Maurice Harmon - Early Life

At age 11, Maurice Harmon and his family left the farm and moved to northern Michigan when his father became city manager of a small idyllic tourist destination. Farm life abruptly changed to small town main street life for Maurice as he moved from 88 acres in the country to a fraction of one acre in town. But the change was stimulating to him and provided new opportunities Maurice never envisioned.

Soon Maurice Harmon was immersed in little league baseball, band, basketball, swimming and fishing, and adjusting to a new living environment in town. Summers were filled with work, play, and growing up. And a sensitivity to the arts emerged. Maurice’s interest in music increased and became a serious passion. Equally so was Maurice’s participation in various sports–primarily basketball and baseball.

While in high school Maurice Harmon participated in a mix of sports, music–including individual and group competition–and worked various jobs to earn money for college. Maurice Harmon graduated from Gaylord High School in 1971 and began his college education at Michigan State University that fall. Maurice paid his college tuition entirely from his savings, loans, and grants and working 30-40 hours per week during his undergraduate years.

Maurice Harmon - Big Change In life

Maurice Harmon accepted an offer from a Detroit suburban police department to become a full-time certified officer in 1974. A year later he decided to obtain a law degree. Maurice left law enforcement to pursue a career in law, graduating from the University of Detroit School of Law with honors in 1978. While in law school Maurice Harmon was a member of law review and participated in the school’s urban law clinic. Again he paid all of his own tuition, books, and living expenses.

Thereafter, Maurice, and his then wife Nadine, moved to Boulder, Colorado to establish residency and practice law there. When Maurice Harmon first arrived he was struck by the beauty and grandeur of the Rocky Mountains and concluded he must buy a camera to photograph them. Maurice Harmon’s photography journey was born.

Maurice Harmon - Photography Interests

While learning to try cases in the Mesa County District Attorney’s office, Maurice was also learning to make pictures with his newly acquired Canon AT-1, a basic manual exposure camera. Maurice Harmon’s interest in photography rapidly grew into a serious hobby 1as he travelled around the American west. About the same time, a summer arts education program near Aspen was gaining attention for its week-long workshops, featuring prominent professional photographers teaching their art to amateurs. During the summer of 1983, Maurice attended his first workshop at the Anderson Ranch Art Center led by Robert Gilka, National Geographic Magazine director of photography.

Thereafter, Maurice attended workshops led by Jay Maisel and William Albert Allard, Sam Able and others. Soon Maurice Harmon was spending more and more time furthering his passion in photography even though continuing to practice law.

Maurice began to accept small photography commissions here and there in the Grand Junction community. He developed a friendship during these years with professional photographers both in the region and across the country.