Describing himself as “a country boy at heart,” Chris Bennett has a deep-seated love of the outdoors. He grew up in the Maine woods, worked for a time on the Appalachian Trail, and even lived in a tent for six months as a backcountry ranger. Today he is a busy freelance photographer based in Portland, Maine, but he still answers the call of the wild, as shown by these portraits he made of AT hikers in their element. For our Q&A with Chris Bennett, read on.

Chris Bennett

What’s your connection to New England?

Chris Bennett: I was born and raised in central Maine and would always take trips to the mountains to hike and ski with my parents. I took my first solo backpacking trip when I was 14, a two-night trip on the Appalachian Trail near Moxie Pond. From then on I couldn’t get enough. College in upstate New York was rough, because I was hours away from big mountains and high places. Now that I’ve settled back in Maine, you can find me in the mountains almost every week.

What’s your background in photography?

CB: I majored in photographic imaging arts and sciences at Rochester Institute of Technology, where I received training in everything from the history of the photographic process to the physics of light to traditional darkroom techniques and the ethics of photography. Most important, I was able to meet and speak to some of the established photographers who were always passing through Rochester to give presentations or to stop at the George Eastman House. I was able to talk to greats like Arno Rafael Minkkinen, David Burnett, and James Nachtwey.

What inspires you?

CB: My greatest inspiration is the outdoors, but I’ve also been interested in humans and our interactions and impacts on mother nature. The reason why people decide to hike 2,200 miles through the woods and over mountains fascinates me. Each person is different. My inspiration is always changing, but the writings of Wallace Stegner and Edward Abbey are currently influencing much of my work. I always find myself browsing books by the portrait master Richard Avedon, particularly his series “In the American West.”

To see more of Chris Bennett’s work, go to cbennettphoto.com or follow him on Instagram at @chrisbennettphoto.

Appalachian Trail Hikers

Chris Bennett

Chris Bennett

Chris Bennett

Chris Bennett

Chris Bennett

Chris Bennett

Chris Bennett

Chris Bennett

Chris Bennett

Chris Bennett

This post was first published in 2018.