In ‘City Lights’, photographer Max Montgomery stages model Elyes Taylor in extravagant-lascivious looks by stylist Irene Albright – an outing into New York City’s neon-permeated night-life.

S Magazine: You worked for years as first assistant to Rankin and to Francesco Carrozzini. What did you learn from that period and to what degree has it helped you find your own path as a fashion photographer? What role did your father play in the process?
Max Montgomery: Working for the biggest photographers allows you the privilege of witnessing the biggest problems. Photography is all about problem solving and these guys were masters. There isn’t a day that goes by where I don’t lean on some part of my photographic education that I received from these guys. Saying this, at some point you have to decide the photographer that you want to be, so while I try not to think about what others do, these guys will always be within me. My father likewise had a wealth of experience, was always a voice on the other side of the phone that I could reach out to.

What does David Montgomery think of the fact that his son has also decided on a career in photography?
I think my father is happy… he tells me he’s proud anyway. We definitely have a lot more to talk about at the dinner table!

You photograph a lot and quite diverse subjects – fashion, celebrities, musicians or simple street photography. Does this cover your complete photographic range?
The camera for me is the ultimate toy. I can play with one for hours and not get bored, even an iPhone. I’ve started moving into moving images, making a couple of music videos, and I find the extra dimension very powerful.

You’re now living in New York City and you’ve been working free-lance for a year. What’s it like to work in New York? Was it good for your career to change from London to New York? How was your time in Los Angeles?
New York is a city where anything can happen. For me I found the industry quite stale in London, it’s simply that there’s much more people here in New York, and in Los Angeles. The light is cold and beautiful in New York, but Hollywood has a sense of glamour unlike anywhere else in the world. I love both and spend as much time between the two cities as I can.
 
You’ve been working with the S 007 for quite a while. Why? And what kind of work do you like to use it for?
I like using it for portraits. Leica lens’ are the best in the game. Simply you take photos on that camera that you couldn’t on any other – instantly it helps create an identity for the photography.

What are your photographic goals? What do you want to achieve?
Keep shooting, keep travelling. Meet as many more interesting people as possible, and travel the world and make enough money so I can dive into my own personal projects.