“Photo Finish,” by Paula Roberts, received first place honors for sports photography in the Maine Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest.

The Lincoln County News took home 17 awards in the 2022-2023 Maine Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest, including first place awards for sports photography, ad and page design, and Lincoln County Magazine.

The LCN website, lcnme.com, earned third place honors in the General Excellence – Digital category.

The awards were presented during the Maine Press Association’s annual awards banquet at the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel in South Portland on Saturday, Oct. 14.

The contest divides newspapers into three categories: dailies, and large and small weeklies by circulation. The LCN competes in the category for the state’s large weekly newspapers.

Entries are judged by industry professionals from outside of Maine, with this year’s judges working in Utah.

The awards ceremony is the final event of the Maine Press Association’s annual conference, which includes a full day of professional development and talks about industry trends.

Established in 1864, the Maine Press Association works to protect the freedom of the press and the public’s right to know, and to promote and foster high ethical standards in journalism.

A complete list of LCN honors follows:

First Place, Sports Page Design: Paula Roberts

First Place, Local Ad: “Pumpkinfest Sale,” LCN staff

First Place, Sports Photo: “Photo Finish,” Paula Roberts

First Place, Supplement/Special Section: “Farm and Table,” LCN staff

Second Place, Supplement Cover: “Live from Lincoln County,” Amber Clark

Second Place, People Photo:“Betsy Noyes,” Bisi Cameron Yee

Second Place, Feature Photo: “At Work,” Bisi Cameron Yee

Second Place, Editorial: “LEND A HAND,” Maia Zewert and John Roberts

Second Place, Supplement/Special Section: “Made in Lincoln County,” LCN staff

Third Place, News Photo: “Firefighter Memorial,” Bisi Cameron Yee

Third Place, People Photo: “Spreading Cheer,” Bisi Cameron Yee

Third Place, Game Story: “Medomak Valley football wins North Class C regional championship,” Paula Roberts

Third Place, Analysis: “Local food pantries navigate inflation to provide for holidays,” Elizabeth Walztoni

Third Place, Continuing Story: “Remembering Donnie Leeman,” Bisi Cameron Yee

Third Place, Arts/Lifestyle Feature: “Reaching for ‘the golden ring:’ 20 years of Heartwood Theater,” Bisi Cameron Yee

Third Place, Business/Economics Story: “Family-owned Fernald’s for sale,” Maia Zewert

Third Place, General Excellence, Digital: lcnme.com, LCN staff

New York University’s Kimmel Windows spotlights the photography of Ralph Ellison, groundbreaking author of Invisible Man and former NYU professor, in an exhibition running Oct. 26, 2023 through March 18, 2024. Ralph Elllison: Photographer is on view around the clock in 13 windows along Laguardia Place and West 3rd Street in Greenwich Village.

The exhibition features photographs from the book, on loan from the Ellison Archive at the Library of Congress.

Widely considered one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century, Ellison won the National Book Award in 1953 for Invisible Man, a seminal work about being Black in America. He was NYU’s Albert Schweitzer Professor of Humanities from 1970 to 1979.

The exhibition draws from the new book, Ralph Ellison: Photographer, published by the Gordon Parks Foundation and Stiedl (2022) and edited by Michal Raz-Russo, the foundation’s programs director, and Dr. John F. Callahan,  professor emeritus, Morgan S. Odell professor of Humanities at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, and literary executor for Ralph Ellison. Raz-Russo and Callahan curated the exhibition.

While famous for his writing, Ellison experimented with photography for most of his life. He documented New York City in the 1940s, sometimes working alongside Parks, and he often used his images as notes for his writing. He sometimes worked as a freelance photographer to supplement his writing income. His body of work reveals a creative mind interested in experimentation and the representation of Black life in America.

Several public events are scheduled for Oct. 28 to celebrate the opening of the exhibition. Two curator-led walking tours of the exhibition are scheduled for 1 p.m. and 4:45 p.m. Each should last about 45 minutes.

At 2 p.m, NYU alumni, writer, and founder of Audible, Don Katz, will join Professor Michael Dinwiddie of the Gallatin School for Individualized Studyfor a conversation about Invisible Man in the NYU Global Center, 238 Thompson St.

At 3:30 p.m. co-curators Raz-Russo and Callahan are featured in The Photography of Ralph Ellison: The Images, Life and Legacy in the NYU Kimmel Center.  The program is moderated by Michael B. Gillespie, associate professor in the Martin Scorsese Department of Cinema Studies at the Tisch School of the Arts.

