NewsBeat

July 2023 NewsBeat 22 By MARK SCHEER On the beat: Jim Neiss captured soul of community J im Neiss wasn't sure what he was going to do with his life as he approached his high school graduation. He decided, in the second half of his senior year, to take a photography class that he thought might be interesting. It turned out to be one of the most im- portant decisions in his life. "I guess you could say I fell into it," said the 63-year-old Neiss who in May retired after spending more than 35 years working as a photographer for the Niagara Gazette and Lockport Union-Sun & Journal newspa- pers. "I thought it would be an easy curric- ulum to take the last part of my senior year and it ended up being something that I just absolutely loved doing and I kept doing it." Neiss entered journalism when his best friend's mother put in a good word with George Measer, former publisher of the Bee Group newspapers. A week later, Measer offered Neiss a job as a freelance photogra- pher, his first real work as a photo journal- ist. "I didn't know anything about newspaper photography. I jumped right in," Neiss said. "I joined the National Press Photographers Association and when I started getting their magazine, it was a great source of inspira- tion. I would copy what they did. Also the Buffalo News photographers were a source of inspiration. I just kept my eye open. Neiss freelanced for the Bee Group for about a year before being offered a full- time job. He became the group's chief pho- tographer in 1985. While working for the Bee Group, he met Holly Marvin, a part-time photographer for the Niagara Gazette. On a boat trip with Marvin and one of her friends, fellow Gazette photographer Lisa Massey, Neiss learned about an opening at the newspaper in Niagara Falls. He applied and got hired in October 1987, becoming one of the three full-time photographers the newspaper staff had at the time. When Gannett sold the Gazette to its cur- rent owner, Community Newspaper Hold- ings, Inc., commonly known as CNHI, the photography department of the Gazette, Lockport Union-Sun & Journal and Tonawa- nda News was consolidated, resulting in five full-time photographers working for the three local newspapers. By the mid-1990s, Neiss rose to the post of chief photographer. Over the course of his 35-plus years of shooting photographs for newspapers, Neiss estimates he's taken "hundreds of thousands" of photos. His favorites list includes images from the Buffalo Bills four-straight Super Bowls run in the early 1990s and those of dare- devil Dave Munday's second trip over Niag- ara Falls in a barrel. Hellos and goodbyes involving military members and their families at the Niagara Falls Airbase also rank high on Neiss's list of favorite photos. Neiss said he also greatly enjoyed "en- terprise" photos, the kind he found while roaming around looking for interesting images across Niagara County. There were not-so-pleasant moments, too. Although he's covered literally hun- dreds of car accidents, house fires and oth- er emergency response incidents, it was a deadly house fire on Cedar Avenue involv- ing a small boy and his grieving parents that Neiss said sticks out in his mind. He recalled it as a traumatic experience for all involved, including him. Of course, nothing compares to what Neiss described as his "first love" — Niaga- ra Falls. He's returned to the Falls and the Niag- ara Gorge, in all seasons and in all types of weather, countless times over the years. His images of both picturesque places have been viewed by people all over the world. Later in his career, Neiss became the first certified drone photographer to work in the CNHI chain and was the first chain- wide instructor in use of drones for aerial photographer. Cheryl Phillips, publisher of the Niagara Gazette and Lockport Union-Sun & Journal newspapers, said Neiss's contributions will be missed. "We are so fortunate to have had his tal- ent here for so long," she said. "He has an unbelievable eye and ability to capture the soul of our community through his many photographs. His work has featured some of the most breathtaking shots of Niagara Falls that anyone will ever see in addition to the everyday people and places within our area. His photographs have told count- less stories without a single written word. That, in itself, is a great art. We wish him all the best in his retirement." The article was originally published in the Niagara-Gazette. A Jim Neiss photo of Niagara Falls, one of the retiring photojournalist's favorite subjects.

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