I was honored to be able - with my photographer wife - to take the portraits of almost 300 young campers last Saturday. We do this twice a summer when the new campers arrive and the photos are then sent home to let the family know that their young one has arrived safe and sound at camp and to show just a bit of the great outdoors that the campers will be spending the next month enjoying.

There are 2 summer camps on Washington Pond where we live and 2 more summer camps on Damariscotta Lake where we are building a retirement home. There are probably well over 1000 campers in just these 4 camps and this is repeated many times over throughout Maine. The 4 camps near us draw campers from all over the world. We photographed children from Korea and Brazil. Several come from France and many more from other parts of Europe. Most of the American states are represented.

These campers come to Maine when they could just as easily go to any part of the world. Their families often deliver them personally and spend a few days or weeks touring around locally. These young people will grow into adults that love our state and return to visit it many times throughout their lives. They will buy first or second homes throughout Maine and many will move here with their families, investing their time and money in their community and creating local businesses that help employ others.

These young people are a great part of the future economy of our state.

I often talk briefly with the kids I photograph. A young man from Brazil says that their football team (soccer to us) isn't doing so well. A young lady from Florida thinks that our beautiful, sunny 80 degree day was just a bit chilly but she really looks forward to swimming in a real lake and not the pool. A young man from Japan doesn't know a word of English but we sort of point and smile and there is no problem taking his portrait and then I see him later in the day running and laughing with his cabin mates and I know he'll be just fine.

We now have to sort the 300 photos and deliver them ready to mail out. I reminisce on my summer camp days as I look at the photos. There is nothing finer than enjoying some time in Maine at camp.

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