Neil Maurer

I was writing the acknowledgments to my novel, and I couldn’t have written the amount of detail I wanted for the story without the view camera class I took in college taught by Neil Maurer.

Mr. Maurer was a kind person who held a genuine enthusiasm for photography that was infectious. He had a way of encouraging you without putting you down, while also drawing attention to your strengths. He had a strong desire to keep learning as the field rapidly changed, and I will never forget the love of photography that he instilled in me.

One memory I have of him that encapsulates who he was was when he took out class to a gallery for a photography show. We wandered the gallery, and my sister got the giggles. Mr. Maurer came over to see what the problem was, and my sister described what had prompted her giggles. Suddenly, Mr. Maurer burst into laughter, and we all got the giggles and had to leave the gallery to keep from disturbing everyone.

So, while he loved photography, he wasn’t above enjoying life or living in the moment. I’m sad to learn he passed away last year, but I hope his legacy will live on forever. 💔