A word from the photographer ··· I made this photo using a GoPro Hero camera as 5-year-old Maxwell House headed back out through waves at Gooch's Beach in Kennebunk, with the help of Ian MacPherson, during Special Surfer Night. I used the GoPro to take the photo because it has a waterproof case, which allowed me to place it in the water and in the breaking waves. Normally we use GoPro cameras to shoot video, but the newer GoPro cameras have excellent still camera shooting modes, which is what I used to get this photo. House was very excited to be in the water on a surfboard and he made dozens of trips in on waves and back out again. I photographed him for about 10 minutes and shot about 200 frames in that time. Because of the unpredictable nature of shooting with a GoPro (because we can’t see what we’re shooting), making that many frames helped to insure that I would have a unique photo. I like this photo because of the joy on Maxwell’s face and the splashes of water frozen in time.

A word from the photographer ··· I made this photo of Massabesic girls lacrosse team players celebrating from the sidelines as their team scored the winning goal in the fifth overtime period of the Class A state championship. I positioned myself to focus on the sideline players because I wanted to capture a unique view of the pinnacle moment of the game. Since the game had gone on for so long, with many improbable comebacks, I knew that the players on the sidelines of whichever team scored would erupt in celebration. I think the photo is successful because it translates the intense emotional atmosphere of the game and tells the story of the struggle and ultimate victory.

A word from the photographer ··· I took this photo at a vigil the day after a woman and her three children were shot and killed by the woman's husband, father to two of the children, in a murder/suicide. I focused on a young girl being comforted by her neighbor during the vigil as the father of the shooter covers his face. I chose to use a telephoto lens to capture this photo mainly to be respectful to the mourners and to give them some space, but also to help separate the background and direct the attention to the two neighbors. The photo is successful because it shows an entire community deeply affected by tragedy.

A word from the photographer ··· This was the start of a big story. I was sent to the Biddeford store and didn't see anything out of the ordinary outside. With the blessing of the store manager, I walked the aisles, spotting a few shoppers and a depleted produce section. I made a few images there, then continued around a corner to catch this employee cleaning a vast and nearly empty meat section. My biggest challenge was balancing the different light sources. Thank goodness for Photoshop.

A word from the photographer ··· Naturalization ceremonies are usually quite visual, but once you’ve covered one or two of them it's very easy to come away with the same picture. This picture was actually taken after the ceremony was over. People were milling around outside of Hannaford Hall at USM, posing for pictures with an American flag. I wasn’t feeling great about the photos I had and was on the lookout for a good detail that could help tell the story. That’s when I was drawn to Lapinia Loding from South Sudan, whose colorful traditional garb caught my eye. Looking closer, I saw her rings and the texture of her hands and knew this would make a good picture. I think it works because it really tells the story in one frame.

A word from the photographer ··· I climbed atop the cab of the boat to make this photo of Genevieve Kurilec McDonald, a lobsterman from Stonington, while she organized bait bins. The elevated perspective shows her and her boat in their environment. Normally when we are photographing fishermen it is difficult to show a wider shot of them in their element because we’re typically aboard the same boat as they are. Climbing aboard the cabin allowed me to put a little distance between myself and Kurilec McDonald.

A word from the photographer ··· This photograph was shot with a wide-angle lens, very close to the subject. I often use this lens choice and vantage point to emphasize a particular part of the image, in this case, the bare feet with pants rolled up. These elements communicated that this man was serious about his endeavor, and was ready to literally plunge feet first into the mud (and compost) to make it happen. My decision to not include the entire subject was twofold: First it brought greater emphasis on the elements mentioned earlier, and second, it produced a cleaner and stronger composition.

A word from the photographer ··· As we were walking around the new buildings of the York County Shelter Program, Don Gean was telling us how much the program had grown over the years. We decided to go back to where it all began at the old jail in Alfred. Gean took us from room to room and shared stories about the people who used the shelter in the past. I walked ahead of Gean and positioned myself in a room so I could see his expression as he walked in. He paused in the doorway and his face lit up as he peeked in. His expression, along with the textured walls and nice available light, are why I like this photo.