The day concludes with Ellison, Ellington, Jazz & Swing, at 7 p.m. in the Kimmel Center, 60 Washington Square South. The NYU All-University Big Band will perform in honor of the friendship between Ellison and Duke Ellington.

About NYU Kimmel Windows | Art in Public Places

Kimmel Windows (founded in 2003) is located on LaGuardia Place and West 3rd Street, one block south of iconic Washington Square Park in historic Greenwich Village. The 13 ground floor vitrines offer three exhibitions a year. The Windows operate under the umbrella of the Provost’s office, at the heart of NYU’s Art in Public Places initiative, which facilitates the display of art in outdoor spaces around campus. It offers professionally curated, thoughtful, and engaging exhibitions organized by NYU graduate students, faculty, departments, and programs, resulting in a program that represents the wide range of scholarly discourse at New York University.

For the Oct. 10 meeting of Wesley LIFE at Wesley United Methodist Church in Bryan, Peg Lavoie brought her collection of stereoscopes and cards. She shared the history of stereoscopic photography, and then provided attendees a hands-on experience.

“From the 1830s,” she explained, “when photography first came on the scene, photographers have been trying to bring images to life.” Stereoscopy was first described in 1832 by English physicist Charles Wheatstone, and, a few years later, David Brewster improved the process.

Peg further explained that instead of one lens, the stereo camera has two, about two and a half inches apart, to mimic the distance between human eyes. The first stereo cameras were big, bulky and heavy. The negative made of glass had to be coated with a light sensitive solution, put in the camera, exposed and then processed in the dark. These cameras were mainly used in portrait photography.”

After Queen Victoria looked through the lens of a stereoscope in 1851 and was impressed by 3D images, the stereo craze began. Stereoscopic photographic views were immensely popular in the United States and Europe beginning in the mid-1850s.

By the 1860s, photography had gotten easier. Scenes were taken with a camera that produced double-image cards. When two images taken from slightly different angles were viewed with a stereoscopic device, they would present as one fused image, giving the illusion of three-dimensional depth.

Soon, American Oliver Wendell Holmes further modified Brewster’s device, introducing a smaller, handheld model. His viewer had a tin hood with a slide for cards mounted on a wooden base. By the 1930s, nearly every home had some kind of hand viewer in the parlor.

Peg added, “Before television, radio and newspapers with pictures, the stereoviewer was a person’s ticket to the world. Companies such as Underwood and Underwood and the Keystone View Company manufactured sets of cards to purchase. Popular scenes were the Civil War, natural wonders, cities, U.S. Presidents and even travel sets around the world.”

“Radio and television caused the old-fashioned stereoscope to fall out of favor,” Peg concluded. However, today, The National Stereoscopic Association keeps stereo photography alive by holding an annual convention and producing the magazine, Stereo World. It covers topics such as historical images, mid-century photography, digital stills, 3D video and computer generated images.”

The Oct. 24 Wesley LIFE meeting at 1:30 p.m. will feature Denver Henderson as he portrays the American poet, Edgar Allen Poe and recites some of Poe’s poetry. The public is invited.

(Information courtesy of the club.)

If you’re in Boston, join us at the Maliotis Cultural Center at HCHC this evening for the opening of the Exhibit “All Sides of the Parthenon” with photography by Peter Yalanis. Beginning at 7:00 p.m., we will have a presentation by the photographer Peter Yalanis and Attorney Michael Reppas of the American Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures, followed by a light reception. Please join us!

“All Sides of the Parthenon” and “Ancient Olympia, A Panoramic Odyssey” are educational and historical exhibits that include numerous unique photographs as well as lectures by photographer Peter Costas Yalanis and, for the Parthenon Exhibit, American Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures international president, Attorney Michael J. Reppas.

Each exhibit was photographed and documented with the cooperation and approvals of either the Greek National Tourism Organization in New York City or the Greek Ministry of Culture in Athens.

As a commercial artist, your portfolio is your introduction to the world. So what is the best approach to making sure that you are always putting your best foot forward?

This is going to be a busy week for me on the sales front. In addition to ongoing projects, I also have six different portfolio meetings coming up. As I’ve just spent most of the morning updating my own presentation, I thought it might be a fun time to chat a bit about the method behind the madness.

But, before getting into the answers, let’s start with a question. What is a portfolio? Not literally. I mean, obviously it’s a collection of images presented either in print or digital form. But, in terms of its purpose, what is a portfolio meant to achieve?

