrance of one's garments. The mountain was breath-taking, a towering volcano that loomed over the little town of Bend. We explored every centimeter of it, weaving in-and-out of ski schools, lot lizards, friends and foes alike. Evenings were spent sampling fine beers, hiking national parks and taking in the majesty of Oregon, a state I reckon to be the most beautiful in the country.

As I tried to keep up with the crew, juggling a Red camera and a few of my heavy vintage lenses as we traversed ice patches and bombed groomers, my mind was blown. Watching Nicolas, Lars and Aaron snowboard to their level was awe-inspiring; like the first time I saw Kelly Slater or Stephanie Gilmore in the flesh. Absolute mastery, intersecting with so much style and wisdom. It was radical, and it challenged me immensely. I was not days off the plane from shooting free-diving under a frozen lake in Iceland, and trying to keep up with Nicolas on the groomers made that seem like a walk in the park. But in my deficit of ability, i found an incredible challenge of pushing my speed on the board, learning new mountain terrain, and operating a camera like i never have before. And at the end of every day when we'd watch footage, it was a rush to be so nervous to present my vision from my left-field, someone who went from zero to one hundred in shooting the sport. While I may have missed some shots or had some close calls a seasoned snow filmer wouldn't have, everyone accommodated me immensely, and this quick jaunt up to Oregon turned into one of my favorite trips of this last decade of shooting.

10 years ago, an Australian surf magazine editor handed me one of my first photography assignments and said "capture Soli". We had only a few hours together, shooting portraits and action on a small day in Hawaii, but I was immediately struck by the incredible demeanor of the teenager. Polite, quiet, but so fiercely determined to make his mark, Soli was rising through the junior ranks and dreaming of make the World Tour. As time went on, we crossed paths countless times in random, far-flung places... but this last year i was bestowed both the pleasure of travel with him to Indonesia to score perfect waves, and to watch his inaugural year competing on the tour. The highs of his performances in incredible surf, and lows of watching him struggle with the complexities - and literal luck - that comes with being a professional surfer, was nothing short of amazing, and as I release this short film, I cannot express how proud I am of this human's fruition into a young adult who surfs with incredible talent and carries the flag for Indiginious Australians with dignity.

My longstanding attraction to surfing has always been through the elegance of style. Watching the way someone can navigate a wave, connecting moves, making every motion look effortless... it's why I see this sport more akin to an artform. And while there are many surfers I admire for their style in the water, Jordy Smith has distinguished himself on a level above all else. Jumping from Hawaii to South Africa to Indonesia this last year, I witnessed Jordy push his surfing to another level, as he paired his talent with his insane personal drive. Being courtside to him surfing, whether sweating on the shores of a jungle atoll or dodging white sharks swimming with my waterhousing... it was like running with the bulls, witnessing a display of raw power and energy only so few have ever achieved athletically.

I first heard Noah Wegrich's name over a surf contest loudspeaker almost two decades ago, but it wasn't until early last summer that we finally crossed paths. We both met bleary-eyed in the Jakarta airport, on the other side of the world from our small California homes, with a slew of flights, busses and boat rides ahead of us still. Several days later, we arrived at our small island outpost, and Noah proceeded to steal everyone's breath with his insane surfing. Threading barrels, sharp turns, massive airs... it was wild, but also so mature, as his smooth style made everything so natural. Countless adventures later, I'm proud to share this film exploring his talent at home and abroad, a short flick who's filming process solidified Noah as one of my absolute favorite surfers.

direct/film/edit: Morgan Maassen Supported by O'Neill

Almost a decade ago, I met Victoria Vergara on a small volcanic landmass deep in the Indian Ocean, known as Reunion Island. Now famous for its shark-infested waters, the incredibly rugged french island is a far-fetched idea from where you'd think this longboarder and model would hail from. Now, after many fun adventures traveling the world together with cameras and surfboards, it's an honor to share this short film on this incredibly unique human being.

direct/film/edit: Morgan Maassen Supported by O'Neill

I'm also really proud to announce this film I just made in conjunction with Vimeo, as a study on my dad and his sea urchin diving career during the Coronavirus.

Please check it out, and I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy! :)

I’m super proud to share my newest film, on Honolua Blomfield.

At the age of twenty one, Honolua’s two world titles are an absolutely incredible feat. What I find even more remarkable, however, is her casual demeanor. She exudes an honest simplicity in her approach to surfing, which serves as a refreshing breakaway that competing for a world title both fosters in and demands of people. A surf session with Honolua is spent smiling and laughing, trading gossip and watching her share waves generously with everyone. Coupled with background Hawaiian surfing history spanning generations, her kindness and graceful presence makes her a true ambassador of Aloha.

direct/film/edit: Morgan Maassen Supported by O'Neill