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I have never photographed surfers, so I was challenged by the conditions and ways to capture the action.

I walked and waited for the best chances to photograph surfers slicing through the waves. I turned away from the surf and was headed back to my car when I seized an opportunity to speak with a surfer who had just arrived. He answered all my questions and helped with names of people I’d already photographed. As he started stretching and doing yoga, I stopped talking and tucked my notes away. Quickly I stepped behind him and framed the photo of him with the beach, water and sky.

Over the years, I’ve made a few nice photos on the way back to my car and this is one example of taking that extra bit of time to stop, ask questions or look back over my shoulder. Other times I’m pushing deadlines and don’t stop.

– Rich Abrahamson/Staff Photographer

A sports photography maxim is to make lots of pictures and then pick out the good ones. This shot was from a high school cheering competition that was several conferences’ championships all at once.

So I had hundreds of frames to sort through and found this one shot that I had made with a wide angle lens while sitting on the floor in front of judges.

– Joe Phelan/Staff Photographer

Golden hour, also called Magic Hour, is the time just after sunrise and just before sunset. Since the sun is low on the horizon it gives pictures taken at that time a warm glow with long shadows.

This fall foliage shot was taken just after sunrise from the Calumet Bridge at Old Fort Western, looking south toward the Memorial Bridge in downtown Augusta. The Kennebec River was calm and at high tide, so the reflection of the colorful trees really pops in the mirror-like still waters.

– Joe Phelan/Staff Photographer

Another sports photography saying sometimes is “just follow the ball (or in this case, puck) and shoot action.” This was from the only University of Maine men’s hockey home game I got to cover this year. The arena has assigned shooting locations, and I was on the landing between lower and upper seating sections. The high angle helped make a clean background for this shot of players colliding and sliding in the middle of the rink.

– Joe Phelan/Staff Photographer

I was invested in covering this extra special basketball game. It was senior night and a big moment for team member Shelby Jordan, who has a developmental disability. She was introduced with starters and honored at halftime with seniors and their families. The crowd was caught in the moment that recognized Jordan and her commitment to the MCI Huskies.

During the first half, Jordan cheered from the bench. In the second half, the team rallied around her as she entered the game. It was the first time she had competed in a varsity contest. MCI doesn’t offer unified basketball, which are sports offered as co-ed athletic opportunities for students with developmental disabilities, but they found a spot for Jordan on the girls varsity basketball team.

The group of photos I filed had little to do with the final score; my focus was to show the game through the eyes of Jordan.

– Rich Abrahamson/Staff Photographer

I’ve gotten used to interacting with, and photographing, homeless people and others in crisis. It has taken understanding and sensitivity to succeed in those situations. My approach is always the same: Tread lightly, be a good listener and care.

While working on a story about the “criminalization of homelessness” in Augusta, I briefly got to know Ann Merserve and other homeless people who sheltered under a railroad trestle by the Kennebec River. During the three days I was with them, I heard about their hardships and photographed what I could.

On the day I made this photo, I met them early in the morning as they were waking up. It was before we walked to the Bread of Life Soup Kitchen, where breakfast was being served. I joined them on the ground, checked my exposure on the camera and pre-focused the lens. I captured this unguarded moment as Meserve turned toward the camera. Moments later, we were joined by a woman who told me she’d spent the night in the doorway of a building. She told me that she was an alcoholic, and then she leaned into our small group and began praying The Lord’s Prayer. When she finished, she released my hand and turned toward me.

“People think we’re all a piece of shit, but we all believe in God,” she said.

– Rich Abrahamson/Staff Photographer

Being an athlete myself, I love capturing all the aspects of athletes and have so much respect for them. Documenting the exhaustion of these Oxford Hill teammates after competing in Class A North cross-country championships highlights the physical and emotional effort that goes into athletic performance. Allowing people to understand the determination, dedication and human element beyond the finish line is something that is really important to me.

