On March 1, the temperature in the Portland area got down to 13 degrees. Two days later, it jumped up to 55 degrees. It was a month with every kind of weather – rain, wind, snow, a vernal equinox, springlike warmth. Here’s some of our best work by Portland Press Herald photographers from a chaotic month.
Shawn Patrick Ouellette
Staff Photographer
Shawn has been a staff photographer at the Portland Press Herald since 2002. He previously worked for the Journal Tribune in Biddeford from 1993 to 2002, and as an intern with the Miami Herald in 1992.
During his years with the Portland Press Herald Shawn has traveled to Iraq to document the work of the Maine Army National Guard, photographed the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl, and was the lead photographer on a year-long project chronicling the challenges of aging in Maine. This project earned the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram the prestigious Scripps Howard Award for Community Journalism, as well as Regional Emmy Award for one of the videos that documented a family’s journey with Hospice.
He and his colleagues have recently focused their attention on the Coronavirus pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement. As a native Mainer, whose family has been in Maine for seven generations, he feels fortunate for the opportunity to help tell the stories of Maine for the past 28 years and looks forward to many more.
Shawn lives in Saco with his wife Amy, who is a fifth-grade teacher, and has two grown daughters.
Posted inMaine
In photos: The best of February
If you were planning to visit Maine for the first time, February wouldn’t be the best month – unless you were a high school sports fanatic. Then you’d be in heaven. But after the destruction of January’s two major storm surges, we welcomed a quieter, milder February. Here are some of the Portland Press Herald photographers’ favorite photos from the month.
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Posted inSports, Varsity Maine
In photos: See the action from Friday’s high school postseason games
Take a look at some of our favorite images from the basketball Class B state championships and hockey Class A quarterfinals.
Posted inVarsity Maine
In photos: See the action from Saturday’s high school postseason games
Take a look at some of our favorite images from Saturday’s girls’ and boys’ basketball regional finals.
Posted inMaine, News, Sports, Varsity Maine
In photos: See the action from Friday’s high school postseason games
Take a look at some of our favorite images from the girls’ and boys’ basketball regional finals.
Posted inSports, Varsity Maine
In photos: See the action from Thursday’s high school postseason games
Take a look at some of our favorite images from the girls’ and boys’ basketball regional semifinals.
Posted inMaine, News
In photos: Willard Beach’s fishing shacks
Take a look at the three historic fishing shacks that stood for over a century on Fisherman’s Point at Willard Beach and were washed away in Saturday’s storm.
Posted inMaine, News
2023 Photos of the Year
Beauty comes in many forms. A diver suspended in midair. A flock of pigeons rising in the snow. The stillness of a lobster boat and a man and dog on a paddleboard in calm ocean waters at sunset. Portland Press Herald photographers uncover unexpected beauty every day. They show us the profound beauty of connection. The tenderness of a loving husband and his wife, who is in hospice, celebrating their anniversary. The resilience of families who have traveled from a world away trying to make a new home in a strange land together. The collective grief of a community experiencing enormous loss after an act of previously unimaginable violence. It is a great privilege to photograph the people and stories of Maine. Here is some of our best work from 2023.
Posted inMaine, News
One of Us: His birdhouses have golf ball eyes and bottle cap ears
Claude ‘Frenchy’ Ouellet makes birdhouses for fun, with what’s lying around. “Whatever I got, that’s what I use,” he says.
Posted inMaine
In photos: Looking back as summer draws to a close
Some people call it ‘local summer,’ the period after many summer tourists have gone but before foliage tourists arrive. The sun sets earlier and school has started, but the days are still warm – and often glorious. Portland Press Herald photographers capture its essence in this photo gallery.