Derek grew up in New York, while spending part of his summers in Maine, where he developed an appreciation for its wild landscape and natural beauty. Moving from a metropolitan area to the wide-open spaces of Maine felt like an escape to an earlier time when life was simpler, he says. The air seemed pure and the dark night skies were both quiet and alive. After graduating from the University of New England in Biddeford, Derek started his photojournalism career at a newspaper in White Plains, NY. In 2004, he moved to Scarborough and joined the staff at the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram. He lives with his wife and three children in Scarborough. His favorite assignments are photographing the outdoors of Maine, especially along the coast, and covering local sporting events.
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PublishedDecember 26, 2023
2023 Photos of the Year: Maine’s asylum seekers
In recent years, thousands of asylum seekers, mostly from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola, have made their way to Maine, hearing that it’s a safe haven. From January to June, more than 1,600 arrived in Portland in need of help. The city found itself frequently overwhelmed, with little to no space available in its shelters as families, including many with small children, kept coming. Community groups, nonprofits and churches helped house and guide the newcomers. The city turned the gym in the Portland Expo into temporary housing from the spring into late summer. Our photographers spent months this year documenting the lives of new asylum seekers trying to make their way in an unfamiliar place and checking in on others who had been for years to see how their lives in Maine had turned out.
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PublishedDecember 26, 2023
2023 Photos of the Year: Homeless in Portland
Homelessness in Portland grew to new dimensions in 2023. Even as a new city shelter opened in Riverton, homeless encampments emerged throughout the city – in parks, on trails and even on a state-owned parking lot. Local agencies struggled with how to respond, and the issue was central in Portland’s mayoral election. Throughout the year, Press Herald photographers documented people living outside, learning their names and their stories and offering readers an unblinking look at one of society’s most complex challenges.
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PublishedDecember 26, 2023
2023 Photos of the Year
Beauty comes in many forms. A diver suspended in midair. A flock of pigeons rising in the snow. The stillness of a lobster boat and a man and dog on a paddleboard in calm ocean waters at sunset. Portland Press Herald photographers uncover unexpected beauty every day. They show us the profound beauty of connection. The tenderness of a loving husband and his wife, who is in hospice, celebrating their anniversary. The resilience of families who have traveled from a world away trying to make a new home in a strange land together. The collective grief of a community experiencing enormous loss after an act of previously unimaginable violence. It is a great privilege to photograph the people and stories of Maine. Here is some of our best work from 2023.
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PublishedDecember 26, 2023
2023 Photos of the Year: Maine in mourning
On the night of Oct. 25, minutes after Lewiston police began fielding calls about multiple shootings in the city, the newspapers of the Maine Trust for Local News mobilized as one newsroom to learn everything we could about what would turn out to be the deadliest shooting in Maine history. On that night, 18 people were killed and 13 injured and a manhunt was launched to find the shooter. Photographers from the Sun Journal, the Kennebec Journal and the Portland Press Herald fanned out across the area to document it all – the fear, the shock, the anger, the manhunt, the extraordinary outpouring of shared grief and pain. This is some of their best work from those dark days.
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PublishedOctober 6, 2023
In photos: Looking back as summer draws to a close
Some people call it ‘local summer,’ the period after many summer tourists have gone but before foliage tourists arrive. The sun sets earlier and school has started, but the days are still warm – and often glorious. Portland Press Herald photographers capture its essence in this photo gallery.
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PublishedSeptember 10, 2023
Porchfest fills Portland’s Deering Center neighborhood with music
Photos by staff photographer Derek Davis.
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PublishedAugust 18, 2023
Check out all the photos of Maine’s team at the Little League World Series
Photos by staff photographer Derek Davis.
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PublishedAugust 6, 2023
In photos: A gloomy start, then glory in our photo gallery of summer 2023
June was gloomy and gray, with almost daily rain. July was warmer, with wet weekends and high humidity – not the perfect New England weather we dream about all year. But the sun showed its lovely face as August arrived, and the glorious days of summer began again.
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PublishedJune 20, 2023
In photos: See the action from Tuesday’s high school baseball and softball state championships
Check out some of our favorite images from Tuesday’s high school Class A, C and D baseball and softball state championships.
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PublishedJune 14, 2023
In photos: See the action from some of Wednesday’s high school playoff games
Check out some of our favorite images from Wednesday’s high school baseball and softball playoff games.
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