Showing at Blue Kangaroo

In my rather hectic schedule as of late I forgot to mention that I do have a display with about half dozen large prints. It's actually at Blue Kangaroo Coffee Roasters in Sellwood and only has another week, they have been up since May so I know this is rather late but wanted to mention it regardless. Images include a canvas of The Painted Hills Oregon and the rest are seascapes from Hawaiian Island of Kauai.

I would like to thank the generous and kind staff there for hosting my work the last couple months and helping to promote my workshops and photo tours.
http://www.bluekangaroocoffee.com/

PPO Summer Seminar 2009 - Sunrise Workshop

I want to thank PPO for asking me to lead and speak to another great group of photographers for the Professional Photographers of Oregon summer seminar in Bend at Mount Bachelor Village Resort. My portion of the 3 day event was a sunrise workshop at the majestically beautiful Sparks Lake just off the scenic Cascade Lakes Highway outside of Bend.

The program read that we would start at 5 am, boy was everyone in for a surprise when I said that was too late! We left Mt Bachelor Village Resort by 4 am to make the 30 min journey with some pre-sunrise time to spare. I was pleasantly surprised to see about 15 folks get up this early and attend. I truly have to say I could tell almost all of them enjoyed their time and realized what they miss when they sleep in and pass the golden light in the morning.

I had photographed Sparks Lake the prior couple days and I had no real amazing sunsets or sunrises, then on the morning we had the workshop it was great which I know makes everyone happy. Although I was there helping everyone that wanted it I did manage to get some shots off myself. It's a delicate balancing when teaching a workshop to help out others and shoot yourself but more than one person commented this time that it's important that I photograph as well since seeing me work is just as important in the learning process which I have to agree when I think back to when I was first starting. Here is one of the images I processed from this serene sunrise on Sparks Lake.

Keep California Parks Open

I must say when I heard the Governators recommendation to close over 200 parks in California it really concerned me. I know we are in some unprecedented financial times, everyone of us has been directly affected or knows someone that has during this down economy. However, closing one of the most cost effective vacation and trip destinations available to folks these days seems to be the wrong approach. Americans and people in general need to be connected to nature, more then ever today in our fast pace iPhone, Facebook, Fast food world. Taking that away is moving us in the wrong direction. It's a grave underestimation if politicians think closing the parks temporarily will be only temporary. Closing this many parks will take many years if not a full decade to bring them back up to full running order and the communities around them. Do think someone that has a small business near a park that relies on those visitor dollars to help float the business will stay around? I am sure if they can make it they will, but they may not and then they will leave. It's a change that impacts more than just he many acres in the parks themselves.

There are many unanswered questions that I don't see online anywhere, so like most stories there only seems to be part of it available to the public. I would like to see the full proposal. Will the parks be maintained at all or left to blend back into nature? Can people walk into the parks but not drive in (there will need to be security costs here if so)? Is there not an option of privatizing some of the parks, selling to the highest bidder (not sure on this but I am open to hear all options)? I truly believe there is other pork in the political budget to cut before closing almost 80% of the parks in one of the most populous states.

If you agree on not closing the parks feel free to check out more on this at the California State Parks Foundation site: http://ga3.org/campaign/budget_may09

More Columbia River Gorge

Since I am lacking on time this immediate moment and have traveled to the Gorge a lot this spring I figured I would post some more work from this year. And of course I will be traveling there again in the coming days to pick up my Subaru, that should be fixed and hopefully ready for many tens of thousands of miles more without any issues!

Images are as follows: Fairy Falls - the full scene, Fairy Falls - the intimate scene, Rowena Crest on two different yet wonderful sunrises.

Columbia River Gorge - Spring Workshop

Sorry for slacking on the blog lately. Things have been been busy around here. One recent event was a 4 day workshop Kevin McNeal and I lead in the Columbia River Gorge last week and into the weekend. It was great and we had a group that was so eager and hungry to learn, and just get out photographing the sights that there was little downtime. Everyone was around the same level out of the gate which helped moved things along as well.

