Genesis - Limited Edition 1 of 5 Print

Maureen Haldeman was born in Holland, raised in Montreal and now resides in Malibu, California. After settling in Los Angeles, she established MJH Photography in Malibu, specializing in portraiture and then expanding her photographic horizons to include architectural and street photography. After art history and fine art photography studies at UCLA she began shooting nature - primarily the ocean and its surrounding landscape. Maureen has taught photography and darkroom skills at the College level, done freelance work for publications including The Los Angeles Times, and has been commissioned to do private photographic projects for the entertainment industry; her photographs are frequently used in set design for film, television and commercials. Her work has been exhibited in galleries nationally and abroad and in addition to being part of private collections her photographs are also part of the City of Malibu’s public collection and The Bieneke Library at Yale University, New Haven, CT. Haldeman was appointed to serve as a member of the Malibu Arts Task Force, to identify public art opportunities and implement a public arts policy for the city; she continues to be active in Los Angeles art-related events. ***************** “My work strives to interpret what I photograph in a new and innovate way. As a photographer I choose 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 main intention is to convey a mood that will cause the viewer to pause, contemplate the mosaic that makes up the image and connect his or her personal feelings to it.” Born in Holland and raised in Montreal, my initial involvement in photography stemmed from a desire to capture images encountered on world travels. After refining my basic photographic skills and completing fine art photography classes at UCLA, I establishing MJH Photography in Malibu, California, specializing in portraiture.