The big mistake that almost all photographers starting out make, myself included once upon a time, is that they think of a portfolio as an opportunity to roll out their greatest hits. They think of showing their portfolio as an opportunity to prove to the world that they are a good photographer. So, to that end, they start by laying out a series of random shots showing everything from what they imagine to be their best portrait to that amazing shot they took of the Grand Canyon last summer, trying to prove definitively that, when it comes to every type of photography under the sun, they know how to expose correctly. Don’t get me wrong, both of those aforementioned photographs might truly be stunning. But it’s highly unlikely that both should take up space in the same photographer’s portfolio.

Why? Because a professional photographic portfolio is not merely an opportunity to prove that you are a good photographer. Instead, it’s a sales tool that shows your potential buyer what products you have available for sale and what makes them unique. There is a world full of amazing photographers out there. So many that it can be daunting just to think about. Just being a good “photographer,” in the general sense of the word, isn’t likely to get you a lot of traction. Keep in mind, the people you are selling to likely receive hundreds if not thousands of emails a day from photographers all over the world. Every one of them perfectly capable of correctly exposing a standard portrait on seamless. Being a good photographer is a bare minimum to get into the room.

What your portfolio needs to convey is what specific type of photographer you are? What is your brand of photography? What specific benefit will a potential buyer get from hiring you that they can’t get anywhere else? In short, why you, instead of any of the hundreds of other equally good photographers who emailed them that day?

So, when selecting the images for your portfolio, think less about trying to prove that you have the technical skills to duplicate other images you’ve already seen in the market. Instead, focus on your own artistic voice and the specific value that you, and only you, bring to the table. In the end, that unique voice is the only thing separating you from the rest of the pack.

So, with that said, your first task when building your portfolio is identifying what product it is that you are trying to sell. Is it edgy fashion photography? Is it clean cut commercial product shots that are lit impeccably? Is it a certain brand of lifestyle photography that leans heavily on an innate understanding of youth culture? Whatever that is for you, you need to start by identifying it, because you’ll need this foundation in order to create an effective presentation.

Now that you know what it is that you’re selling, you must now figure out how to best go about selling it. There are a million and one ways to start. But, to make our job easier, let’s return again to your unique value proposition as a photographer. What is your unique brand as an artist? For instance, a couple of my friends are a photography duo. They work mainly in the world of commercial fashion photography and have come to be known for their poppy use of saturated colors and almost architectural use of lines and patterns in their fashion work.

Because they are so strongly identified by that style, they have become the first name on the lips of any art producer looking to create a project in that particular style. The type of brand recognition where, even if they don’t ultimately get the job, it’s likely that one of their images was used in the client brief to describe the type of work they are looking for.

But building their portfolio is more than just putting in a series of unrelated images that happen to be highly saturated. Their portfolio has to not only establish their visual style, but also place their work firmly in a specific section of the market. In their case, commercial fashion. Beyond the images themselves, they have to continue to hammer home the aesthetic they are bringing to the table. This goes for everything from their physical portfolio to their website design. When meeting clients in person, the duo even go so far as to match their own wardrobe with the highly saturated and curated styling of the subjects they photograph. 360-degree marketing. Keeping the brand clear everywhere from the end product to the people who make it.

So, now think about that in terms of your own brand. What is the story you are trying to tell. Let’s assume, for sake of argument, that you aren’t doing highly saturated fashion work like the duo I just mentioned. What is it that makes you unique? And how do you convey that to your client?

I am a filmmaker and a photographer. Not only do I mention that because it helps describe much of my approach to my own portfolio. But, I also mention that as it has aided me in understanding the best way to make a presentation. Regardless of how well it is shot, a movie is not just a collection of random beautiful images. If it were, that would make for a very very boring two hours. Instead, a movie is a collection of images that, when placed in a specific sequence, tell a complete story. It’s not only about the images themselves being amazing. It’s about choosing the right arrangement to guide the audience through the film.

Think of your portfolio in the same way. What is Act One? Act Two? Act Three? How do you introduce your story to the audience, build up excitement, then stick the landing with a climatic finish that builds on all the plot points you’ve guided them through so far and cements a specific idea of you in their heads that will stick around long enough to get you future work?

