Everyday moments in Maine documented by those who live in and love our state.

I grew up in a photo-obsessed family, who seemed to believe if a moment wasn’t documented, it probably never happened. Because of this life philosophy, I’m lucky to have a lens into my father’s childhood in Japan and then, of course, my own childhood in Lewiston- Auburn through his eyes.

In high school, I spent a summer at the Maine Media Workshops in Rockport and after college, I did a semester at Salt Institute for Documentary Studies, which was instrumental in developing in me the kind of dogged persistence I have to prioritize a good picture over frostbitten fingers. After Salt, I freelanced for a few papers in Seattle before starting a career as a studio potter that took me all over the country and away from photography for almost twenty years.

When I moved back to Maine three years ago and was without a ceramics studio, I picked up my camera again. Taking photographs of Maine as an adult was a kind of love letter to my home state. This picture was taken at a friend’s house outside of Portland. They regularly show outdoor movies in the summer. First, they have a cookout with friends and then it’s time for bug spray, a blanket, and a movie. In this case, Fantastic Mr. Fox was playing. It felt very much like watching a movie at home in the living room with friends and family, except that in this case, the theater was the world with the sky full of stars above us.