It begins unofficially after Memorial Day, with flowers in full bloom in June and ever-lengthening hours of sunshine. July brings the heat, warmer ocean water in the southern part of the state – and the tourists. It begins to slip through our fingers in August, all too soon. Summer in Maine.
Gregory Rec
Staff Photographer
Gregory got his start in journalism delivering his hometown newspaper, the Norwich Bulletin, as a teenager, reading the front page articles on dark winter mornings as he passed under streetlights.
Greg worked as a photojournalist at a weekly newspaper group in Connecticut for three years before attending the University of Montana to study journalism and Spanish. He interned at the Portland Press Herald in the summer of 1995 and the Boston Globe the following year.
He was hired at the Press Herald in 1997 and over the past 20 years, he has photographed throughout Maine, covered the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks in New York City, twice embedded with Maine Army National Guard troops in Iraq, covered the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana and the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. In 2004, Rec was named Journalist of the Year with columnist Bill Nemitz by the Maine Press Association for their work in Iraq. After only ten years at the Press Herald, he won the Master Photographer award from the New England Society of Newspaper Editors, an award usually reserved for veteran photographers.
Posted inLocal & State, Sports, Varsity Maine
In photos: Highlights of the spring season’s high school sports
The sound of a ball smacking a glove or a bat, feet pounding up dust, fans cheering on a warm evening, it’s all ours again as life returns to normal. Peruse these Portland Press Herald photographs of high school sports this spring season.
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Posted inLocal & State
In photos: Graduating seniors celebrate a major milestone
The pandemic made this a challenging year for Maine students, but many seniors were able to celebrate their high school graduation with in-person ceremonies. Portland Superintendent Xavier Botana, at Deering High School’s graduation on June 2, noted the senior class missed out on many of the most cherished rituals of their junior and senior years, saying, “We’re very proud of you, Class of 2021, for how you’ve handled this hardest of years.” Portland Press Herald photographers captured the joy of the moment at several local graduations.
Posted inLocal & State, News, Schools and Education
UNE researchers study whether, for energy sector, kelp is on the way
A project in Saco Bay looks at how best to grow kelp in the open ocean, with an eye toward producing biofuel if it can be grown efficiently at a large enough scale.
Posted inLocal & State
In photos: Maine teens who got vaccines
Press Herald photographers caught up to Portland-area high school students getting their COVID-19 vaccinations this spring. Here’s what they had to say.
Posted inLocal & State
In photos: Scenes of April give way to flowers of May
Our photographers capture the dreary and the glorious of April before it finally yields to the sunshine of true spring.
Posted inFood, Local & State, News
In photos: After 30 years and counting, Becky’s Diner is still going strong
Becky’s Diner is an example of the resilience of the Portland restaurant community, where so many establishments have struggled during the pandemic – but are hanging on.
Posted inLocal & State
In photos: Despite a pandemic, Maine’s maple season remains just as sweet
Pure maple syrup is a beautiful thing, sweet, with complex flavors, and it can only come from boiling the sap from a tree, a time-consuming process dependent on the weather. This year was off to a slow start with a warm January and “stone cold” February, according to Michael Bryant of Hilltop Boilers in Newfield. But the sap is running in March, and the coming week should be a good one if it doesn’t get too warm. Maine Maple Sunday is March 28, but this year the 38th annual event will have adjusted hours and options because of the coronavirus pandemic. Press Herald photographers visited some southern Maine makers busy producing syrup last week.
Posted inLocal & State
In photos: Let there be light
Daylight saving time started again on Sunday, leading to dreams of those long summer nights in Maine, when the sun doesn’t set until after 8 p.m. There’s a bipartisan bill in Congress now, called the Sunshine Protection Act of 2021, sponsored by politicians as different as U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Ed Markey, D-Mass., that would make DST permanent. If it passes, we would not switch our clocks back in the fall. Meanwhile, Press Herald photographers took advantage of our lengthening days to look for beautiful light.
Posted inLocal & State
In photos: Uplifting scenes of Maine
After being in Maine for nearly 25 years, I’m still discovering parts of the state that I haven’t yet explored. That has been the case this winter, when I’ve spent time skiing the state’s three largest ski areas: Saddleback, Sugarloaf and Sunday River. Being in a new place with time on my hands (read: riding the ski lifts) tends to get the creative juices flowing. I decided to attempt a series of photos at the three ski areas taken solely from the perspective of the lift chairs. I found that each area had its own charm. At Saddleback, I was drawn to the rime ice coating the trees and lifts. Skiing in the clouds that covered the summit of Sugarloaf was an otherworldly experience. Our day at Sunday River was our first day of skiing in sunshine and I was drawn to the shadows it cast. – Staff Photographer Gregory Rec