On a side note we all know Murphy's Law "Anything that can go wrong..." well I had this happen just before I was to meet Kevin and our group of participants. Driving in the Gorge just outside of Mosier my Subaru overheated out of nowhere which left me stranded on the side of I-84. Ended up warping a couple head gaskets is what I would find out a day later. This happened only 45 minutes before we were supposed to start and I was 30 miles in the wrong direction! I have had this car for 3 years and over 50k miles and this is the ONLY time it has failed me. Go figure! Everyone was really understanding. What could I do anyway. Kevin picked me up at the tow shop and we got things underway 1.5 hours late. We made up for it though with a great time!

Speaking of great time I will post a testimonial we received from one of our participants, Miles. I could not have come up with a more humbling and grand testimonial if I hired someone to write one. It means a lot to me when we can really make a difference like this. Here his experience in his own words followed by a couple images of his taken during the workshop and one I took of the group photographing in the Columbia Hills, Washington.

"Several days have now passed since our Columbia River Gorge Workshop has ended, and I've barely taken time out from editing the images to sleep. There are events in life that become epic memories based on their ability to be educational, inspirational, and completely fulfilling. When my family and friends ask how the workshop went, I tell them that it was one of the greatest experiences of my life.

When we all first met, you asked us what our goals were for our photography. Several of my fellow students indicated an interest in becoming professionals. My goals were perhaps less ambitious, but certainly no less lofty, considering my meager talent. All I wanted was to improve enough to be published on an extremely high quality fine art website. This may sound trivial and basic, but to me, it is what I have chosen to use as the benchmark to let me know that I've become a "good" photographer. My previous 20 submissions had all failed miserably, almost all rejected out of hand, without making it through first screening. It is with an incredible amount of pride that I can announce to you that one of the images you helped me learn to capture got published this morning.
http://1x.com/v2/#photos/latest-additions/24630/

It is only now, that I've gotten that obsession out of the way, that I can truly appreciate how valuable your Workshop is. You have taken me to some of the most amazing scenes in the world, right here in my own back yard, that I would NEVER have known existed. But arriving at these beautiful vistas doesn't mean much if I can't capture it with my camera to bring back and share with other people. To be immersed in photography with two Masters of the craft for 4 days is an experience worth FAR more than the extremely reasonable fee I paid to go on the Workshop. I had limitless questions, and each one was answered... carefully, thoughtfully, and enthusiastically. The willingness that you both showed me to share your ample tricks of the trade left me speechless - and a MUCH better photographer. I always felt safe, I always felt happy, and I could actually sense how much I was learning. Probably the best compliment I could pay you is that I came home and immediately signed up for the Oregon Coast Workshop you are running in a few months.

Thank you doesn't really begin to cover the things I want to express to you about our experience together. You are both world-class photographers; that is evident from your portfolios. But what people can't see from looking at your pictures, and what they wouldn't know if they didn't go out on a workshop with you, is that you are world-class teachers as well. I could not be more pleased with the results from the workshop, and for the first time in my life, I'm truly proud of the photos that I've taken. Thank you for giving me that experience.
All the best,
Miles"

Boys Adrift

Sometimes I want to veer off the topic of photography in this blog and this is one such time. Although in a way nature photography and the outdoors does play a part even in this post. I read on a regular basis and I hope you do too. There is no substitute for books. Magazines are nice as well as newspapers but they are not the full meal like reading a good book. Almost all books I read are non-fiction from business to self-help, photography related or real life adventures stories. Recently I wanted something to read about in relation to teenage boys covering mainly concerns about too much time playing video games and or Internet surfing, basically what is the concern for too much time in front of a computer and not enough time outdoors. I take my son out with me as much as I can and as often as he wants to come, which has reduced a bit now his teen years. I had a friend recommend the book Boys Adrift.

