Max Pasion was born in 1968 and raised in the Philippine capital of Manila. A self-taught photographer, he had shot for various newspapers and wire services since embarking on his photojournalism career in his mid-20s. In 2005 he left Manila to join his wife, Reena Rose Sibayan, also a photographer, in the United States. They have a son together and they reside in Bayonne, New Jersey.