Ben McCanna has been a staff photographer and occasional writer at the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram since 2015 and has been working for newspapers since 2010.
Ben studied creative writing and literature at Emerson College and embarked on a decade-long career in publishing after graduating in 1997. In his mid 30s, Ben shifted careers by taking a job as a reporter at a small newspaper in northwest Colorado and never looked back. Over the years, he slowly transitioned from writer to photographer - his true passion.
Ben is a 2018 winner of an Award of Excellence from Pictures of the Year International. He lives on Peaks Island with his wife, a nurse practitioner, and two sons.
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PublishedAugust 6, 2023
In photos: A gloomy start, then glory in our photo gallery of summer 2023
June was gloomy and gray, with almost daily rain. July was warmer, with wet weekends and high humidity – not the perfect New England weather we dream about all year. But the sun showed its lovely face as August arrived, and the glorious days of summer began again.
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PublishedJune 27, 2023
In photos: The music of summer’s arrival
As the sun neared the horizon on the longest day of the year, a lovely ruckus unfolded at Range Pond State Park in Poland. The event, Vigorous Tenderness, was a museum-like aural experience set in the great outdoors to mark Wednesday’s summer solstice. Story and photos by Staff Photographer Ben McCanna.
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PublishedJune 20, 2023
In photos: See the action from Tuesday’s high school baseball and softball state championships
Check out some of our favorite images from Tuesday’s high school Class A, C and D baseball and softball state championships.
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PublishedJune 19, 2023
In photos: See the action from Monday’s high school lacrosse state championships
Check out some of our favorite images from Monday’s high school Class A and C lacrosse state championships.
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PublishedJune 18, 2023
One of Us: Drumming her way to ‘a full-body experience’
Nyssa Ornitier found a community that fit her in the world of heavy metal.
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PublishedJune 16, 2023
In photos: See the action from Friday’s high school lacrosse state championships
Check out some of our favorite images from Friday’s high school Class B lacrosse state championships.
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PublishedJune 14, 2023
In photos: See the action from some of Wednesday’s high school playoff games
Check out some of our favorite images from Wednesday’s high school baseball and softball playoff games.
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PublishedJune 12, 2023
In photos: Spring is in the air
For gardeners, it’s tilling the ground anew. For beachgoers, it’s the first bracing dip of the year. For anglers, it’s the first bite from a striper along Maine’s warming coast. And for the Press Herald’s photographers, it’s a little of everything as they capture spring across southern Maine.
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PublishedJune 9, 2023
In photos: See the action from some of Friday’s high school playoff games
Check out some of our favorite images from Friday’s high school baseball and softball playoff games.
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PublishedMay 27, 2023
In photos: View some of the best images from ‘Long Way Home’
In ‘Long Way Home,’ Press Herald reporters and photographers told the story of the large influx of asylum seekers arriving in Maine in recent years, fleeing their homelands and embarking on dangerous journeys to make a new life in Maine.