The Maverick Behind the Lens: Marshall Mao Captures the Moments that Matter
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MSA’s Maverick photographer Marshall Mao receives national recognition for his photography
The photographer Annie Leibovitz, known for her portraits of Queen Elizabeth II, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, and Michael Jordan, once remarked: “Photographing the people close to you is probably the most rewarding work you will do. It may never be published, but it is the work that you should care about most and embrace.”
MSA’s own Maverick behind the lens, Marshall Mao, both cares about and embraces the opportunity to photograph his friends on the Hill. For the past two years, it’s been rare to see him on campus without his camera bag slung over his shoulder and his trusty Sony mirrorless camera in hand. Whether walking the halls of Old Main or posted in the corner of Alumni Gym on a cold winter night, Marshall’s eye is always trained through his viewfinder, capturing the moments that define life at Miller. Some are obvious—a slam dunk in a varsity game. Others are quieter, more fleeting—like two classmates locking eyes on the dance floor at Winter Formal. Big or small, Marshall is there, preserving the story of the school year, one frame at a time.
His interest in photography began in elementary school. Marshall’s mother, a professional photographer, became his first teacher and guide. “My mom is the tour guide of my photography career,” he remarked. “She taught me a lot about structuring a photo and taking a good picture.”
When he was too young to have a camera of his own, he’d take photographs in his mind—scenes he would memorize and think to himself, “That’s the shot—that’s the moment I’d preserve.” But when he finally got a camera in hand, he discovered a gap between what he imagined and what he could produce. “The beautiful ‘photos’ in my mind were harder to capture than I thought. When I became a ‘photographer,’ my confidence fell through the floor. My photos didn’t match what I was seeing.”
Fortunately, Marshall’s pursuit of technical mastery coincided with his arrival at Miller School. He enrolled in photography classes and began studying under award-winning teacher and photographer Tom Pallante. He learned how to frame a shot, understand camera settings, and translate vision into image. Slowly, the gap between his imagination and his output narrowed. Skill caught up with vision. And with that, confidence grew.
Marshall put those skills to work. He joined the yearbook staff and captured thousands of images across campus, many of which helped shape one of the most stunning yearbooks in school history. “While working on the yearbook, I’ve photographed so many aspects of life on the Hill,” he said. “It’s given me a greater appreciation for what a remarkable school Miller is.” His teachers, he added, have played a key role in building his confidence. “When a teacher tells me they liked a photo on the school’s Instagram or thanks me for a team picture, it means a lot. The older I get, the more I realize how important confidence really is.”
This past fall, Marshall decided to take a leap. He submitted a photo to the National Scholastic Art competition—one of the most prestigious contests for high school artists in the country. The photograph, taken during a family trip to Chongqing, China, shows two sisters walking in opposite directions. “It was spontaneous,” Marshall said. “They looked almost identical, but they were moving away from each other. I just knew that was the shot.”
At first, he didn’t want to share it with anyone. “It felt artistic, but I was worried others wouldn’t see what I saw,” he admitted. But thanks to the encouragement he’s received at MSA, Marshall decided to submit the photo anyway. “Miller has taught me the importance of confidence—and the importance of speaking out loud. For me, that means sharing my work.”
The photo won the Golden Award for best photo in the region.
While the recognition was meaningful, it’s not what drives him. What matters most to Marshall is capturing the little moments that bring life on the Hill into focus—moments that might otherwise go unseen. “These are the photos I want to take. These are the memories I want to preserve.”
