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Over my career, I have covered a handful of milestone birthday celebrations of people turning 100-plus years-old, and all of them have been touching affairs that tug at the heartstrings, but this one was a little different.

Unlike the other men and women of honor, who were all a bit-confused what was happening, and who all required assistance, seated in wheelchairs, Jim burst through the door of the military museum with a giant smile on his face, dressed immaculately for the occasion, and walking with only the help of a cane. He gave a few interviews to news reporters and then told stories with the sharpest of memories, recounting the years of his youth, growing up and attending Deering High School and enlisting in the National Guard. After World War II, he returned to Maine where he married, and adopted a son and daughter. He volunteered his service to the Civil Air Patrol, Maine State Police, Hills Beach Volunteer Fire Department, the Maine Turnpike Authority and Maine Medical Center.

I stuck around for a while to listen to his stories and jokes, making some other nice photos of the occasion, but it was the first photo of Jim that told the story the best. I tried to learn his secret to longevity. “Dark chocolate” was all he offered, with that electric smile. Jim passed away the following month, on Feb. 25.

– Derek Davis/Staff Photographer

I was on my way back from an assignment in Farmington when I first noticed a rainbow begin to form. I was on a tight deadline and was pressed for time, but kept looking for a spot to capture a colorful scene. I knew there would be hundreds of people posting photos of it, so I needed to find something in the foreground to make it stand out from everyone else.

As I got closer to town, it grew more vibrant, and a second rainbow appeared. I didn’t find anything striking, so I headed back to the office. “Seen one rainbow, seen them all,” I thought.

However, after parking in the garage, I walked out and was struck with the way it framed the basilica and the mural at the bottom right. I did, however, crop out the porta potties at the bottom of the frame being used by contractors building the new Trinity Jubilee Center in the middle of the frame.

– Russ Dillingham/Staff Photographer

More than 2,000 fans attended the playoff football game between defending champs Kennebunk and Westbrook, who were hoping to win their first-ever regional championship. The team didn’t disappoint, winning the game 34-27. As the clock ticked down to zero, I was watching the bench, waiting for nice reactions as they celebrated.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a couple of players approaching the coach with the water bucket. I got into position and was able to make this frame. Westbrook went on to win the state championship the following week.

– Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer

One of my favorite places to photograph in southern Maine is at the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village in New Gloucester. The grounds, buildings and people contain an abundance of character and almost anywhere I point my camera, I see great images.

In early fall, I was at the village because we were doing a story on the newest Shaker, Sister April Baxter. Along with other community members and volunteers, one chore that she participated in was loading hay bales from the barn onto a trailer. I positioned myself well inside the barn and made a number of images as everyone labored to transfer the bales. When I looked over my edit of images, this one stood out because of the varied positions of all the people and the wonderful light.

To me, it sums up in a single image what the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village is all about: joining together as a community to help each other in meaningful work.

– Gregory Rec/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

Heat stories have been regular occurrences the last few summers and extreme climate events will continue to be increasingly newsworthy in the years to come. They aren’t always easy to photograph; however, because many people generally are not out and about, opting to stay inside air conditioned spaces. Every year we photograph people at pools and at the beach, staying cool during times of extreme heat, but those images can get repetitive.

Late in June, a heat wave hit Maine, bringing temperatures into the 90s and a heat index exceeding 100. I started out trying to find people working outside but didn’t find anything great, so I decided to check out Deering Oaks Park. I thought that there might be people seeking shade or staying cool by the water, but what I found was even better.

A group of children from Boys and Girls Clubs of Southern Maine had discovered that a new water fountain feature at the playground could serve as a fun way to cool off. It was photographic gold!

– Derek Davis/Staff Photographer

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

If I hadn’t run out to my car at the Press Herald’s South Portland office to get a piece of photo gear for a reporter, I never would have made this image. As soon as I walked out the door, I saw the moon rising over the tree tops as a murder of crows flew chaotically in the sky above me.

It triggered a response in me that I’ve often had over the years: though I’m in the middle of doing something, I can’t ignore that elements are in place that could make a great photo and I need to get a camera in my hands fast. I put a 200-600 millimeter lens on my camera and started photographing crows as they flew in front of the moon. The murder eventually moved out of sight and when I looked over the images I had made, none of them really captured what I was after. When I saw a few crows perched on top of distant trees, I realized that they might stay there long enough for me to position them in front of the moon. I climbed up a small hill and lined up this image, setting my camera to a high ISO speed and a slow shutter speed so I could shoot at f/32, which was necessary to have both the crow and the moon in focus.

For me, this image is something worth crowing about!

– Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer

I’d been wanting to photograph the furry convention for years. The first year I forgot about it; the next year I was out of town.

This year it finally panned out. I had so much fun hanging out and taking photos over the entire weekend. Everyone who participated in the weekend was so lovely and kind. I learned a lot about why people are drawn to this community and was really impressed by how inclusive and welcoming furries are to everyone. I noticed the elevators full of people in their fursuits the first day and knew I wanted to try to get this photo. It took a few hours before I was in the right place at the right time.

The best part about this job is getting little peeks into subcultures you don’t know much about. I was very grateful that everyone there was so open to letting me take photos and sharing their thoughts about why the furry community is so important to them.

– Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer

You don’t have to be a player on the field to feel the adrenaline of a close playoff game. It’s challenging to try to capture victory and defeat in the same frame, and at the final whistle you’ll usually only get one — and you have to commit to who you think will deliver that reaction.

I noticed this player was already vocal in the game, so I chose to focus on her for the final horn. Luckily, she came sprinting back to celebrate with her goalie at the end of the field where I was standing. The most memorable moment is usually the most immediate, because it’s an undiluted reaction before things really sink in and calmness diffuses some of that emotion. It’s enjoyable to see people truly in that moment.

– Libby Kamrowski Kenny/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

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

I try to always follow one rule when shooting photo assignments. Once I am finished taking a few pictures that I think will work, I try to take a picture or two from a different angle that I think probably won’t work.

On this day, I was asked to head to Hartford to take a picture of Sarah Eller, who was facing extended wait times for her children to see a dentist. Taking a portrait of one person has its challenges, but one person equals one set of eyes and one frame of mind. Taking a portrait of five people comes with five sets of eyes and five different moods. I took a couple of pictures of the Eller family inside their home that would work, but holding the attention of four children was not in the cards that day, causing eyes to look elsewhere and young minds to wonder.

My one rule to look for something different led me to the hammock on the front porch. I wasn’t sure it would work but it was just what I needed to hold the children’s attention for just a few more moments.

– Daryn Slover/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 woke up early on a cold December morning and was considering checking out the sunrise. When I looked and saw the temperature was in single digits, that clinched it for me.

On my way to the coast, I saw smoke coming from the storm grates on the side of the road, and that got me excited to get to the beach. When I got to Camp Ellis, it was just starting to get light out. I walked along the pier, then along the beach, trying different angles. The color in the sky was gradually changing.

I liked this image the best; it was made moments before the sun rose over the horizon.

– Shawn Patrick Ouellette/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

When I was a kid — way back in the days of Andre the Giant, Chief Jay Strongbow and Haystacks Calhoun — I was a diehard wrestling fan. It was about the time when I realized Santa was not real. My dad tried to convince me that wrestling was not real either, but I didn’t believe that until he brought me to a match at the Lewiston Armory and I realized it was all just a show. The “sport” has evolved and become refined to the point that fans are in tune and often become part of the show.

The sports department was not interested in covering it (rightfully so), but I pitched it to the editorial team, promising it would lead to some awesome images.  I was so impressed with the skills of these athletes/actors, and when Milo Mirra came bouncing high into the arena on a pogo stick, launched himself into the air, and body-slammed his opponent, I managed to catch the peak action. It was one of a dozen from the event.  I had a difficult time choosing which ones to submit.

Fortunately, they were all published in an online gallery that received high-flying comments.

– Russ Dillingham/Staff Photographer

I cannot multitask. If you ever see me taking pictures along the sidelines of a sporting event, do not come over and talk to me because I can not talk and take pictures at the same time. I try to forget about all the pictures that I missed because I was chatting with another photographer or listening to a reporter tell me what was about to happen before the next ball was even snapped or thrown in from the sideline.

Sure enough, during a high school soccer state championship game, I somehow ended up next to another photographer who wanted to talk shop. During this particular game, between being distracted by “photo guy” and the know-it-all parent standing along the fence behind me yelling at who I think was his son, I had to move away from that spot, an area that I like to shoot from during a close game. I questioned where to shoot from next, but with Oceanside High School hanging onto a 1-0 lead late in the Class B State Championship soccer game, I knew the pressure that their goalie was faced with. Standing behind the goal is always a gamble and I always lose when I gamble.

But not this day. The picture of goalkeeper Grady Geretz following the game-tying goal with his eyes was one picture that told the story of Oceanside’s loss to the Yarmouth Clippers in overtime. 

– Daryn Slover/Staff Photographer

One of the most challenging parts of the job is entering a place you’ve never been before — and likely won’t ever be again — and assessing the best way to capture your subject among the surroundings.

Whenever I am scheduled for a portrait, I bring my own lights. I knew going into this particular assignment that shooting it like a traditional portrait wouldn’t honor the subject matter well enough. It was a story on health care benefits in Maine, and a mom who previously had cancer and successfully delivered a healthy son advocated for keeping health care protections in place.

They welcomed me to shoot at their family home, and I set up a light to neutralize the darker environment. It was a bonus that the toy that the little boy wanted to play with was one that lit up, just as his face did when playing with his mom.

I hope you can hear his squeal of delight by looking at the photo.

– Libby Kamrowski Kenny/Staff Photographer

This was one of the coldest assignments I’ve ever been on.

Reporter Grace Benninghoff and I were doing a story about the first night of the warming shelter being open and knew we wanted to try to connect with someone waiting for the shuttle to the shelter. We saw Luis sitting alone outside of the soup kitchen and approached him. He was willing to talk, but honestly the cold was so harsh that it was hard for any of us to speak for very long.

After hearing a bit about his story, Grace and I just waited with him outside for almost 45 minutes. He finally decided to just get on the city bus to get out of the cold and told us he knew where the shelter was and could figure out how to get there. We later discovered that the shuttle hadn’t arrived for Luis because it was too full picking up other people at the first stops. The weather wasn’t just miserable; it was outright dangerous.

I know Grace and I were both thinking of Luis the whole night, hoping he made it to the shelter.

– Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer