Today we’d like to introduce you to Maisy Hoffman.
Hi Maisy, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up in Grand Haven, a little beach town on the west side of Michigan. My dad didn’t have many photos from his own childhood, so when he became a parent, he made it a point to document just about everything. He made sure to capture it all, from big wins to birthday cakes to every dramatic scrape and bruise. Our family joke was that any time someone started bleeding, someone would yell, “Get the camera!” — mocking how committed he was to capturing everything. At some point, I picked up one of his DSLRs, started messing around with it, and I’ve pretty much had a camera in my hand ever since.
In high school, I was the photo editor for our school newspaper, which gave me my first taste of photography as a form of storytelling. After graduating, I moved to Montana to attend Montana State University and earn my degree in photography — chasing mountains, light, and a sense of creative direction.
College is where things really started to click. I fell in love with alternative processes and started questioning what actually makes a photograph. That curiosity still fuels my work today. I was drawn to the hands-on, experimental side of photography — the kind where things can (and should) get a little messy.
After graduating, I spent a couple of years working as a photo retoucher. It was great technical experience, but I wasn’t making much of my own work and felt creatively stuck. In 2022, I packed up and moved to Salt Lake City — partly chasing opportunity, partly chasing snow, but mostly hoping to reconnect with the kind of photography that made me fall in love with it in the first place.
Since then, I’ve been working as a freelance photographer here in Utah. Most of my work is rooted in the snowboarding world — shooting riders, events, and everything in between — but I’m always open to wherever the camera takes me. I’ve had work published in a few magazines, including a cover for Snowboard Canada, and I’ve worked with brands like Nidecker, Coal Headwear, and Burton. Most recently, I’ve been photographing the lifestyle side of bull riding with PBR, which has been a wild and welcome shift.
Alongside client work, I’ve been leaning back into my art practice — especially Polaroid-based processes and emulsion lifts. I’m always experimenting and trying to blur the line between photography and object, and right now I’m exploring ways to bring that work to new audiences while keeping it weird, fun, and true to my roots.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely hasn’t been a perfectly smooth road, but I’ve always had a “slow and steady” mindset when it comes to my career. I’ve known I wanted to be an action sports photographer since I was 13, and somehow, through a mix of intuition, hard work, and patience, I’ve made the right choices to land where I am now.
That said, there have absolutely been struggles. After graduating college, I didn’t pick up my camera for almost two years. I was totally burnt out and needed space to reset. At the time, it felt like I had lost touch with something really important to me — but deep down, I knew I’d come back to it when I was ready. That break ended up being necessary. It reminded me that creativity isn’t always linear, and sometimes stepping away is part of the process.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I take a lot of action sports photography, but I was trained to work in more of the art side of photography. Today I find myself doing both, as well as the occasional wedding, family photos, and senior portraits.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Carry a 35mm point-and-shoot with you everywhere and take photos constantly. That kind of consistency is the best practice you can give yourself — it sharpens your eye and keeps you engaged, even when you’re not working on a big project.
I also firmly believe that everyone has to pay their dues. You put in the time, work the odd jobs, show up to everything, shake the hands, say yes to the unglamorous stuff, and sometimes work for free — all while keeping your long-term goals in mind. After three years of keeping my head down and grinding, I’m finally starting to see all the little things come full circle. It takes time, but it builds something real.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mhoffmanphoto.com
- Instagram: @_maismae
