Best of 2015: Just lovely

01/28/15 -- Swings dangle over wind-carved snow on Portland's Eastern Prom one morning in the aftermath of a blizzard. Troy R. Bennett | BDN

01/28/15 — Swings dangle over wind-carved snow on Portland’s Eastern Prom one morning in the aftermath of a blizzard. Troy R. Bennett | BDN

Sometimes, I fall back on my first love in photography: pretty pictures. It’s part of what makes photography the great democratic art form. Everyone has a folder or phone full of pictures they think are lovely. I’m no different. Light, shadow, color combine to make something you can keep looking at, over and over again.

8/15/15 -- Stars shine over a pond and secret camping spot in Oxford County. Troy R. Bennett | BDN

8/15/15 — Stars shine over a pond and secret camping spot in Oxford County. Troy R. Bennett | BDN

08/13/15 -- A pair of sneakers hang from a power line on Boynton Street in Portland. Troy R. Bennett | BDN

08/13/15 — A pair of sneakers hang from a power line on Boynton Street in Portland. Troy R. Bennett | BDN

8/15/15 -- A loon flaps its wings on an Oxford County pond just before dark. Troy R. Bennett | BDN

8/15/15 — A loon flaps its wings on an Oxford County pond just before dark. Troy R. Bennett | BDN

10/06/15 -- A horse and driver circle the track in the seventh race of the day at the Fryeburg Fair. The fair features six days of harness racing. Troy R. Bennett | BDN

10/06/15 — A horse and driver circle the track in the seventh race of the day at the Fryeburg Fair. The fair features six days of harness racing. Troy R. Bennett | BDN

06/20/15 -- Volunteers carry a rainbow flag in the Pride Portland parade in Portland. The parade and festival in Deering Oaks Park capped off a ten-day celebration of Maine's LGBTQIA community. Troy R. Bennett | BDN

06/20/15 — Volunteers carry a rainbow flag in the Pride Portland parade in Portland. The parade and festival in Deering Oaks Park capped off a ten-day celebration of Maine’s LGBTQIA community. Troy R. Bennett | BDN

8/14/15 -- The setting sun sends a few last rays through the clouds covering Township D night after a rain shower. Troy R. Bennett | BDN

8/14/15 — The setting sun sends a few last rays through the clouds covering Township D night after a rain shower. Troy R. Bennett | BDN

09/05/15 -- Elysha Bosworth of Naples watches the action in the sky over Brunswick at the Great State of Maine Air Show. Troy R. Bennett | BDN

09/05/15 — Elysha Bosworth of Naples watches the action in the sky over Brunswick at the Great State of Maine Air Show. Troy R. Bennett | BDN

04/27/15 -- A man and a woman stroll past a boarded-up storefront on Congress Street in Portland. Troy R. Bennett | BDN

04/27/15 — A man and a woman stroll past a boarded-up storefront on Congress Street in Portland. Troy R. Bennett | BDN

12/10/15 -- The last rays of the sun strike the side of the Coast guard cutter Thunder Bay as it sits in Portland Harbor. Troy R. bennett | BDN

12/10/15 — The last rays of the sun strike the side of the Coast guard cutter Thunder Bay as it sits in Portland Harbor. Troy R. bennett | BDN

Troy R. Bennett

About Troy R. Bennett

Troy R. Bennett is a Buxton native and longtime Portland resident whose photojournalism has appeared in media outlets all over the world.