Gerald Geronimi(France)
I had just graduated in photography and was 18 when I joined the photo service of Marseille Navy fire department in 1993. It was an extraordinary experience, both photographic and human! In 1998, the CFO (Comité Français d’Organisation) hired me as a "photo" manager for the World Football Cup in the Marseille area. Responsible for looking after photographers from all over the world, I discovered the world of the press and sports photography. Following these successful experiences, I created my company in May 2003 and made my childhood dream come true – to earn a living from photography and to live for photography. At that time, I also started shooting my first weddings. Simultaneously, I worked as a photographer for the communication department of Marseille hospitals, which turned out to be another amazing experience!
In 2006, the radio station NRJ asked me to be their photographer for the NRJ Music Awards. I have been covering this event since then, and as years went by, it became my "celebrity weekend of the year"!
But the real turning point in my professional life happened in 2007. I then decided to challenge myself to leave Marseille for Lens, in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region. I literally fell in love with the area, its inhabitants, landscapes and incredible "Northern light" which still inspires me today! At that time, I also dedicated a large part of my photography work to weddings and portraits.
In 2008, I was still looking for new photographic emotions; I went to Burkina Faso as a volunteer on a humanitarian mission. After setting up a "bush" photo studio and thanks to a small portable printer, dozens of children went back home with their portrait, but mostly with a different view on themselves.
These portraits of children have since been shown in an exhibition called "Enfants du Faso", which has been travelling a lot.
Today, when you ask me what I do for a living, I like to simply say that I take pictures of lovers and happy people. To me, photography is a universal language that makes it possible to experience extraordinary and unforgettable encounters!
In 2014, I discovered the world of FUJIFILM with the X100S, which I bought for personal use. More than a mere revelation, it was love at first sight! I was so impressed by its file quality, ease of use, user-friendliness and discretion that I decided to take it with me for professional assignments, such as wedding photo journalism, my area of predilection (such a difficult field in which the photographer must totally trust his equipment).
After this first beautiful experience, I logically turned to the X-T1 and its range of lenses. Once again, I discovered a highly-professional camera body, very responsive and completely customizable. It has it all to attract the most demanding photographers and I'm one of them.
