Matt Jeronimo is one of my favorite amateur photographers. He is an inspiration to me and should be yours as well. If you're from NS, you've probably seen his work in the top rated or around the forums. He's a mod by the name of freezed.

Where do you reside?
Vancouver, BC

Where do you shoot?
Anywhere. I take some kind of camera pretty much everywhere.

How old were you when you first started shooting?
Probably 15 or 16? I was in high school and took a photography class and really liked it.

What or who inspires you?
I get inspiration just from seeing things. I’ll see something interesting and just start thinking about how I would make an image of it. As far as other photographers, specifically skiing, I like Chris O’Connell’s photography a lot, or really anyone who was in Freeze magazine regularly, because that was pretty much my only source for skiing info and photography for a while when I was younger.

What is the most moving picture/video you remember?
I don’t think I can name a specific one. Lots of images and movies are moving in their own way.

What sparked your passion to shoot?
I had a lot of fun doing it. It wasn’t anything more than that when I started.

Do you have any formal schooling?
Not in photography, haha. I’m about to graduate university with a B.Sc. in Environmental Chemistry though.

How did you get into the business?
Well, I wouldn’t necessarily say I’m “in the business”. I don’t think I’ve ever made money off of my skiing photography. I actually get paid for my painting, I do the graphics for ON3P skis, and photography is something I do for myself.

When did you realize you loved shooting on snow?
Well, I’ve loved skiing ever since I can remember. So when I started to get interested in photography, it naturally followed that I’d start shooting on the snow!

What is your favorite picture/video you've taken?
Skiing – A photo of my friend Eliel Hindert doing a handdrag through pristine pow on top of Mt. Seymour here in BC. Non-skiing – A portrait I took of a gentleman named Garfield on the street in Vancouver.

Can you describe your style? Hard light, soft light, fisheye, etc.
I like shooting skiing with a pretty wide lens (Sigma 10-20mm), and available light. I don’t have anything against off-camera lighting, I’m just not good at it (yet)! I would say that my photos are representational and non-stylized…I try to capture what’s going on and what it looks like without any exaggeration or distortion.

What do you shoot in the off season?
I like shooting in the city. I have a bag that attaches to my bike that’s just the right size for carrying some camera stuff, so I just bike around and shoot whatever I see.

What advice would you give someone who wants to start a career in action sports photography?
Practice as much as possible. Try to emulate shots you like of all different styles, just to learn how they’re done. And make friends with good athletes!

Favorite format, camera, lens?
Haha…I kind of have a problem with camera equipment. I have way too much…DSLR, digital point & shoot, film SLR, 35mm rangefinder, medium format rangefinder, medium format 6×6, medium format 6×7, medium format TLR, etc. I just see good deals on craigslist or ebay or what-have-you and can’t pass it up! The two cameras I use the most are my Canon EOS 10D and my Mamiya RB67. I really prefer the look of film over digital, but I usually shoot skiing digital, because it’s just a lot more practical.

What's in your bag?
Mamiya RB67, 90mm f/3.8 lens, with 6×7, 6×4.5, and Polaroid backs, and Porta 160 (VC and NC) and Ilford HP5+ film. Or, if I’m carrying my digital stuff, EOS 10D, 50mm f/1.8, Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6, and Vivitar 285hv’s with cheap Cactus V4 triggers if I am shooting flashes.

What was your first camera?
My parents’ film SLR (a Rebel X I think it was) was the first camera I used. The first I actually owned was my 10D. I got it when it had just come out, and I’m still shooting on it. I really should upgrade, I just have never had the cash. Oh well.

What was your favorite trip ever?
Hmm…Probably spring in Mammoth two years ago. I was staying with some friends and just skiing and taking pictures every day. It was a lot of fun, I love spring park shredding. I’m gonna do it again this year hopefully.

Favorite place to shoot?
I like shooting in really nicely groomed parks, like the black park at Whistler/Blackcomb, or in the BC, just hanging out with friends. I can’t think of one specific place.

Your scariest shoot?
I do a lot of street and documentary photography in the rougher neighborhoods of Vancouver…I’ve been in some situations – threatened, yelled at, attempted robbery (I was on my bike so I got away), etc.

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