A word from the photographer ··· This photo is part of "Unsettled," a 29-part series chronicling the triumphs and tragedies of the Passamaquoddy Indian tribe in Maine. I had decided to photograph part of the series with a homemade pinhole camera (made with a lens cap with a hole drilled in it, covered by a piece of thin aluminum, which was then pierced with a needle) to try and give it a sense of timelessness. I was walking around downtown Eastport early in the morning when I spotted this old Dodge truck sitting on the main road. Sitting still it didn’t make an interesting photo, but I knew that at some point a person would come out to move it. When he did, I was ready. The pinhole requires shooting at a very slow shutter speed to allow enough light to expose the image. So by panning the camera at the same speed as the truck, I was able to create an image in which the truck is sharp and the old Custom House is slightly blurred. I think this image works because it creates a sort of timeless feel, as if it could’ve been taken in the 1940s or '50s.

A word from the photographer ··· While photographing Shonee Strickland for a story on women working in Maine’s booming craft beer industry, I started by making all the usual and expected photographs – Strickland posing for a portrait in the brewery, inspecting samples of beer, etc. Then before leaving I asked her what she would be working on if I wasn’t there. She said she would be mostly cleaning, an important but less glamorous part of her job. That didn’t sound too exciting, but then she also mentioned she would have to put on a raincoat and climb into the conditioning tanks to clean them. So I stuck around and took a less expected photo.

A word from the photographer ··· I heard the call from a scanner and drove toward the scene of a house fire. As I drew nearer the roads were blocked, so I looked to adjoining property for access. A neighbor was watching from his front porch and allowed me to join him. The fire, for the most part, had been extinguished. I was watching the fire chief leave when he met a distraught woman I later identified as the homeowner. She was very emotional, and the chief very consoling toward her. I made many images of them together and this one stood out.

A word from the photographer ··· While working on the final story of "The Challenge of Our Age," an emotional, nine-part series that took more than a year to complete, I found myself in a small, enclosed porch with a family saying goodbye to their 92-year-old mother. This story was unlike many of the other stories, where I had time to get to know the family and re-visit them until I had all the photographs I thought needed. This time around I only had a few minutes to introduce myself to some of the siblings before they began to say their goodbyes. They were very hospitable and welcomed me into their home. I tried not to intrude as I made photographs and video in what was a very quiet room. At one point the children were all holding their mother's hand and whispering to her. I focused on the hands. I only made a few images from this scene; even with the camera set on a quiet mode the occasional click sounded too loud for the moment. DeWaters died the next morning.

A word from the photographer ··· I've always enjoyed going to Broadturn Farm in Scarborough. The owners' friendly demeanor, holistic philosophy and organic farming practices give me warm feelings about our past heritage and farming traditions. When I saw the sunbonnet on the worker who was picking flowers, I waited for the proper moment to capture an image I thought would reflect the past as well as highlight the present renaissance of organic practices among Maine's young farmers. As she walked toward and past me I hoped one of the many images I was shooting would achieve my vision. I was very fortunate to be successful. It is one of my all-time favorite images in my past 50 years of making photographs.

A word from the photographer ··· I made this photo as we were leaving the Harris Farm in Dayton. I wanted to emphasize the time of the day Pastor works, and as we were pulling into the farm I could tell the pre-dawn light was starting to come up. After shooting for a little bit inside the dairy as he loaded milk into his truck, I ran outside and waited with my wide angle for him to climb into the truck. Thankfully there was just enough light in the sky to convey that sunrise was around the corner. I think the photo works because it conveys a lot of necessary information, but is also pleasing with its deep blue and red tones.

A word from the photographer ··· This photo was made with a Passamaquoddy tribal elder at his camp on Long Lake on the Indian Township reservation. I had already taken quite a few photos from around the camp and the shore of the lake. I thought I was done, but still had my camera with a 50 mm lens on it just in case something happened. As we were walking back toward the camp from the lake, I noticed the man's ponytail and liked the subtle composition and mood of the moment. I fired off a few frames, and it turns out this image became the face of the "Unsettled" series. I think the photo works because it delivers a lot of information in a very simple composition. It quietly speaks to who the person is, and worked with the story because at the same time it didn’t identify just one person. It stood for more than just an individual.

