Morgan Maassen is one of the best surfing photographers in the business. He’s a lot more than that, though. Like any good artist, he doesn’t pigeonhole himself. Surfing, though, appeals to the masses, and when a company like Mercedes-Benz wants to appeal to the masses, having talent like Morgan’s is a sure-fire way to score a decent gig.
Maassen has done a lot in the 26 years he’s been on this planet. “I’ve flown over glaciers in Greenland, smoked cigars in Cuba, chased penguins in South Africa and sailed between the British Virgin Islands,” he said in Here to Here, a Mercedes feature. “But no matter how exotic the location I find myself in, nothing inspires me more than my home: California.”
Morgan, along with Nole Cossart, took a trip through California in a Mercedes GLC. Morgan and Nole are old friends. Growing up near Morgan on the Hollister Ranch, Nole was sure to be molded into one of two things. “When you live there you become either a cowboy or a surfer, or in Nole’s case, both,” said Maassen.
The trip was all about exploration. Going from south to north, they stuck to the PCH for most part, going inland when they felt the need to. “We drove to the mountains of Santa Ynez, went hiking through the Los Padres Forest and traversed the dunes of Point Reyes,” Morgan remembered. “Our route continued to Big Sur, one of the most beautiful coastlines of the world, and we visited the majestic Redwoods in Muir Woods. Amongst these giants you are cut off from civilization.”
Sure, it’s an ad. But it’s also an ode to California, and it is a damn good one.
See more from Morgan Maassen at Vimeo.com/morganmaassen, and see the whole Mercedes Benz feature here.
