
The photographer and essayist Robert Adams wrote that “the job of the photographer is not to record indisputable fact but to try to be coherent about intuition and hope.” The best images captured by Portland Press Herald photographers this past year do just that.
They are truthful, yet still manage to convince us of life’s beauty. There is a sheer joy in the face of a girl learning to surf in a photo by Gregory Rec and a freshness of vision in Ben McCanna’s image of hazmat-clad firefighters at a training exercise. A sublime beauty that transcends its subject matter is revealed in Shawn Ouellette’s photo of a surfer alone, looking out into an endless sea and sky. Brianna Soukup’s image of a couple kissing in an iconic Portland bar captures a tender moment in time and there is a soaring delight of a woman swinging in a Portland snowscape by Derek Davis.
It is a great privilege to photograph the people and stories of Maine. We share some of the best of the year from the photographers of the Portland Press Herald in a gallery at the Portland Public Library from Jan. 18-Feb. 22.
Join us for light refreshments and conversation on Friday, Feb. 7 from 5:00-7:00 p.m. You can view the full Photos of the Year galleries online here.

Ben McCanna/Staff Photographer

Derek Davis/Staff Photographer

Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer

Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer

Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer
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