Meet Jerome Pollos. He’s known as the “moment” guy in the photography community, which comes from his background as a photojournalist in the military, for the Coeur d’Alene Press and many other magazines, newspapers and photo agencies. Over the past eight years, Jerome Pollos Photography has earned a reputation for creating creative and fun portraiture, candid, storytelling wedding photography, as well as collaborative, brand-specific commercial photography (Jeromepollosphotography.com).

Generation: “I’m a Gen Xer and definitely fall in line with the ‘latchkey kid’ moniker.”

Career and community involvement: “I volunteer for the Boys & Girls Club of Kootenai County providing photography services whenever they call. I’m also in the process of joining Sunrise Rotary. I believe giving back to the community that supports you is important. And the work these two groups take on is needed.”

Parental status: “I have two amazing daughters, Felicia, 23, and Rheana 18.”

1. When did you realize photography was your calling?

“When I arrived at my first duty station in the Navy, they handed me a camera and told me I was going to be a photojournalist. I went to journalism school to be a radio DJ. Obviously that didn’t happen and I’ve been thankful ever since.”

2. What are a few of the craziest images you’ve ever captured?

“I’ve documented a lot of crazy things. From being in the middle of riots, hanging out of helicopters taking pictures of military exercises, to crazy fun wedding receptions, forest fires, police standoffs, and officer-involved shootings. I don’t know which one was the craziest, but they all have interesting stories that go with them.”

3. What runs through your mind as you look for the right moments to shoot?

“I observe people all the time. When I have the camera, I’m remembering how people interacted with each other, or take on tasks. I’m waiting to see if they repeat certain steps. Once I have those elements factored in, I’m checking backgrounds to make sure they’re not distracting, keeping an eye on the meter, and waiting for everything to fall into place naturally.”

4. What is something people would be surprised to learn about you?

“I will be married to my amazing and beautiful wife Marie for 25 years in April. Most people think we’re much younger than we look and are confused when we talk about how many years we’ve been together.”

5. If you could go back in time to anywhere in the world to document a historic event, when/where would it be and why?

“I’m going to go the easy route here and say I wouldn’t go into the past. I already know what happened. Documenting moments that are in the present is way better because I’m the first to capture that moment and I get to see it as it unfolds without the knowledge of knowing what’s going to happen next.”