Having a random scene in your film that has nothing to do with the rest of the story can confuse an audience. Having every scene in a movie just be variations on the same narrative beat for two hours will bore them to tears. You need to carefully modulate the story you are telling them, establish a theme, but then dramatize that theme in new and unexpected ways. In the case of a photography portfolio, the end result of this story you tell being that the audience/reviewer now has a firm understanding of they type of photographer that you are, the method you like to work, and, most importantly, why they should hire you specifically, rather than the thousands of other photographer in their inbox.

The length of your portfolio, the specific images that will sell your work best, and so forth, are things that I can’t tell you without seeing your work or knowing your specific set of buyers. And for every general rule, there is always an exception. But the more you think of your portfolio as a sales tool as opposed to a collection of your greatest hits, the more effective you will be at building a portfolio presentation that turns into a successful career.

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In November 2022, my photographic partner Iango Henzi and I were preparing a special piece on Madonna for Vanity Fair Europe. She had a world tour coming up and we wanted to do something artistic and interesting, something with meaning. Originally we considered a re-imagining of The Last Supper but with just Madonna all alone. We wanted to go further, though. For every shoot we work on, we start with a reference then research, develop and evolve. Working with Madonna, we give her references, a plan, and she will come back and say: “What about doing it this way?” It’s an exchange. We always want to examine the meaning of a picture – what emotion it evokes and what it says.

The references from paintings, including those by Botticelli, came in later. We asked Madonna and some of the other women to dye their hair for the shoot because we wanted rich red Botticelli tones. There is also a reference to La Grande Bouffe, a French movie from the 1970s. We wanted the feeling of decadence, a huge feast. Madonna is generally involved in casting decisions but here she trusted me and Iango. We were searching for people whose faces were reminiscent of paintings by old masters, but we also wanted to be very inclusive. All the people in the picture are women but we wanted every kind of woman, including transgender women.

We live in a society where there is an excess of everything. This picture gives an idea of the bacchanalia. The wine stains and messy plates felt important. Our lives are a mess – had the scene been pristine, that would not have represented life. We also used a particular lens for a distorted look and a feeling of chaos. It gives the image more reality and depth.

We chose the food very particularly, picking certain fruits and breads for their lusciousness and decadence. Madonna opened the bread and it disintegrated into powder and crumbs, but the idea of her breaking the bread is not referencing Jesus. It was more about her sharing with people. We live in a world where society can be very selfish. Photographs usually show Madonna alone, but she has been like a mother to many people. Our image was symbolic – to have this icon of pop culture sharing with the others was a moment of unity, motherhood and inclusiveness.

Body language is very important in our pictures. There’s a sense of freedom and a sensuality in the women’s movements. The connection between them was very organic and the energy was intense. Madonna seems to guide it. All the women felt it: it was almost like a theatrical performance.

Iango and I first met about 10 years ago in Paris. I used to do hairstyling for photoshoots. Iango was doing photography but he was also a dancer. When we met, we had a feeling that we wanted to create photographic pieces: to study, to train ourselves, to discuss ideas and to search for truth.

We work together as Luigi & Iango. We are partners in photography and we are married for life. It’s a union in everything. Many people think it must be difficult for a married couple to work together but that’s not our experience. We often alternate roles. Sometimes one of us has a strong idea, and the other will follow it.

We’ve done more than 300 covers for Vogue, and worked with Vanity Fair, ID, Dust, Chaos, W and other magazines. We’ve done a lot of work with very famous supermodels, actors and singers including Cate Blanchett, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Penélope Cruz, Pedro Almodóvar, Cher, Rihanna and Marina Abramović.

We love women’s bodies – there is a certain poetry to their shapes – and there are many nudes in our work. There is a beautiful image of Precious Lee, a famous Plus-Size model, in our book. When we took that nude it was very spontaneous. After we shot it, I saw tears in her eyes. She saw herself so appreciated and beautiful. The people we’ve photographed trust us completely. Our nudes are never vulgar – they’re always tasteful and soft.

I don’t want to be provocative with photography. But I do want to search and discover. I want to approach a subject with depth and meaning. To me, this kind of searching as we go through the world is about knowledge – and knowledge becomes art.

Luigi Murenu’s CV

Born: Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy
Trained: Self-taught
Influences: “Man Ray, George Platt Lynes, Irving Penn, Robert Mapplethorpe”
High point: “Our first solo exhibition, at Palazzo Reale in Milan, Italy”
Low point: “A dangerous storm destroyed the roof of our printer office and all our prints and tests were water-damaged”
Top tip: “Find your own path following the unconscious. Follow your instincts and put the same value, passion and determination into everything you do.”