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.
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PublishedOctober 5, 2022
In photos: Best of September
September is our transition from summer into fall, a time of fairs and apples, classes and school sports. But this September also saw a wave of violent crime in Portland, a public housing high-rise that was without electricity for days after a storm, and the arrival of rescued beagles. Here are some of the best photos of the month from Press Herald photographers.
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PublishedSeptember 11, 2022
In photos: A good-humored man continues a summer tradition
Ryan Lowe might be the last of his kind in Portland: An ice cream truck driver who still makes the rounds in the summer, driving through neighborhoods, bringing icy treats to all comers.
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PublishedAugust 19, 2022
In photos: The best of July
Hot and dry, that was July. But we’ll take summer in any weather. Here are some of the best photos from the Press Herald photographers for the month.
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PublishedJuly 17, 2022
In photos: In the summertime
There is no better place to be than right here, in Maine. Press Herald photographers capture the season in all its sun-soaked goodness.
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PublishedJuly 10, 2022
In photos: Tri for a Cure’s triumphant return
More than 700 athletes participated in the first in-person Tri for a Cure since 2019 on Sunday. It was the 15th running of the all-women’s triathlon, which raises money for the Maine Cancer Foundation. Photos by Shawn Patrick Ouellette.
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PublishedJune 6, 2022
Best of May photo gallery: A month of contrasts
May is a month of life, when Maine throws off winter’s gray and emerges into a golden, green spring. Yet it always ends with Memorial Day, when we honor those who died fighting for our country. This year, May will be remembered for the murder of 21 people, including 19 children, in Uvalde, Texas, as well as 10 people killed at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York. Here are some of the Press Herald’s best photos of May, many of them suffused with hope.
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PublishedApril 29, 2022
In photos: Ramadan brings a gathering of faith, music and food
At sundown, the Ocean Gateway in Portland came alive with performances, traditional Arabic music, prayer and food to celebrate one of the last nights of Ramadan.
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PublishedApril 18, 2022
In photos: Slowly, slowly, signs of spring
Officially, the first day of spring in 2022 was March 20. In Maine, March and April bring snow, frost, rain, mud and summer-like warmth within the space of a few days. Our signs of spring, like opening day at Red’s Dairy Freeze or the first Sea Dogs game, are celebrated whatever the weather. And nothing is as sweet as hearing the birds sing and seeing the first daffodils bloom halfway through April.
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PublishedApril 15, 2022
Rite of spring
Just as the birds come back and the daffodils pop up, another sure sign of spring is the sound of bats whacking balls as Little League starts up. Staff photos by Shawn Patrick Ouellette.
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PublishedApril 8, 2022
In photos: The best of March photography
March is the month when winter officially ends, spring takes hold, and daylight savings time, well, saves us. This year, it also brought us the start of spring high school sports outdoors, our first ice cream at Red’s Dairy Freeze, and, the heartbreaking news from the war in Ukraine. Here are some of the best photos of the month by Press Herald photographers.