This is a must read I feel for anyone that has a male 0-30, or if you are a male in that age group! Dr Sax covers many topics on why some male youth today lack the motivation that many elders have. There are five main topics including the type of schooling, plastics we use, over medicating for ADD, poor role models and of course video games. I will let you read it and decide for yourself. However, one thing is true and I believe cannot be disputed in my opinion, and that is we rely too heavily today on teaching and educating our kids via computer screens or virtual simulation. In other words too much time in virtual world and too little in the real world. I don't mean Real World MTV style! That type of teaching and free time does have a role to a certain point but they can never replace the real thing. It was good to read this as I know what it feels likely personally when I spend too much time in front of a PC and not enough outside running, hiking, etc. I have to get out into nature as much for my photography as for my peace of mind and recharging my batteries. And with that, happy reading and I am heading out for a run!

The Columbia River Gorge

The Columbia River Gorge is starting to see the signs of spring from the lush green filling in around the streams and falls to the wonderful wildflowers on the East end of the Gorge in the Mosier and Rowena area. I never tire of this area and have already been here several times in the last few weeks. One day I went out for sunrise, returned back to Portland and rototilled the garden and then back out for sunset. Some of the recent outings have been by myself and others with some great local photographers I know. One part of a weekend was spent with Sean Bagshaw and David Cobb. We had a blast scouting out some locations and getting wet in the ice cold Gorge water. I hope to see you on the trail in the Gorge this spring!

Photographing Oregon

A guide to the natural landmarks of Oregon. This is a must have if you are looking for great places to go photograph in Oregon. Greg Vaughn did an excellent job of putting this book together. Why am I listing it here on my blog? One I am glad to promote a fine resource for photographers living or planning to come to the area. The other reason is my photo was picked to represent the Alvord Desert area in SE Oregon. I am glad to have my image picked for this region since it's such an amazing place to photograph that I can't wait to return to. Other great local photographers I know contributing to this book include Darren White, Sean Bagshaw, Zack Schnepf and Jesse Estes.

You can visit this link at Greg's site to order the book. Another option is to email me. I have half a dozen copies and will send one out for $24 including shipping and will sign my image for a personal touch. Here is the image that was selected, dawn on the Alvord Playa in spring.

Old School and Old Hills

Last weekend was a chance to escape from the urban dwellings to the hills and mountains of the less traveled. Our mode of transportation was our Subaru, the state automobile for the state of Oregon. Maybe that is not exactly the case but they are everywhere you look so I would say if Oregon had a auto represent it, like we do for birds, flowers, etc the Subaru would be it.

Saturday morning came and Logan I left by 5:30 am to get well down the Columbia River Gorge in time for sunrise. I will give my teenage son credit, at 14 he has become mostly reluctant to get up early and spend hours traveling to locations for photography whether we are in car or hiking. On this morning though he got up with ease and we were out the door in no time. He will appreciate these experiences in the future. In Mosier we met up with fellow pro nature photographers David Cobb and Kevin McNeal for some early morning shooting. The clouds moved in pretty heavy just an hour before sunrise filling the sky a dark flat light. Not what we wanted for this scene, mother nature is in control though, not us. No sunrise shooting this morning so off to get coffee and breakfast. After that we travelled lonely back roads to photograph old school houses. David was nice enough to take us along to these special finds. The conditions were not ideal yet we enjoyed the outing and more importantly my son enjoyed seeing these places too. A reminder for you teenagers that there is life beyond the Internet and video games.

Then in the early afternoon Logan and I headed south to the Painted Hills National Monument in the John Day Fossil Beds area. My hope was for drier weather heading to central OR. Normally this proves true but not on this weekend. Photography and hiking was little as the rain showers were heavy and frequent. We did get a break right at sunset as you can see with the photo below, yet it was not a magnificent scene photographically. We ate dinner in the peace and quiet right off a back road outside of the Painted Hills. Not a sound except the light breeze and the birds. The smell of wet fresh juniper filled your lungs, rejuvenating for sure. At night the rain poured. Enough that we had a puddle in the tent the next morning. Sunrise was a bust. We ate our oatmeal and drank our coffee in the secluded peaceful setting. Packed up the wet gear and then headed for the main road.

