Last, but not least, the head of “Team Photographers”.

Fredriksson behind his snowcastle. Photo: Thomas Kleiven

Your first camera?
I got one from my dad when I was 11 or 12, an Instamatic. Still have it!! Nowdays I´m a Nikon guy, been shooting with their stuff for my entire professionall career. Great stuff and great people to work with (yes, Mattis is sponsored).

You live in Åre, are you 100% focused on JOSS or do you have other jobs at the same time?
Yeah, been living here for 13 years now, love it. During JOSS I´m pretty focused on that only, but at least I get to sleep in my own bed.

Do you have any dream shots?
I wanna go to Greenland on a heli-trip, that would be sick.

Check out some of his photos at www.mattiasfredriksson.com!

Polzer and Fredriksson. Photo: Thomas Kleiven

Has JOSS been like you expected?
Pretty much. I have been to Scandinavia before, so I knew the weather can change super quickly and actually be a problem. We had four really good days, so I think we can be pretty happy with that. The jumps were awesome as usual and the riding of the guys was just insane. Being here without a car made the urban shooting situation not so easy, though. But all in all it was great being at JOSS and I got plenty of good pics. It was just a pity that I had to leave early due to the current travel situation, as I am already at the next event.

When did you get your first camera?
I got my first professional SLR (still without a “D” at this time) in 2004. I bought a used one from a photographer friend. I was an editor at this time and got bored being at events and shootings with only being able to watch and do nothing. Before the digital time you wouldn’t just go out and shoot because processing the film would be pretty expensive, not to forget about the scans afterwards. Two years later I bought my first digital cam, also a used one.

Tricks to get good pics when “in” snow?
There are not really tricks, you just need to get an eye for images and situations and of course you have to understand the sport. If you don’t know what the skiers will be doing, you can’t get good photos. That’s even more in the “real” snow (read: backcountry) than in the park. When I started shooting, I had been choosing photos for a magazine three years, which helps a lot. I also had experience of working with good photographers as a skier. So the best advise I can give to any aspiring newcomer to ski photography: Look at as many good ski pics as you can and try to understand, what exactly makes it a good photo. Particularly look at how the photographer used the light within the image, be it natural light (the sun) or artifical light sources (particularly strobes).