Originally from Vancouver, BC, Marcus Paladino has been living in Tofino for the past decade. He has taken advantage of his time there, perfecting his craft in surf photography. Paladino reaches for inspiration outside of the world of surfing in things like street photography, skateboarding, and painting. We are pleased to introduce Paladino as one of the winners of our 2020 Creative Canvas Art Contest.

SLOWTIDE: Where are you from?

MARCUS PALADINO: I was born in Vancouver, raised on Vancouver Island and have lived in Tofino, BC for almost a decade now.

S: How did you get into photography?

MP: My older sister recommended signing up for our high school photography class, I started in grade 10 or 11 and fell in love with black & white 35mm film, which we developed ourselves and processed in the darkroom. From there, I went to post-secondary for photography and really found myself going against the grain of the standard curriculum. During that time, I spent most of it at the local ski hill just taking photos of my friend snowboarding. A couple years later I found myself in Tofino for a summer vacation and never left.

S: Where do you draw inspiration from?

MP: With my surf photography, I like to try and draw inspiration from aspects outside of surfing. Videography, street photography, skateboarding, paintings, professional sports, portraits along various other artists and creatives.

S: Favorite place to shoot?

MP: No spot naming, but it’s a right-handed wave here in Canada. Whether I’m swimming with my camera or shooting from land, there’s no place I would rather be. It doesn’t hurt if the waves are firing and the light is good too. It’s a very special place for me.

S: Challenges of shooting in cold climates?

MP: Neoprene stiff fingers and frozen eyelids. When I’m swimming in the dead of winter sometimes you just physically can’t be in the water anymore because you can’t feel your hands and feet and you start shivering uncontrollably. It’s way different than surfing in cold water because you’re completely submerged the entire time.