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I was on my way back from an assignment in Farmington when I first noticed a rainbow begin to form. I was on a tight deadline and was pressed for time, but kept looking for a spot to capture a colorful scene. I knew there would be hundreds of people posting photos of it, so I needed to find something in the foreground to make it stand out from everyone else.

As I got closer to town, it grew more vibrant, and a second rainbow appeared. I didn’t find anything striking, so I headed back to the office. “Seen one rainbow, seen them all,” I thought.

However, after parking in the garage, I walked out and was struck with the way it framed the basilica and the mural at the bottom right. I did, however, crop out the porta potties at the bottom of the frame being used by contractors building the new Trinity Jubilee Center in the middle of the frame.

– Russ Dillingham/Staff Photographer

Sometimes you just get a little bit lucky. You can be creative, observant, connected with your subject and still not get the photo you want. Then there were times like this, at Oak Hill’s senior night for boys soccer, where the visiting team happens to have a neat pre-game rally.

I tend to gravitate toward focusing on the visiting team first, because things feel less familiar for players than being on their own home turf. The Richmond boys timed their collective jump in a nicely symmetrical shape, perhaps even better than would be possible if they were trying to purposely create the pattern. I ended the day feeling grateful to have been there!

– Libby Kamrowski Kenny/Staff Photographer

When I was a kid — way back in the days of Andre the Giant, Chief Jay Strongbow and Haystacks Calhoun — I was a diehard wrestling fan. It was about the time when I realized Santa was not real. My dad tried to convince me that wrestling was not real either, but I didn’t believe that until he brought me to a match at the Lewiston Armory and I realized it was all just a show. The “sport” has evolved and become refined to the point that fans are in tune and often become part of the show.

The sports department was not interested in covering it (rightfully so), but I pitched it to the editorial team, promising it would lead to some awesome images.  I was so impressed with the skills of these athletes/actors, and when Milo Mirra came bouncing high into the arena on a pogo stick, launched himself into the air, and body-slammed his opponent, I managed to catch the peak action. It was one of a dozen from the event.  I had a difficult time choosing which ones to submit.

Fortunately, they were all published in an online gallery that received high-flying comments.

– Russ Dillingham/Staff Photographer

You don’t have to be a player on the field to feel the adrenaline of a close playoff game. It’s challenging to try to capture victory and defeat in the same frame, and at the final whistle you’ll usually only get one — and you have to commit to who you think will deliver that reaction.

I noticed this player was already vocal in the game, so I chose to focus on her for the final horn. Luckily, she came sprinting back to celebrate with her goalie at the end of the field where I was standing. The most memorable moment is usually the most immediate, because it’s an undiluted reaction before things really sink in and calmness diffuses some of that emotion. It’s enjoyable to see people truly in that moment.

– Libby Kamrowski Kenny/Staff Photographer

I have numerous types of cameras I use for my job. Over the years, they have evolved from film cameras to 360-degree digital cameras, underwater models and my latest tool, a drone that allows me to give a unique perspective.  I have been a licensed pilot for nearly 10 years now, and each summer I visit Kennedy Park in Lewiston to hover above the city pool and try to capture the scene, waiting for a moment where people are swimming, floating, lounging and interacting, all framed in an eye-catching manner.

– Russ Dillingham/Staff Photographer

My assignment for the day was to illustrate the drought conditions we were experiencing this past summer. I was cruising around Turner, already banking three good photos that would illustrate the story when I drove past these tractors on the knoll of a hill. With the cool-looking clouds in the background, I thought it would make for a good “Mystery Photo” for my weekly column.

I parked and framed the photo when, out of the corner of my eye, I spied this farmer returning from his garden with very few vegetables because of the lack of rain. I talked to him and got some good quotes, and with the wilted grass in the foreground, it developed into our front page photo for the Sun Journal and our other sister papers.

– Russ Dillingham/Staff Photographer

There are some events where the main purpose of the event isn’t the most photogenic part. For example, shooting a race at the starting line isn’t usually the most interesting part, even though it has to happen. The same goes for a graduation. The graduates are guaranteed to get a handshake and a diploma. But the last-minute preparation before they walk across the stage tells more about the people in the caps and gowns.

I saw this girl balancing her mortar board carefully on her styled hair and hoped I could catch her looking in the mirror near the door, and cropped in tighter than normal to try to reflect her own attention to detail. Her ensemble indeed stayed intact through the ceremony.

– Libby Kamrowski Kenny/Staff Photographer

One of the most challenging parts of the job is entering a place you’ve never been before — and likely won’t ever be again — and assessing the best way to capture your subject among the surroundings.

Whenever I am scheduled for a portrait, I bring my own lights. I knew going into this particular assignment that shooting it like a traditional portrait wouldn’t honor the subject matter well enough. It was a story on health care benefits in Maine, and a mom who previously had cancer and successfully delivered a healthy son advocated for keeping health care protections in place.

They welcomed me to shoot at their family home, and I set up a light to neutralize the darker environment. It was a bonus that the toy that the little boy wanted to play with was one that lit up, just as his face did when playing with his mom.

I hope you can hear his squeal of delight by looking at the photo.

– Libby Kamrowski Kenny/Staff Photographer

This was hands-down the most painful photo I shot all year.

To backtrack, it was Veterans Day, and the only thing scheduled going into the day was an event that the governor was attending in Lewiston. It’s not every day you’re in the proximity of such prominent figures, so I made sure to wear nice clothes to the event. But nice clothes are not usually what you need to shoot a football practice in November later that day, and that was certainly made clearer by every snowflake that began to fall in Livermore Falls after sunset.

I took what I could from my emergency kit in my vehicle and decided to shoot bare-handed because my backup gloves would slow things down or prevent me from getting the shots I needed. After all, it’s what multiple players were doing to handle the ball at practice anyway! I’m glad everyone decided to bite the bullet and perform as if the snow weren’t blowing sideways in 20-degree weather.

– Libby Kamrowski Kenny/Staff Photographer

I heard about a tour taking place at Riverside Cemetery, which is only a block from my house. My parents and relatives are buried there, so I am quite familiar with it and always wanted to peek inside the mausoleum. I pitched it to the editors right before Halloween, and they bit.

Guides conducted walking tours while telling spooky stories about the “residents.” A few people from a local funeral home were walking around dressed like they had risen from the dead, and The Grim Reaper was also present. When he walked to the top of the crypt and turned sideways to watch one of the tours come near, I positioned myself to frame him perfectly between some trees that had shed their leaves.

With the fading light and overcast sky, the near silhouette made for this dramatic photo.

– Russ Dillingham/Staff Photographer