About
Meet Captain JimTHE MAN BEHIND THE LENS
Captain James Mead Maya (Capt. Jim), lives on San Juan Island, Washington, northwest of Seattle, Washington. He has been on the waters of the Salish Sea, (the greater Puget Sound area) since 1988. An avid naturalist all his life, Capt. Jim was born in New York City, but grew up in suburban Chicago, Hammond Indiana. He feels fortunate to have been born into a family that loved the water and wildlife. Given a boat by his grandparents well before turning 10, he can’t remember not owning a boat. He soon developed a deep and abiding respect for our natural heritage.
After teaching school for 35 years, mostly in Gilroy, CA, Capt. Jim and his wife, Carolee, imagining retirement, moved to San Juan Island. Never one to stop learning, Jim decided to expand his knowledge of boating and love of wild life by developing his own whale watching company, Maya’s Westside Whale Watch.
The beauty of the Northwest begs to be captured, and so another passion began, a love of photography. He discovered a natural talent for this art and began selling some of his photos. When the time came to sell the whale watch business, it was time to put more energy into photography. Thus, the camera is always close by!
His whale watch company, under new ownership, is now Maya’s Legacy Whale Watch. He is still a captain for the new business, because of his love of the water and the Orca. His goal is to be a captain on the amazing waters of the San Juan Islands forever!
Maya’s Images is a natural extension of his professional life! The new business includes photo sales, cards and a yearly calendar. Being an avid photographer, and being surrounded by whales, eagles, seals, sea lions, porpoise, dolphins, fox, mountains, and amazing island scenery, the camera is continually clicking! His wife is still waiting for retirement.
All the Capt. Jim images on this site were taken within a few miles of his home on San Juan Island, Washington. And yes, they are for sale. Capt. Jim specializes in working directly with prospective buyers. He wants the final image to be not only the desired image, but also the perfect size, medium (paper, canvas, metal), price, and quality. He is easily reached by phone and by email. Contact Us