In Media Relations

Neil Miller worked as a television photographer at a time when employees still stayed at the same company for decades. And although Neil balanced a video camera on his shoulder most of the time I worked with him, his true claim to fame was his black and white still photography. He mesmerized me with his ability to capture candid shots when his camera was nowhere near his face. He simply held his camera out somewhere and grabbed a moment in time. He and I once covered a story of someone arriving at the airport and as usual, even though we stood by waiting to shoot video, he slung his still camera around his neck. Before the person we waited for arrived, Neil captured snapshots of other families embracing, excited to see each other after a long absence. I remember thinking those families will never know a stranger just captured one of the best pictures of them … ever. Neil sometimes would show us photos he took in the 70s and 80s but had just developed … moments in time with people whose lives and careers had long ago moved on elsewhere. Neil didn’t normally shoot weddings, but we persuaded him to shoot ours in black and white, so we feel a personal connection to his work. This weekend I found one of Neil’s pictures while cleaning out our garage. This is not a candid but it’s fun. And Neil’s quick clicks when you least expected it made some otherwise dull days a little more interesting.

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