Photographer Terrance Haanen’s Work Featured At Saturday’s Winter Arts & Crafts Fair At Los Alamos Middle School

One of the first photos by Terrance Haanen featured in the Los Alamos Reporter was this one of St. Peter’s Dome as seen from Los Alamos Mesa at dusk. Photo by Terrance Haanen.

Photographer Terrance Haanen. Courtesy photo

BY MAIRE O’NEILL
maire@losalamosreporter.com

Photographer Terrance Haanen’s father had a dream of moving his family to Pecos but that dream for him was never realized before he passed. Hannen says that in his own research of New Mexico and in visiting here, he found it to be very culturally diverse and spiritual. I loved the climate. He immediately loved the climate. When he visited Los Alamos for the first time, he drove from Rio Rancho through the Jemez Pueblo and on through the Jemez Mountains to Los Alamos and he was smitten. These days Haanen and his beloved canine companion Bubba can be seen hiking trails in the area looking for that magical shot.

“Los Alamos looked right to me. It’s a completely different environment to what I grew up in. On one end of town I have a national forest and on the other end of town I have the Rio Grande Valley and all kinds of mesas and really cool outcroppings,” Haanen said.

Photography has always been an interest of his and being creative has always been important to him.

“I have never been one who wants to be what society deems to be successful. I’ve always been one to follow my heart and not what the material world tells me I need to do. It has at times caused consternation in my life. It has caused my cupboards to be bare at times, but I’m very much at peace with myself,” Haanen said.

A survivor of three bouts of cancer, Haanen wanted to see the Southwest.

“I wanted to see the Southwest and Los Alamos is a nice jumping off point for Joshua Tree, Death Valley, Yosemite, Moab, Colorado. It’s all a contrast to where I lived in Minneapolis,” he said.

Photography has always been an interest of his. He started taking photos with his phone and then thought maybe he should buy a real camera.

“Soon I started noticing its deficiencies as far as images I was capturing compared to other photographers in the area. I started reaching out to them for advice. The first bit of advice I got was not to shoot in auto. The second piece of advice which I gave myself was to use a better camera and better lenses,” Haanen said. “

The environment inspired me to pursue photography full-time and I love learning and learning from other people,” he said.

He noted that the photography community in New Mexico accepted him.

“One well-known photographer told me he could tell I have a good eye and that I fit in with the New Mexico camera folks. The advice and education I have gotten from these people has been instrumental in my own personal growth. I’m not even close to where I want to be. I’m becoming more and more discerning about what I shoot whereas at first I had to shoot everything every day, all the time,” Haanen said. “I am humbled that I have been blessed with some natural talent. I’m humbled that a community like Los Alamos and Los Alamos Reporter readers in particular have complimented and liked my work and enjoyed seeing the beauty of New Mexico and other places as I see it, as I see the world.”

The Los Alamos Reporter invited Haanen to publish photos on her page almost a year ago and is delighted that he is offering his work for sale these days. He has dozens of matted photos available today, Dec. 3, at the Winter Arts & Crafts Fair from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Los Alamos Middle School Gymnasium. This is a great opportunity to acquire a piece of Haanen’s work, whether it is for yourself or for family and friends who have fallen in love with the scenery in the area.

To see more of Haanen’s work, go to Terrance Haanen Images on Facebook or on Instagram at Instagram@TerranceHaanen Images.