Maine Trees | Featured Photographer Jamie Walter

WHAT’S YOUR CONNECTION TO NEW ENGLAND?

I was born and raised in Maine, and New England has been my playground since I was a kid. I grew up skiing at Sugarloaf, hiking in the White Mountains, and surfing along beaches from Maine to Rhode Island. Having traveled around the world over the past few years, I find that my appreciation for New England and the diverse range of activities it offers has only grown; there are not many other places on this planet where you have access to so many adventures and beautiful landscapes all within a few hours of each other. I’m currently based in South Portland, Maine, and actively try to do justice to the beauty and potential that Maine and New England offer.

DESCRIBE YOUR BACKGROUND AND EQUIPMENT.

I’ve been shooting photos for about 10 years now. I started with my mom’s point-and-shoot before saving up to get a DSLR when I was 16. Since then, I’ve gone through several cameras and lenses, experimenting with what works best for me. I currently shoot with a Canon 5D Mark IV and an assortment of Canon lenses, ranging from an ultrawide 15mm fish-eye to my always-trusty 70–200mm telephoto zoom. I also enjoy shooting film, with my favorite cameras being a Leica M6 35mm range finder and a borrowed Mamiya RZ67 II. I would love to reshoot the “Branch Out” series on a medium- or large-format camera if given the chance.

WHAT MAKES THE “BRANCH OUT” SERIES SPECIAL?

In general, I’ve found New England landscapes are often very busy. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing , but I really like this series because the images are so simple. It’s not often you can find a tree that is isolated from its surroundings — and I had to shoot most of these on foggy days to hide the backgrounds. This project started with a quick shot along the side of the road, but it has now become my personal mission to search out and photograph these lone trees around New England.

WHO OR WHAT INSPIRES YOU?

I am constantly inspired by so many different things in my life, and I wish I could name them all. For this particular series, I drew inspiration from two people: Eric Pollard, a skier and artist whose surreal tree paintings have always awed me, and Michael Kenna, a photographer who focuses on minimalistic landscape compositions. Overall, I really enjoy looking at the work of action sports photographers who focus on the activities I don’t shoot as often; there are some incredibly talented people shooting surfing, skateboarding, and climbing. To see more of Jamie Walter’s work, go to jamiewalter.com

MAINE TREES | FEATURED PHOTOGRAPHER JAMIE WALTER