– Anna Chadwick/Staff Photographer

State legislative sessions are usually scheduled to start at 10 a.m., but occasionally, they start later and I try to find some other photos while waiting. One spring morning, I noticed this woman talking on her phone while everyone was waiting for lawmakers to finish up their pre-session party caucus meetings before the morning session could start. She had found a quiet spot to talk on the phone, sitting on a bench on the landing of the stairway that connects the second and third floors of the Maine State House. I made the shot from a fourth floor balcony to frame her in the architecture.

– Joe Phelan/Staff Photographer

If you’ve ever been to The Pit, officially known as Memorial Gymnasium, at the University of Maine, you know the energy that such a small space can generate, especially during a playoff game. If you haven’t been, my job as a photographer is to bring you these moments and make you feel like you’re right there.

In March, the men’s basketball team secured their first victory in the America East tournament in 21 years. This photo captures teammates reacting to a basket made during the game against UMass-Lowell during the quarterfinal game. I knew that to tell the story efficiently, I needed to capture the emotion beyond the court lines, which included the excitement shared by both the bench and the fans.

– Anna Chadwick/Staff Photographer

A friend told me that they had seen this giant field of lupines next to the Richmond transfer station while making a dump run. I went down to check it out one morning, and it made for a great gallery of the blooming flowers.

– Joe Phelan/Staff Photographer

Swamping my shoes and soaking my clothes was a fair trade for this shot at the start of the swim portion of the Ironman 70.3 in Augusta.

I was on my knees and stretched over the dock. The lens was pre-focused over the area where swimmers were entering the water. The camera was away from my eye and extended over the water for two to three quick shots, and then I pulled back to avoid being splashed. Water is not kind to a camera’s electronics. I carried a dry microfiber towel to wipe off the water I couldn’t avoid.

– Rich Abrahamson/Staff Photographer

It was mid-day at the newly built indoor track facility at Colby College in Waterville for the high school state doubles tournament. It was particularly sunny outside, and since a wall of the facility has several windows, the shades were pulled down. As the matches progressed, I noticed the main light source was coming from behind my subjects and the opportunity to capture silhouettes was present — a situation that rarely happens in the sports world.

With the simple background, strong outlines of athletes, and a few setting adjustments on my camera, I was able to take advantage of the scene.

– Anna Chadwick/Staff Photographer

I was able to photograph the Bossov Ballet during their production of “The Nutcracker,” attending a practice, a dress rehearsal, and the final performance. Following the dancers from rehearsal to stage offered me a rare behind-the-scenes look at the discipline, focus, intensity, and energy they put into every movement.

I took this photograph during a moment backstage as these young dancers prepared for their big performance. I love the chaos of items spread across the vanity and costumes flung over nearby chairs, but what drew me in was the stillness of the young girl closest to the camera as she confronted her own reflection.

In that quiet moment, I wondered what she was thinking about. Was it the effort she had put in? The role she was about to play? Or the performer she was becoming?

– Anna Chadwick/Staff Photographer

I took this photo of Tiger, a young ballerina, while she was at a dance practice. She and I made eye contact while she was in a side split stretch, which made her smile. The smile was spontaneous, genuine and a result of a brief connection. The candid joy captures real emotion, something that’s difficult to capture in traditional ballet photography, which tends to focus on formal poses and flawless technique.

I love how it celebrates her personality as much as it does her technique.

– Anna Chadwick/Staff Photographer

I was off the clock and walking around downtown Waterville with my chihuahua-terrier Spike when I got this shot. The camera was over my shoulder and the dog’s leash attached to my belt. The mountain biker was back-lit as he rolled across the iconic Two Cent Bridge that connects Waterville and Winslow.

I don’t expect to stumble into a great feature photo but sometimes the photo just happens and I’m ready with my camera. I needed to be in the right place before the cyclist came into the frame, so I carried Spike and hustled into position for the shot. The composition was an important element in the photo and I couldn’t be late.

– Rich Abrahamson/Staff Photographer