Max Machado creates 30 day photo series in New York. Start with a Photo, See Where It Goes was the mantra for the first 30 day project on Mott Street in April 2021, and continues to guide his creative pursuits — Often times we start with a big idea, only to have it sit on a shelf inside of our head. With a laser focus on one thing for a period of time, a constraint of a specific place and a simple action that accompanies it, we can open more opportunities for ourselves and others, jumpstart new directions, and create rituals that enlighten new ways of thinking.

Behind the idea: “Meet me on Mott” is a 30 days straight photo series that takes place on Mott Street in New York City. The choice for Mott was simple — it spans 3 unique neighborhoods of Nolita, Little Italy, and Chinatown, and I wanted to find common threads of labor, leisure, and nature within the mile long street. A daily ritual created from April 1 - April 30 2021 in order to capture the sweet subtleties of a city in bloom, you’ll find some people still wearing masks, where uncertainty still lingered. The camera lets me timestamp a moment in our relative history to be shared with others, while elevating the storylines of the people in our environment through imagery. 30 days is enough time to create a specific habit or ritual for ourselves, and a deeper connection to what’s around us. It’s both a test of discipline and creative constraint. My belief is that 30 days can change the trajectory of your life if you let it.

Current: After Mott Street, Max created a photo series outside of the Met Museum, which tinkered with the idea that there is as much to see outside the museum as there is inside. Museums create feelings, unique ways of going back in time to a place we only know through others, whereas the street, the steps in front, that hotdog stand with a story, it allows us to create our own history and perspective of the times. The series concluded in a 150 page photo book, on sale right now.

Next: "Check." The search for something real through the lens of basketball.