Ming Poon – Adventure Photographer 📷

Ming Poon is based in North Lake Tahoe, California and his work speaks for itself. In 2018, Ming received Powder Magazine’s prestigious Photo of the Year award, and in 2019, he won the renowned Whistler Blackcomb Deep Winter Photo Challenge.

His work has been featured in The New York Times, National Geographic Adventure, Teton Gravity Research, Powder Magazine, Backcountry Magazine, The Snowboarder’s Journal, Standup Journal, Adventure Sports Journal, ROAM, Ascent Backcountry Journal, Vermont Life Magazine and a variety of other publications around the globe. Ming’s work has also appeared in international commercial marketing campaigns for clients like Eddie Bauer, Favre-Leuba, KEEN, Patagonia, Swatch, O’Neill, Jones Snowboards, AwayCo, NOW Bindings, Hemp Fusion, Hestra Gloves, Intuition Liners, Specialized, Tepui, The North Face, Thirty-Two, YETI, Clif Bar, and more.

We asked Ming a handful of questions about his lifestyle and his work.

Ming Poon, its name to remember can you tell us a little about your background?

My dad is Chinese, he was from Hong Kong, born in Shenzhen, PRC. My name means remember the east because I’m the first boy born in the US in the Poon family and he wanted me to remember the east, where the Poon family is from. 

 What inspired you to focus on snow and mountain photography? It was where I had an advantage in photography, which was already a competitive vocation. I knew a lot of the pro athletes already and had their trust. I loved snowboarding, I still do, it was a natural thing to shoot as much as possible. Similar to other snow sports like Skiing. 

 Let’s kick things off with your origin story—was it the mountains that called, or the snow? I have always loved the mountains and all the things that come with them. I love backpacking, biking, hiking, snowboarding, camping, fly fishing, rock climbing, birds, flowers, etc. 

 What’s your go-to camera setup for a day on the slopes? Sony A1 body, lenses vary but at least 2. If just me and my family, maybe only one lens. I have the best gear and best partners. OWC cards, card readers, hard drives and a bit 8 bay Thunderbay. Sony A1 camera body, lots of nice glass for any kind of shot. Packs, slings and camera accessories are really important for me. I have been partnered with Peak Design for a few years now and they are the most incredible design and innovation company in the camera accessories business. Peak Design also makes the best Travel Tripod out there, it’s a work of art and they are coming out with some more film specific tripods soon. Their travel bags are amazing, but their new outdoor line I’ve been working with them on is really going to be a huge add for me and my shooting. 

How important is staying safe a consideration while shooting? As important as life and death decisions get on a daily basis. I’ve had more close calls than I’d like to share. I’ve really tried to reduce my risk the last 4 years in particular, since my kids were born, but there is always risk. I try my best to mitigate risk and reduce my exposure to it increasingly as I get older. 

 Safety tips are gold, especially when the stakes are high.  Choose your partners wisely and slow down. I am so careful who I go out with into the mountains. People I don’t know and people I’ve never been in the mountains with ask me to go out all the time, I rarely accept such an invitation. 

 Can you describe the most challenging shoot you’ve ever done? They are all challenging in their own way. Most of the pressure usually comes from within me to meet a higher standard for myself. I am always trying to push myself. 

We all love a good tale of near-misses and epic saves. I almost died in an avalanche when my wife was at home with a 3-year-old and a newborn. Was a bad, bad day. I was lucky and I knew it. Completely human error. I didn’t learn any lessons I needed to learn. A lifetime of good decision was nearly wiped out by one bad one. I’ve tried to remember to slow down. 

What’s the most unexpected moment you’ve captured in the mountains? Hard to say, there are so many moments important to me but probably completely insignificant to others. For my career, the 2018 Powder Magazine Photo of the Year stands out as the image that helped jump start my creative career and open a lot more doors. It really solidified my resume for when friends tried to get me on shoots. 

Our readers love surprises—what’s caught you off guard? AI. AI really has changed things. Hard to tell what’s real and what’s not and what’s manipulated. Competition is also fierce. 

What’s the most breathtaking landscape you’ve photographed? The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the most intact ecosystem I’ve seen. Beautiful, diverse, alive, vibrant, expansive and pristine. 

How do you balance the need to capture the perfect shot with the desire to just enjoy the moment, or grab your own snowboard? I will sometimes go out snowboarding by myself, even in the backcountry. No camera, just soul shredding. It’s even better when I meet up with friends serendipitously. If out shooting all day, the athletes/friends and I usually take one lap where the cameras stay in the bag and we just take one for ourselves, usually top to bottom.

We’re curious how you stay present while working. It’s usually required to be locked in to stay safe. I am usually so focused on one shot I can’t think of anything else in that moment. Then I look for the next shot and the process continues. Sometimes you think about and plan one shot for months or years and the opportunity finally presents itself and I must be so intensely focused on all things to make it reality. Lighting, time of day, snow quality, aspect, elevation, rider/skier, trick or turn, etc. I love it so much. 

What advice would you give to someone looking to get into snow and mountain photography? You better focus on your skills as a mountain partner first. You cannot be a liability. You also probably won’t survive long if you don’t focus on those skills and having good partners. Shoot what you love and keep shooting as much as possible. You gotta love it so much you will do all the unpaid work required to get paid and be successful. There are so many better vocations to make a living and provide for a family. Why are you doing it? You could have a great career doing something else and have photography be a hobby, which is often the solution for people who want to have enough to buy a house and support a family. It’s hard to make enough to live in a place like Lake Tahoe just off photography. You also need to plan to travel a lot for work, not the best thing for being a family person. 

