Maura Allen is a black-and-white photographer of 50+ years. She has long considered her photographic images as assets—as moments that can be deconstructed, reconstructed, layered, and leveraged to build and tell stories. The focus of her work for the past 30 years has been stories of the American West, both real and romanticized. She uses her photographs captured on location at rodeos, ranches, and other venues as a starting point for creating original work that crosses traditional art genres, including painting, printmaking, glass, and sculpture.

An award-winning photographer, Maura received recognition in seven Julia Margaret Cameron Award for Women Photographers categories in 2024, including Category Winner (Black & White/Series, Portrait, Alternative Process) and Honorable Mention (Women by Women, Black & White, Open and Storytelling). Recognized as the #1 U.S. mobile photographer (and 5^th in the world) by One Eyeland, Maura’s photography pursuits span from digital to alternative, including a deep love of palladium/platinum printing and pinhole camera image capture.

Maura has shown and sold her work in top galleries, museums, and national art shows for the past 20 years. Her signature-style and use of strong silhouettes has made her a sought-after artist and speaker. This winter, Double D Ranch, the top western lifestyle brand, will feature her original work in its Holiday Collection line of women’s clothing.

A Northern California native, Maura earned her BA in Latin/Classical Studies at Stanford University, where exposure to Eadweard Muybridge’s groundbreaking stop-motion photography informed how she sees the world in graphic shapes and silhouette. Maura serves on the board of trustees of the Desert Caballeros Western Museum and on the board of Photolucida, the producer of Critical Mass. In Spring 2025, she served as a juror for the Leica Women’s Grant. When not on the road with her camera, Maura lives in Abiquiu, New Mexico.