Meet Mason Maengkom | Commercial Fashion and Still Life Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mason Maengkom and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mason, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
My thought process didn’t have an end goal (i.e. starting a business). I enjoyed making photographs whether it was portraiture or product imagery. Did I know I’d go into commercial photography? No, but I knew there were people out there willing to pay for it.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I attribute my career progression to a “make stuff for the sake of making stuff” attitude. A steady stream of new work — mainly personal work — made it easier to advocate for myself when an opportunity came knocking on my door. My upbringing as a photographer is quite funny, though. I lived with my family in Las Vegas studying computer engineering while photography stayed as a hobby. As I continued learning the basics, photographing friends, and eventually some clothing and products, almost a year after picking up a camera, I had an opportunity to photograph for Feature Sneaker Boutique in Las Vegas. I wouldn’t have landed that job if I didn’t have a body of work to show. Feature surrounded me with talented individuals. I learned so much about photography, and art, appreciating the creation process, and the relationships I developed with people in my industry as they all helped me improve my soft and hard skills.

After about a year or two of photographing for Feature and creating a solid body of work in and outside of work, I got a cold DM on Instagram from a stranger, who turned out to be the photography manager there at the time, saying he found my work online and would like to interview me for a photography role at Kith. I could spend the next two hours typing the story out from this point, but long story short, I flew to NYC, didn’t tell my mother until the day before the flight, and bounced around AirBNBs for the next two grueling months burning through the little cash I had, sustaining myself with spam, rice, eggs, and top ramen to do this interview. I’ve never been lower in my entire life.

In the end, I never got that job. I was broke and felt nothing but intense defeat. But this was around the same time I got connected with Footlocker. Again, through virtue of good work.

I freelanced for the next 2+ years with Footlocker as my main client. This is how I continued to learn, not just about the technicalities of photography, but the business of photography: how to make an invoice, how to make an LLC, how to negotiate day rates, see what a six-figure budget production looks like, and other general knowledge I needed to know to be successful as a freelance photographer. I did my first big campaign with Footlocker at 21 years old, saw my images up in Times Square, and had my images across the country. This went on for years. I felt like I made it, but I knew I had to keep learning and improve as a human being. I needed to be humble enough to know that there was still work to be done.

After my body of work became more established, Kith reached back out to me asking if I’d like to interview for a photography role again. I went ahead and went for it, and it’s been nothing but blessings and lessons.

To summarize: Make stuff for the sake of making stuff, learn about the business of photography, and for God’s sake, learn how to be more charismatic and connect with people. Being a successful photographer is measured holistically; both soft and hard skills matter equally. You can’t make it in this industry on your own. You need to learn from people better than you. Recognize that you probably don’t have all the answers, and have the humility to admit it; it’s okay to not know. Just shut up, learn, and make shit you love.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
There are so many phenomenal places to go in NYC. I feel like a week-long itinerary would be quite long to type out here, but a few places that resonate with me and be worth taking friends are:

Reception Bar in LES. This Korean bar sells only soju and soju-based cocktails which are so whimsical and fun. The outdoor seating there is undefeated because you can smoke cigarettes, and the workers bring positive energy all the time. Worth a stop! Oh, and don’t forget to say hi to Sven. Cool guy and he designed damn near half the drinks on the menu

Le Coucou. This is one of my favorite French restaurants in the city, and I found myself going back every season when they change their tasting menu, which never disappoints. Oh, and their wine selection is vast. If you’re into wines, this is a must-visit. I’d highly suggest the tasting menu when first visiting; the tasting menu price might throw some people off, but it’s 100% worth the splurge once or twice a year…. Maybe four.

Fanelli’s Cafe. I know it’s such a Nolita Dirtbag answer, but I love sitting down outside and chatting it up with strangers who have their own enthralling lives; the people who hang around there exude creative and positive energy. One of my favorite places to sit down and hang out with friends. Hell, go alone. You might end up making a new friend,

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Considering the industry I’m in — well, any creative endeavor anyone is in — it’s not possible to do on you’re own. I’ve had a great amount of phenomenal individuals in my life who’ve contributed to my progression as a photographer. If I had to choose a few, though, it’d be Francis Santos, former creative director at Feature Sneaker Boutique in Las Vegas. I could write a short novel about how he contributed to improving my technical skill in photography, showing me his philosophy on creating imagery, and telling me the “un-googleable” information about the industry.

The next, but not least — and cliché as it may be — my mother. She gifted me my first camera, which was a Canon T5i I think. I probably would have never immersed myself in photography without her.

Website: Masonmae.com

Instagram: @MvsonMae

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/mason-maengkom-32044a192

Twitter: @MvsonMae

Image Credits
Katey Kabu-Kubi