About
Photographer and writer C. Max Schenk lives and creates in Newburyport, Massachusetts
Nationally recognized for his work in environmental conservation, education and advocacy, Max’s worldview is imbued with an appreciation of nature’s cyclical resonance in all things.
In art, Max studied under world-renowned photographers Cara Weston, granddaughter of 20th Century photography legend Edward Weston, as well as master photographer and teacher Harold Feinstein. Working with Harold and his wife Judith Thompson, Max printed many of Feinstein’s most iconic images and appears in “Last Stop, Coney Island” - an award-winning documentary on Harold’s life and career.
Max’s own photography includes environmental and industrial abstracts that are created using traditional and modern techniques. Working with digital as well as small, medium and large format film cameras, his images have been chosen for gallery shows, juried art shows and private collections. Max is a member of the Tannery Darkroom Collaborative and co-founder of the Film Image League of Massachusetts. Grateful for the support and wisdom provided by numerous artists, Max is most especially grateful for the love and support of his wife, playwright Kathleen Miller.
Recent shows and awards include “How I See – Nature and Focus” a collection of selected works exhibited at the Sweethaven Gallery in Newburyport, as well as “Best in Photography” for his image “Joppa Clouds” at the Newburyport Art Association’s Regional Juried Show.
Testimonials
“Max’s skill, attitude and growing competencies have made him an invaluable addition to my studio. I can only hope that he will be able to continue producing prints for a long time to come!” Harold Feinstein
“Max is a wonderful photographer and I am inspired by his images and writing.” Cara Weston
“In an era of countless photographs taken with technologically sophisticated and omnipresent phones, when visual media and shallow words predominate, the craft in Max Schenk’s work gives solace. It is through that craft at every stage in Schenk’s process that beauty develops. His subjects feel alive, and in our difficult world, they remind us to see anew the wonder that does exist.”
Susan Erony, Artist, Curator and Teacher
“One of Max's great talents as a photographer is finding order in chaos. He captures unique patterns in natural and metropolitan locations that reflect the environment and his own style simultaneously” JPG Magazine
“Joppa Clouds” gives equal attention to foreground elements and distant details, notwithstanding the overriding presence of the clouds over Joppa Flats.” “The gradations of lights, darks, and mid tones is pitch perfect. The photograph ignites all five senses and many more emotions.” Ruth Greene-McNally, Curator and Collections Manager, Ogunquit Museum of American Art