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RUSS DILLINGHAM/SUN JOURNAL
A speedboat pulls a waterskier on Middle Range Pond in Poland on a spectacular July day in 2023.
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It had been a crazy month of wacky July weather when I took this photo last year. The previous day, a major storm rolled in, flooding streets and basements and downing trees and power lines, including at my home.
After shooting storm aftermath photos, I headed out to find an uplifting feature photo. It was a beautiful, warm day and I figured there would be some action on Middle Range Pond, a popular spot for fishing, swimming and boating.
When I drove over the causeway I noticed several boats, one pulling someone on a wakeboard. I pulled into the marina and took photos with my camera, but the action was pretty far away. I got permission from a marina staff member, launched the company drone and flew out to where two boats were still pulling people on floats and skis.
To fly a drone for commercial purposes an operator must pass a test, be certified by the FAA and carry a Part 107 license. It's taken a lot of practice and nearly 1,000 flights to confidently get images like this without crashing or violating FAA laws.
The challenge was to keep an eye on the drone while frame the boat as it zipped along, without getting disoriented looking at the screen filled with blue water. I didn't want to get too close to the boat, fly directly over it or crash the drone into the water.
After capturing both photos and video, I got this quintessential summer image, which proved to be a bright spot in my day.
- Russ Dillingham
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RICH ABRAHAMSON/ MORNING SENTINEL
Participants in a 2022 boat parade wave flags while moving along Old Mill Pond Stream at the mouth of Great Pond during the Fourth of July celebration in Belgrade. See more photos from July 4 celebrations.
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ANDREE KEHN/SUN JOURNAL
William Eshleman of Norway examines boats and trailers for any signs of invasive plants or wildlife at the Lake Pennesseewassee boat launch. The courtesy inspections
were done in an effort to avoid damage to the lake's ecosystem.
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BEN MCCANNA/PRESS HERALD
The schooner Timberwind sails past Ram Island Ledge Light as gentle waves break on the shore at Fort Williams Park in Cape Elizabeth. Read more about the historic schooner.
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JOE PHELAN/KENNEBEC JOURNAL
U.S. Coast Guard cutters Tackle, left, and Bridle break ice on the Kennebec River in 2018 just south of Chop Point in Woolwich. The cutters were the answer to ice between 3 and 5 feet thick and river heights nearing flood stage in Augusta and other waterside communities. Watch video.
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ANDY MOLLOY/ KENNEBEC JOURNAL
Matt Prudhomme of Portland digs his whitewater kayak out of a cataract on the Sheepscot River just before the dam at Head Tide in Alna. Spring runoff and 45-degree water made for a technical paddling challenge.
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DEREK DAVIS/PRESS HERALD
Hai Pham of Old Orchard Beach leaps from his boat after pulling into the launch at Sebago Lake Station Landing in Standish as a storm rolls in on July 12, 2022. See more photos in our best of July gallery.
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DARYN SLOVER/SUN JOURNAL
Sherri Otterson, front left, and Linda Bond, front right, lead a crew of 20 paddlers and one steerer through the culvert under Crockett Ridge Road in Norway. Otterson purchased the 41-foot dragon boat that calls Lake Pennesseewassee Park home and started the Maine Dragon Boat Club.
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SHAWN PATRICK OUELLETTE/PRESS HERALD
Snow falls on a lobster boat tied up in the Nonesuch River at Pine Point in Scarborough. See more from Shawn.
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ANNA CHADWICK/ MORNING SENTINEL
EH Roy of Stewartstown, New Hampshire, carries his boat after completing the first day of the two-day, 40-mile paddling stage race in Adamstown Township. Read about the Rangeley Oquossoc Adventure Rendezvous.
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GREGORY REC/PRESS HERALD
Mariano Prado, 15, looks for his buoy while the lobster boat Sea Smoke motors through Casco Bay. Prado was one of 18 teens who participated in the 2023 Lift All Boats apprenticeship program, which taught lobstering to teens from underserved areas around Portland.
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BRIANNA SOUKUP/PRESS HERALD
Tanner Lazaro bailed out his friend's skiff before taking it out to his lobster boat near Vinalhaven. Read about the young lobsterman and the effect of climate change on fishing families in our series, The Lobster Trap.
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