A Q/A with Maryland photographer Walter Dorsett and a first look at his new documentary series.
If you live in Harford or Cecil County and are active online, you have probably seen and loved a Walter Dorsett picture on Facebook or Instagram. Specializing in ethereal vertical landscape photography that could easily be mistaken for a painting, Walter has a talent for capturing local scenery that we all take for granted and simply put…making it breathtaking. Over the last ten years, Walter has been steadily amassing a large online following with his daily posts of sunsets, oceans, and wildlife and he is now the most followed photographer in Maryland with half a million followers. While his work is easily recognizable, Walter himself has always remained elusive and a bit of an enigma. He rarely engages with the public or posts personal information online but, that is all about to change with his new three-part documentary series “Who is Walter Dorsett?” We had the opportunity to sit down with Walter and talk to him about it.
I was driving in Baltimore, and I saw a massive billboard with your face on it, asking “Who is Walter Dorsett?”. What is going on?
“Who is Walter Dorsett” is a project I have been working on for the past few years. It is a three-part documentary series that I will be premiering on Facebook on July 23rd. It covers my photography and digs a little more into who I am as a person and the creation process of my work.
What made you decide to take on this project?
Well originally, I just wanted to do an interview or an article to promote some of my upcoming projects and give the public a glimpse behind the curtain but, when I started going through all of my photos, videos, and magazine covers I realized how much stuff I had to share- a documentary seemed like the best way to tell the story I wanted to tell in a way I wanted to tell it. The idea started in 2020. I participated in a Cecil County Library Tour and had the opportunity to speak to a few hundred people about my photos. One of the things they were most interested in was how I created these photographs and the story of how they came to be. Before that though, I never thought people really cared about the behind-the-scenes stuff, I always thought it was the least interesting aspect.
What do you want people to get out of watching it?
I feel like there are so many people out there that know of me but they also know nothing about me. They look at me and think that the process was easy…I get to travel all the time… I have all this nice stuff. What they didn’t see was me wearing camouflage and sitting in a field for six hours, trying to get a photograph of a fox – many days in a row with little to no return. They didn’t get to see me cleaning bathrooms for $50 a week to put gas in my car so I could drive around Cecil County and photograph all day. They don’t know about my first photography studio, a $15,000 total failure and setback, or about any of the other stuff I have been through. I want to be able to show all of that and provide inspiration for others who are starting with nothing and going through everything, I am completely self-taught and managed to grow a career from literally nothing. There are so many others out there, just like me and I hope that this documentary will give them some hope or encouragement to never give up. I also want to show people who I am as a person, there’s so many layers to me, to all of us.
In the past, you have described yourself to me as an introvert and even detailed some of the lengths you would go to avoid people or being seen. This project is a huge departure from that comfort zone, what changed?
That’s true and to tell the truth, I have been trying to change that. Looking back, I liked being elusive. I didn’t really talk to people or form friendships, in fact when I saw another photographer set up in the same location I was headed, I would turn around and leave. Not out of jealousy but out of fear that they would ask for my name and end up recognizing me from online. I feel like my internet presence and reputation was so much larger than 20-year-old Walter Dorsett still wearing the same clothes from high school. I had such a humble beginning, but the internet ‘fame’ made me feel inferior in the sense of not looking as large as my name. When I first started photography, I was confident in my work, but I think that was the only part of me I was confident about. I was always super self-aware and insecure; always thinking people were judging me for a myriad of things. There were people that looked up to me or viewed me as a local celebrity and I just didn’t feel like I was enough? My work totally fit the part but I just didn’t, I lacked nearly everything I have now. Today- I am not afraid of that anymore and I am not afraid of people’s opinions about my work or who I am as a person. Their opinions of me are not my responsibility nor my concern. I used to want to please the world and make everyone like me, now I just want to please me. I feel like the title of this documentary is a nod to myself because I too am just figuring out Who is Walter Dorsett?
Most of your documentary was filmed by and produced by you. What did that process look like?
Extremely hard! I have always been interested in videography. In fact, when I was a kid, I had a green- screen and I would shoot and edit videos on Sony Vegas or whatever it was we used back then. For this documentary I had to shoot all the videos, shoot multiple different angles, fly the drone whilst driving the car with two dash cameras mounted… all of this has been challenging…and unlike anything I’ve ever done, but it’s been such a good challenge. Honestly, I am bored of taking pictures of just sunsets and this was a new creative outlet for me. I have been creating projects since I was a child, I am always creating something, just not always what everyone else wants me to create. I’m learning so much more about myself as an artist by trying to venture outside of my niche and create something new.
Part one of your documentary is called Self Righteous. Why did you choose that name and what does it cover?
So, it’s funny but I had a woman in my Facebook comments call me self-righteous a few weeks ago…I think she meant to say self-centered, but it seemed like a good title. I will have to remember to thank her for the inspiration. Anyway, part one covers the beginning of my career, I have archival footage of me as a kid getting my first camera. I also cover my first photography studio and how that was an epic fail because I hadn’t learned how to market myself yet. Really it was the start of my career. I wanted to succeed so bad, I was already in way over my head, I couldn’t just give up.
Part two of your documentary is called Reputation. What will we see when we watch that?
Big Reputation, Big Reputation…Ooh, you and me, we got big reputations, ah! Just kidding, Reputation has a lot to do with what I do now and how people perceive me. I like this segment because it gave me a chance to showcase a lot of the non-profits I work with, like CASA of Cecil County, and highlight their missions. It also covers a darker side. Most of my work is on social media and with that comes a lot of hate, criticism, and basically trolls. I have found that the more success I experience or exposure I receive, the more people feel compelled to leave unsolicited criticisms and comments on my work and appearance. They have even gone so far as to leave me negative Google Reviews when they have never been a client of mine or accuse me of photoshopping or altering my work with no basis or evidence of this claim. As I have started to show my personality more, they have started to criticize me more personally too. That constant negativity can take a toll on your mental health, especially if you thought you looked great. Especially if you never considered these ‘flaws’ to be an issue until someone else points them out. I am trying not to fall into the pit I fought so hard to get out of, I am not what people perceive, I know who I am and I will never allow the words of others to persuade me into hiding in the shadows, ever again.
The final part of your documentary is called Coup de Grace, tell us about that.
Coup de Grace shows where I am now and gives me an opportunity to preview some upcoming projects that I am really excited about. The first thing is my 2024 ’10 Year Anniversary Edition’ Calendar. In 2024 we celebrate the ten-year anniversary of my career and I have compiled thirteen photographs that I believe changed the path of my career for the better. or this one. I will also be able to discuss the behind-the-scenes stories on how I created the photographs. The finale for me is a nod to the future Walter Dorsett, everything I hope to become and create will be
July is a long way away, where can we see you in the meantime?
On May 15th, I will be on Cecil TV. I haven’t done anything with them for about six years now, so I am excited about that. On July 1st we will be releasing a podcast with you, and then on July 21st I will be chatting with Justin on WHGM!