Michael Philip Manheim

Michael Philip Manheim, age 85, died peacefully on November 13, 2025, at the Courtyard at Youville Place in Lexington, Massachusetts, after a long journey with dementia. He was born in Canton, Ohio, to Robert and Clara (Brown) Manheim, and grew up alongside his younger sister, Carol. Michael’s life’s calling emerged early. As a teenager, after receiving a Brownie camera from his cousin, he discovered a passion for photography that would shape the rest of his life. From that moment on, he rarely put the camera down. He became an avid and award-winning amateur photographer, documenting life around him in high school, at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, and later while working in his family’s clothing business, Robert’s Men’s and Boys’ Shop.

After marrying and welcoming two children, Michael made the decision to leave the family business to pursue his passion for photography full-time. He moved his family to New England and began his career as a freelance professional photographer, relishing the independence and creative freedom of self-employment. As a travel photojournalist, he loved being invited on tours organized by travel bureaus around the world, as well as taking on local assignments that allowed him to capture both the iconic and the unexpected for magazines and newspapers. One of the assignments he was proudest of came in 1973, when the Environmental Protection Agency selected him for the famed “Documerica” project. He was commissioned to document the effects of noise pollution on East Boston as air traffic at Logan Airport expanded.

By the 1980s, recognizing a growing need for stock imagery, Michael reinvented himself once more, this time as a lifestyle stock photographer represented by agents all around the globe. In those days, stock photography was an analog endeavor, with physical prints and slides stored in hefty catalogs from which clients chose images for advertisements, textbooks, corporate materials, and magazines. Michael loved anticipating what images were needed and creating them.

With the rise of the internet and the spread of free clip art, he transitioned again, retiring from commercial work to focus on fine art photography. Over many years, Michael had developed a signature style of multiple exposures that explored change and transformation. He was devoted to capturing the sensation of movement within a still image, creating expressive, collaborative works that invited viewers to see layered possibilities in each frame. He loved spending hours in his darkroom, dodging and burning to refine his black-and-white images.

Throughout his fine-art career, he created numerous portfolios centered on energy, nature, and dance, including Rhythm from Within, Energy of Nature, Energy of Dance, In a Labyrinth: Dance of Butoh, Solo Souls, Island Souls, and Where My Spirit Guides Us: Ancient Hula. His work appeared in more than 30 group exhibitions and over 20 solo shows across the United States, Germany, Greece, and Italy. His photographs are held in private and public collections, including the Library of Congress, the International Photography Hall of Fame, the Bates College Museum of Art, and the Danforth Museum of Art.

When he could no longer photograph, Michael continued working on monographs that showcased his portfolios. And when producing those books became physically difficult, he welcomed the help of consultants so he could keep creating. At the opening of his last retrospective exhibition - held at the assisted living facility where he lived - he beamed as his daughter described his photography and creative process. Looking at the span of his work, he smiled as he mused, “Did I do all of that?”

Michael will be remembered for his love of learning, his deep appreciation for nature, and an innate curiosity that animated every chapter of his life. He is survived by his son, Jonathan Manheim, and his wife, Michelle Lackie; his daughter, Allison Manheim Caplin, and her husband, Rob Caplin; his grandchildren, Alexander Manheim Caplin and Ryler Manheim; as well as his nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

A photographic retrospective of Michael’s work will be held at The Griffin Museum of Photography in Winchester, MA, on January 31, 2025, from 5:30–8 p.m. Family and friends are invited to attend. In lieu of flowers, donations in Michael’s memory may be made to the Massachusetts Audubon Society, in honor of his enduring love of nature and chickadees.