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.

Our photographers capture the dreary and the glorious of April before it finally yields to the sunshine of true spring.

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.

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