A word from the photographer ··· I arrived in Biddeford before crews closed the surrounding streets, so I was able to get close to the portion of the apartment building where firefighters were concentrating their efforts. After photographing the firefighters working to put out the blaze, I looked around and realized it seemed as if every person in Biddeford had come outside to watch the fire burn. I wanted to photograph the spectators, but didn't want to stray far from my position near the building, because it seemed possible the structure could collapse from the extensive damage. Walking through the crowds that had lined up around the caution tape, I saw residents watching behind the glass of their windows and doors from buildings across the street. I made multiple frames of this particular scene, and while I was photographing, fire broke through the roof of 25 Greene, illuminating the glass on the right. I think the frame works not necessarily because of something I did in framing or composition, but because as a viewer, I can feel disbelief in this picture. I can see the devastation of the resident on the left, and I also feel what it would be like to be a child in my pajamas, clutching a flashlight, watching a neighbor's home engulfed in smoke and fire. It's a kind of shared experience that both groups of subjects are having in this frame, even though they're separated by different apartment units. That shared experience is something I hoped readers of the paper would feel, too, and it's why I think the photo works.

A word from the photographer ··· It was toward the end of the first half and Cheverus was driving down the field. Not wanting to miss a potential touchdown, I positioned myself in the near corner of the end zone even though the ball was still about midfield. Cheverus is much more of a running team than a passing team, so I was focused near the line of scrimmage with a 400 mm telephoto lens, expecting a handoff to the running back. But I always prepare for the possibility of any play, and when I saw the quarterback drop back and look toward my side of the field, I quickly photographed him throwing the ball, then immediately dropped the long lens and picked up my shorter 70-200 in anticipation of the catch. Turns out Holman ran right in front of me, and while I did photograph the catch, the much better moment was when he let loose a yell in celebration as the score brought the Stags back into the game. The photo has the feel of a big-time game to it with the packed stadium in the background and the emotion displayed by Holman.

A word from the photographer ··· This photo was made as a team of sled dogs was pulling into the Allagash checkpoint near the end of the Can Am sled dog race through northern Maine and Canada. Logistically it was difficult to capture. The temperature hovered around 30 below zero and I kept having to duck into Two Rivers Lunch – the lodge that served as the checkpoint – just to stay warm. I was constantly changing my camera batteries, keeping fresh ones warm underneath my jacket because the cold zapped all of their power in minutes. Race officials tracked the progress of all the teams, which allowed me to jump outside just before Aili’s team came in. It was pitch black outside, but from a distance I could see Aili’s headlamp lighting up his dogs. As he came closer, the headlamp backlit the steam rising from the breath of the dogs and gave the scene a dramatic feel, and just enough light for me to make the picture. I think the photo works because it captures just how cold and dark this race can be.

A word from the photographer ··· I had pulled over after spotting the colorful buildings on Smith Street at the base of Munjoy Hill in Portland blurred by swirling snow. I was hoping for something or someone to give the photo a human component when a pedestrian appeared, climbing the hill from Kennedy Park. It was this balancing element that made a stronger photograph. I waited about 15 minutes for everything to come together, but it was worth the wait.

A word from the photographer ··· I made this photo using a telephoto lens while standing on the stage where President Barack Obama had spoken during a rally at the Portland Expo for U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud, who was running for governor. It was rare access for the Press Herald – we don’t always get inside the White House Press Corps areas when presidents come to town. That access allowed me to be behind the president as he greeted people and to have the higher vantage point from the stage, enabling me to see more of his supporters than I could have had I been at ground level. For me, the range of expressions on people’s faces is what makes this photograph successful.

A word from the photographer ··· I was feature hunting for something interesting in Old Orchard Beach, where I live, and saw a sign for a haunted house that I had passed countless times on my way to work. Realizing the haunted house opened that evening, I decided to drive up and see if organizers were getting ready. To me, the interesting aspect of this haunted house was about the volunteers giving their time to help out at a community event, rather than actual people going through the attraction. My favorite pictures to look at recreationally are some kind of mixture of weird and funny, and when I saw Jim putting on this mask, I knew I'd like the frame once I got it on my computer. Especially at an event where there is a certain understanding about how things are supposed to go (i.e., people put on makeup and scare spectators), I enjoy making frames that surprise me and deviate from expectations.

A word from the photographer ··· I made this photo with an unmanned remote camera set up in rigging of the chain link fence that sits above the backstop over home plate at Hill Street Field in Biddeford. This was the Little League state championship, and I wanted to try and take a photo from a different angle. Originally I mounted the camera to try and get a play at home plate, but came away with a much different photo. I set up the camera with a wide-angle lens, and set it to fire off a frame every time my handheld camera fired using radio remotes. After a very back and forth game I knew there would be a lot of emotion at the end, and I came away with some nice photos from my handheld. But when I downloaded the memory card of the remote camera, I found this image. I think it really works because it clearly explains what is happening, but also conveys two very strong yet opposite emotions.