On March 31 1934 Maurice married Doris Munday, and they went to live in Desborough Rd, High Wycombe, where he set up a studio on the ground floor, the family living upstairs. Later the business was moved to Castle Street, High Wycombe, where a shop opposite the parish church was leased, and the portrait work carried out in a purpose-built brick studio in the garden. Diversification followed, into selling cameras and photographic equipment, and a service to develop and print negatives. The distributorship of the country’s first electronic flash, made by Dawe Instruments, was then secured. With this, events such as London Ice shows could be photographed, as the action could be frozen. 

Premises in Mill End Road c1968

Adams Studio in Oxford Road was then acquired, where commercial photography of predominantly furniture was undertaken. It continued for a few years to trade as Adams Studio, but in 1956, following a move to Mill End Road, the company changed its name to M.W.Keen (Commercial), with a much larger studio and purpose-built processing darkrooms.

Meanwhile, in 1952 the retail shop moved to Paul’s Row ( just behind the Guildhall and Falcon Hotel) and started to sell a wider range of photographic equipment and related products, including art materials and drawing instruments. Hi-Fi equipment was then added to the range. In 1957 Maurice bought Norman Greville’s business and acquired the lease to the shop in Marlow High Street. The Keen business now employed approximately 25 persons in the various companies.

Keen’s shop in Paul’s Row c1970

During the 1960’s all the Keen businesses were doing well. The commercial photography of furniture, both contract and domestic, and a growing engineering and electronic industry in the town, all of which required photographs of their products for advertising purposes, meant more photography both in the studio and on-location. On the retail side more people bought cameras and accessories, as well as Hi-Fi equipment. 

Unfortunately in 1971 Maurice contracted cancer, and died in Wycombe General hospital on January 29 1972. An Obituary appeared in the Bucks Free Press on February 4 1972 under the heading – Photography Was His Life. He was a keen sailor, a member of the St John Ambulance Brigade, and Treasurer of the South Midlands Branch of the Institute of Incorporated Photographers.