James Bairaktaris (known to most as Jaime, and to others as Mr. B) is a Westport, Connecticut resident and Sacred Heart University Undergrad. His photographic journey began in middle school with a Kodak point-and-shoot camera. From there, he was gifted a Nikon d3200 during his freshman year of high school. After eight years and nearly 100,000 exposures across the world, he now uses his Nikon D850 with its trusted 24-120mm lens.

His first public showing was in an Arts Westchester exhibit at 12 years of age. He featured pictures captured during Hurricane Sandy, as he was one of the few citizens within the evacuation zone of coastal Westport. He was recognized by being the youngest in the show with the most featured works.

He also gained attention after a humanitarian aid trip to Naples, Italy at the age of 18 - where Neapolitan locals commended him on his work with local school children as well as his photographic work within the city, saying he "was able to show even the most jaded of Neapolitans new beauty in everyday sites [with his photos]".  

Each year he travels to new countries to explore the cultures and meet new people. His hope is to make it to every continent and share the wils in our world through his camera.

He was an avid contributing photography for WestportNow.com until its closure in Fall of 2020

In December of 2020, Jaime founded The Westport Local Press - becoming Executive Editor of the community news website and continuing the tradition of beautiful local news

In addition to his photography, he is a volunteer Emergency Medical Technician Crew Chief with Westport Volunteer Emergency Medical Service, where he also serves on its Board of Directors.

Outside of volunteering - he is a technology team member for a public middle school, scoops ice cream for a family owned sweets shop, and is a former educational group leader for Earthplace, The Nature Discovery Center. 

Jaime served as the State of Connecticut’s 2020 Paraeducator of the Year under the leadership of now United States Education Secretary Dr. Miguel Cardona.

He is an enthusiast of the natural, social, and cultural worlds and enjoys being able to share them with others through pictures, conversations, and video. 

Hometown | Westport, Connecticut

Recent Travels

Italy | Italia

Rome; Venice; Naples; the Vatican

Greece | Ελλάδα

Athens; Syros; Mykonos

Japan | 日本

Tokyo; Kyoto

United Kingdom | UK

City of London

France | France

Paris; Loire Valley; Blois

Ireland | Éireann

Dublin; Belfast; Galway; Mohr; Carrick a Rede

Germany | Deutschland

Berlin