Maureen Haldeman

Artist Statement

As a photographer, I have always chosen to capture a wide range of subject matter, spanning all realms of nature as well as the urban landscape … and as an artist I do not merely want to duplicate what is in front of my lens; I do not want to create mirror images.  Few of my photographs are random; their purpose is to challenge the viewer to contemplate the scene and to think beyond it.

I am by nature drawn to details, and have always focused my interest and my camera on the parts that make up the whole. My photographs represent emotions rather than actual depictions; the familiar is often absent. My intention is by selective focus, color and light, to convey a mood. I hope the viewer will pause, contemplate the mosaic that makes up the image and connect his or her personal feelings to it.

After several years of photographing around the world, I discovered my most contemplative work has been done close to home.  By photographing things and places I see daily, the ocean and its surrounding landscape, I have found that the familiarity and nearness has allowed me to experiment daily, to see how the changing light alters one’s perception and state of mind. I have the same intention when I move away from nature to the urban landscape; the rapid changes Los Angeles is experiencing is, for me, little different than the fleeting waves of the ocean.  While many are documenting the ways in which our city is changing, I want to capture its fleeting moods.  The old, soon to be demolished parts of Los Angeles, are rich with history and experiences, and that is what I want to record.

www.maureenhaldemanphotography.com