Featured Photographer: June 2021
Justin Smulski:
I’m a freelance photographer based in Southern Maine, though I’m traveling throughout the state constantly for projects, shoots, and off-grid adventures. Downeast, the Bold Coast, the western lakes and mountains, islands off the coast, and the Maine Highlands: I’m always somewhere with a camera in hand trying to capture someone’s story.
Most of my freelance work is editorial or commercial in nature, but the most frequent character and theme in my work nonetheless is Maine itself: as a place to discover and learn about. But it’s not always easy or convenient. It’s lots of driving and long hauls to remote places with long forgotten dirt roads between you and your destination.
I was recently planning a four day trip to Baxter State Park to hike, camp, and explore with a fellow photographer. Berlin City Auto asked if I wanted to take a rugged, high ground clearance vehicle along on the trip. More than anything else, the trip was about scouting for future shoot locations—so the Jeep Gladiator Mojave that Berlin City Auto set me up in was the perfect choice to tackle those muddy back roads and wilderness trailheads while we explored the region. There was plenty of storage for gear, water, camping essentials, and camera equipment in the four-door cab and truck bed; and the tailgate made a pretty ideal spot for a quick cup of camp-stove coffee after hours and hours of driving. The desert-rated Jeep made short work of potholes and washouts the size of most sedans. Instead of worrying about ground clearance and bumpy, muddy dirt roads that would put most vehicles out of commission, the Jeep Gladiator Mojave’s wheelbase and rugged build meant we could actually focus on the task at hand: exploring new locations for shoots and discovering everything the area had to offer.
See more of Justin’s work here: https://www.tidetopine.com/