What advice would Ming now give his 20-year-old self? Slow down. Enjoy the ride. Don’t sweat the things that don’t matter, care very much about the things that do, big or little. Take care of your health, play the long game, and keep developing your mind and body. 

What’s the biggest misconception people have about your work? It think most people know me for my ski and snowboard photography, but it’s the commercial photography that pays the bills. I will always try to get the next portfolio image of things I love like snowboarding, skiing, mountain landscapes, music, etc. but I love the challenge of working with clients to execute a goal and or vision associated with an ad campaign. 

Can you share a story where things didn’t go as planned? Things don’t go as planned every day. One thing we all must do is adapt. Adapt or die. We will see big adaptations to AI. Things almost never go as planned. I pride myself in being adaptable and being able to take some hits, get up and keep going mentally and physically. I’m still getting better at adapting, parenting forces a lot of adaptations……

Adventures often come with hiccups—tell us about one of yours?. I always try to remember to come home, come home friends and come home successful. In that order. The other stuff is just a means to an end and usually not so significant. Sometimes things happen that end up being very significant, but you don’t know it until later.  I’ve made so many mistakes, it’s all about learning from them and pushing forward to be better and better. Experience is something you get just after you’ve needed it. 

How do you find the perfect location for a shoot? Wouldn’t you like to know. Ha! Just kidding, it’s all so very specific to the vision and or goal. Maybe what the client wants, etc. Of course, I also have some personal image goals I try to attain with athletes and friends, but those are always being added to the list as I see locations, light changes, tricks, etc. 

Location scouting is an art—how do you master it? I’m still trying to master it, let me know if you figure it out. I focus on what will provide a higher percentage of success. Maybe the location also offers a good plan B, C, and D. Sometimes I’m in a position to really take a big risk and an athlete is willing to take the risk. More risk often means more reward when it does work out, but it works out less of the time…. Usually plan B, C or D is still good….

What role does post-processing play in your work? It’s important for archiving. It’s less important of editing unless it’s a commercial client. Often the editing gets outsourced as I’m busy shooting or there is someone better for me. Regardless, the process of entering metadata, filing, backing up, etc is especially important. Digital Asset Management is something all creatives should dial in early and build a system that is scalable. 

Our readers are curious about how much magic happens after the fact. I try not to edit the photos much, more of an editorial approach. Of course, some photos get edited more than others. Sometimes I shoot panoramas that require stitching in post. 

Have you ever had to make a difficult decision between getting the shot and your safety? All the time. It’s a bit easier for me now with kids. Usually, my partners make it really easy and just try to avoid any higher risk situations. A lot of my partners are dads now also, which is a preferred type of partner for me. 

Share a moment where you had to choose wisely. I often go ride a different line the athletes ride because it’s already got a track, it’s riskier or because I’m not confident enough or I just don’t want to get as intense. We make weighty decision all the time, usually every day. Life and death decisions. I try to remember one wrong decision can wipe out a lifetime of good ones. 

How do you stay motivated during long, chilly days in the mountains? I love snowboarding with my friends. I love shooting skiing and snowboarding. Having systems in place is important. Having the right gear is important. Having the right training is important. These are all especially important things to become comfortable in uncomfortable situations. I love what I do, often I suffer, but it’s just a means to an end. All the greatest things I’ve done have come hard earned. All of them. You need to be able to persevere, get through things to enjoy the summit and come home and then go back to more summits. Motivation has never been an issue for me because I love it, I’m hungry for more peaks, more sunrises. I want to suck the marrow out of life every day. Do I get tired and worn down, of course. I try to take care of my health mentally and physically the best I can so I can do more all the time. Also, for me, balance is everything. If my family is not good, I’m not good. I need to know my family is ok to keep pursuing anything. 

What’s next on your photography bucket list? Not telling. There is a lot. I’ll continue my work in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. I will also keep trying to get better shots of skiing and snowboarding. I try to do more meaningful work related to climate change, so my kids know I did something for them and their future. I hope to leave them a better planet than I have had, but the future of the planet doesn’t look good at the moment. Regardless, there is no other way, we must do something. So, I do what I can and keep going forward. 

. Who are the photographers you look up too? So so many. Jonah Kessel, Corey Rich, Keith Ladzinski, Fred Mortagne, Amy Vitale, Jimmy Chin, and so many more. I draw inspiration from all over. Some of my biggest inspirations are born from family, music, nature or other passions of mine. 

 Huge thanks to brands like Peak Design, OWC (Other World Computing), Smith Optics, Hestra Gloves, All Good Body Care, Jones snowboards, Cilo Gear, Thirty Two Boots, Specialized Bicycles and YETI for keeping me doing what I’m doing with the best gear possible. I’m grateful and honoured to rep all these brands. I often buy Patagonia clothing with a pro-account, which I’m happy to do to rep such a great brand and great products. My work and my lifestyle would not be possible without wonderful partners like these. 

 Website ( https://www.mingpoonphotography.com/ ) , Instagram @ming.t.poon , Twitter @mingpoon  , Facebook @mingpoonphotography  , TikTok @mingtpoon

 Prints available on my website.