PORTLAND, Maine — When the stay-at-home order took effect in March, Ben Williamson, like most other Mainers, had to change the way he goes about his job. As the staff photographer for “Down East” magazine, Williamson spends a lot of time outdoors capturing the beauty of Maine, often in places where few other people are to be found. So what impact has the pandemic had on him professionally? “It’s been somewhere between catastrophic and perfectly fine,” Williamson deadpans. Then more seriously: “I would say I’m lucky.”
Some things have been taken away: photo shoots of people, photography workshops where he was supposed to teach, a working trip to Iceland scheduled for this summer. His prints have been selling nicely, though, and his catalogue of work is drawing a lot of interest, especially on Instagram. His job at “Down East” has provided a steady paycheck, for which he’s grateful.
The experience of the last three months has changed the way Williamson thinks about his work. “It’s made me refocus on what’s important,” he says. “At ‘Down East’ I was photographing people more and I was really enjoying that, so it’s kind of a bummer that I’m not able to be interacting with people in a close way.”
Since he can’t photograph people at close range, Williamson has looked with a fresh eye at Maine’s natural beauty, where he first made his mark as a professional. “It’s reconnecting with my roots of going out on walks and taking photos of nature,” he says. “And then at home, just reconnecting with my family—which has been wonderful.”