Check Out Diego Ortega’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Diego Ortega.

Hi Diego, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Before anything, I was just a kid going to shows, getting into the scene, meeting different types of people, and having all kinds of new experiences. After a while, I decided I wanted to take pictures mainly just for myself as a little hobby I did here and there. I started taking pictures of things I thought were cool, moments that looked to me like posters you could hang on your wall and look at every day. Eventually, I decided to buy my own camera and get into photography more seriously. My first camera was a Canon Powershot G9, a small point-and-shoot that I used to capture so many memorable moments. One of my favorite experiences was bringing it to Sound and Fury 2024, where I shot both photos and videos that I thought came out really cool. After some time, I wanted to upgrade my gear and moved from a Lumix FZ80D to the Sony A6400, which I still use today. I’ve fallen in love with Sony’s features, and even now, I’m still learning. I don’t focus too much on technical concepts like the golden ratio or the rule of thirds—instead, I imagine the camera as an extension of my eye, capturing what I personally find satisfying to look at, images that feel like “a poster you’d be proud to hang on your wall.” When it comes to getting involved in the scene and making connections, I’ve mainly put myself out there by talking to new people, shooting for smaller bands, and introducing myself to key figures as well. I always try to share my work so people know I’m serious about what I do and that I’ll give my best effort for promoters, bands, and the community as a whole. My goal is to capture moments in a way that helps others remember an event and preserve it and set it in stone for the scene.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road, its taken a while for me to be known out in the scene and even now im not as known as others like Kevin “kevoscope” and even like Evan “emphotos98” but i still take photos for bands and try to be out there. Theres been times where I’ve tried to shoot for shows but since the promoters don’t know me or haven’t seen my work yet they don’t let me to shoot for their show. One example of this was Home 2 Heart Fest 2 this year where the promoter didn’t let me take photos for the show so i decided to just take my camera by myself and gamble if they would take it away or not. I ended up taking pictures for the fest and me personally i think it was the best I’ve ever taken. I would definitely say one tough thing thats been for me has been to gain access to take photos and being nervous of not getting good enough photos for the bands, promoters, and the scene in general.

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?
Im a photographer and i specialize in a collage type style and mostly known for my collage style and taking pictures for the deathcore scene. Something im mostly proud of is taking pictures for up and coming bands and seeing those bands become bigger and bigger as time passes and something i personally think that sets me apart from others is the quality of my photos and the colors my photos have that arent the natural colors but yet they look good and highlight the orange a lot.

We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
some major risks I’ve taken was going to shows not knowing if i would be allowed to photograph but yet get in. One time i went to a show in the valley and they didn’t let me in with my bag so i had to take the risk of leaving my bag at my friends car and hoping my batteries wouldn’t die for my flash or else i would have to leave mid set to get new batteries from my bag. Another time was this time i went to go shoot for this band that wanted me to take photos for them at their first show and i was nervous of not taking good enough photos for them and they would be disappointed about them but in the end they loved them and saw something that i couldn’t see about my work.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://maxandhiscam.myportfolio.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/max.andhiscam/

Image Credits
I had a self portrait photo of me taken by @punkkvisuals but didn’t like how i posed so used my own picture but shout out to them.