‘Stranger photo sessions’ are bringing singles looking for love to Maine

By Sabrina Martin, Bangor Daily News Staff

Maine has long been a magnet for its romantic edge — fiancees, newlyweds and elopers come to enjoy the state’s dramatic coastlines, charming fishing villages and serene pine forests — but a new service being offered in the state is also luring a new demographic: singles.

On a windy Saturday morning in early October, along a wooded sideroad in Dover-Foxcroft, a Maine photographer captured intimate photos of a Minnesota flight attendant and a Kennebec County medical secretary.

The couple posed in various positions before a canopy of autumn leaves — with their hands clasped together, their noses nearly touching and, for the final shot, their lips locked in a soft kiss.

It was their first kiss. It was also their first time meeting.

Before the roughly hourlong shoot, the couple were strangers. But after more than a dozen photographed poses and light small talk, the couple left holding hands — well after the photographer and her camera had retired.

The pair, Adam Roemer and Casey Spencer, participated in a social media-driven trend that has gained traction across the country. Coined “stranger photo sessions,” the fad is marketed as a unique way to meet a potential romantic partner outside of the endless swiping synonymous with modern online dating.

It’s also the latest example of people making romantic visits to Maine. The state has long been a tourism destination for extravagant weddings, dramatic proposals and private elopements. Now, visitors are coming to Maine for a new romantic reason: to find love. 

Roemer, 35, and Spencer, 41, knew nothing of the other — they didn’t know the other’s name, occupation or where they lived. They put their trust in photographer Tyla Racila of Farmhouse Frames Photography and her “hype woman,” assistant and sister-in-law Brittany Brewer, whom they’d also never met.

“They know absolutely nothing,” Brewer said. “There was one guy who said ‘I know I’m not supposed to know anything about my match, but does she have any kids? If she does, do you know the gender and approximately how old?’ He wanted to buy the kid a present because he’s buying her a present.”

Most of the men have gifted their partners a bouquet of flowers upon meeting, Brewer said.

Roemer and Spencer were among more than 300 singles who applied for the family duo’s stranger sessions. The sister-in-laws have scheduled roughly 35 photo shoots in just a few months, they said.

“I just thought I’d give it a shot,” said Roemer, who is stationed in Boston but requested a day off from Republic Airlines, a regional air carrier, for the trip north. “I don’t love traveling so much: I have a hard time meeting people, so I thought I’d give something different a try.”

Brewer said an overwhelming majority of applicants are women. When she receives an inquiry from a man, they’re matched fairly quickly, she said, adding she charges a $10 application fee that does not guarantee a match. The shoot itself costs $75 per participant.

Brewer has fielded hundreds of applications and is responsible for matching singles together based on their answers to a 25-question survey. She said she’s received inquiries from applicants throughout and beyond New England.

“There’s people from Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Kentucky, Connecticut, Vermont and Minnesota,” Brewer said. “We have somebody flying from Minnesota to one of our sessions.” 

The questionnaire asks participants about themselves and for qualities they’re looking for in a romantic partner. It inquires about the applicant’s hobbies and music preferences, and what kind of personality traits they want in a significant other. 

The survey also asks about potential dealbreakers — like tattoos or drug use — and their comfort level in showing affection on their first date, including holding hands, hugging and kissing.

The couple arrived separately. Roemer drove from Bangor, where he’s a regular at Paddy Murphy’s whenever he visits Maine. Spencer arrived from Benton, a small rural town near Waterville, roughly an hour from where the shoot was held.

Both were, understandably, nervous. Brewer and Racila — whose photo business prior to the stranger sessions focused on weddings, high school senior shoots, maternity sessions, and other celebrations — placed blindfolds on the pair before arranging them back-to-back prior to the big reveal. 

Racila feverishly clicked photos as the couple was instructed to remove the blindfolds, turn around and meet one another for the first time. The reveal managed to calm both of their nerves: They introduced themselves before Roemer handed Spencer a gift for their first date: a bag of M&Ms.

Following the shoot, the couple chatted for roughly 20 minutes before Roemer walked Spencer to her car, hand in hand. They parted ways, but only for a handful of hours, after which Roemer asked Spencer to dinner. They sent Brewer a picture of themselves on their second date.

Racila and Brewer have received applications for singles from 18 to 70 years old, they said, adding that roughly half of their applicants are between 18 and 25.

Once Brewer pairs clients together, she helps them ease into the shoots, cracking jokes to lighten an otherwise anxiety-provoking and often awkward situation.

The photographers also separate each participant near the end of the shoot, under the guise of taking solo shots, to confirm a single is still comfortable with kissing their match. Roemer and Spencer said they were game for a kiss.  

“I think it went well, it was really great,” Spencer said. “I think we will exchange numbers: He seems genuine.”

Racila and Brewer had two more stranger photo shoots that day, each of which ended with the couples exchanging contact information. One of the matches shared a drink after their session, Brewer said.

“I’ve had a lot of people say that in 2026 their goal was to do something that put them outside of their comfort zone,” Brewer said. “They want to be able to meet new people in a more natural way, rather than [through] social media. [Other] people say they’ve had bad luck with dating apps, and they’d rather meet somebody in person and see how it goes.”