I decided it would be fun to take some back road that we had never taken before. It would be 36+ miles of dirt/gravel road. It started out fine for the first 10 miles or so, a very well kept gravel road. Felt nice to be off the beaten path. Then we reached a section with a sign that said "Not An All Weather Road" referring to what was ahead. We kept going but quickly realized it was not the place to be right after a rainstorm. The mud was so soft that my tires were sliding around, using the AWD to maintain traction, and kicking up mud like the Bigfoot truck at a monster truck rally. My tire tracks, the only ones around. Nothing serious but was equivalent to being on a slick snow covered road. Then around a corner came a creek crossing. I stopped immediately. I know Subaru's can handle this but in conditions like this I was hesitant to go on for fear that it would be extra soft around the edges of the creek and thus would get stuck. At this point the road was all dirt, or really soft mud, and no small rocks or gravel. I like adventure but you must balance that with safety and reality, at least for me. We turned around and headed home on the main road. A wet, muddy and fun outing with my son.

Amazon Dragons Paddling Club

Once again we had a fun filled day in the studio with team members from the Amazon Dragons Paddling Club. In our quest for great shots to fill the calendar they working on designing and marketing as a team fundraiser. They are such a great group that we enjoy working with. A thank you to both my wife Molly and Peter for assisting. And thank you to Peter who who loaned us his large over sized black backdrop. And last but for sure not least is a big thanks to Joni of Kabana Photography for the use of her amazing studio space.

Coming up when the weather cooperates we will have an outdoor session which we look forward to. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor for their calendar please contact them directly. I believe they still have some spots available. The sponsorship will help pay for photography, design and printing.

Fine Art Show - Tualatin Heritage Center

First Annual Photography show at the Tualatin Heritage Museum located at 8700 Sw Sweek Drive, Tualatin OR 97062. http://www.tualatinhistoricalsociety.org/calendar.html

Paul Sivley and myself are having a fine art show from March 12 to April 3. Between us both there will be plenty of photos on display from Paul's traveling in many foreign countries from India to Peru to my landscapes from the amazing ocean to the majestic mountains. The center is open weekdays from 10-2 and for special events and workshops. Please join us on Thursday March 19 for an opening reception which will include wine tasting. Now who wants to pass up wine! See you there...

Below photo: The Steens Mountains at sunrise at the edge of the Alvord Desert Playa (right behind me). This was on a local ranch which I asked the owner if I could roam his property. He was very kind in letting me do so since his cattle was not grazing in this portion of his ranch. I found this area after scouting around for a bit but not without the idea from a similar image Marc Adamus took here some time back.

5 Year Anniversary - Timberline Lodge

Molly and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary in February. Things were busy that week, when are they not, and we post-poned heading out of town until this last weekend. Molly booked a night for us at Timberline Lodge. For those that don't know we were married at Silcox Hut above Timberline. I wanted to get married on the summit and since Molly does not climb mountains that was out yet we met in the middle by getting married over half way up Mt Hood. It was an amazing day and weekend, and seems unreal that 5 years has come and gone, a very fun and good 5 years I will add.

The snow covered trees photo is our window view last weekend during a spring snow storm that was dumping snow while we were there. It was funny watching our hair get frozen over and turning completely white as we sat in the hot tub. The other image is of us standing outside Silcox hut on our wedding day. We do need to give much thanks to Soren of Coughlin-Glaser Photography. He photographed our wedding, brought us into wedding photography under him and is the reason we are doing weddings today. Thank you Soren!

On side note on our way up a snowy Timberline Road we were seconds away from being the car that would have been wrecked bad if not totaled. Traveling behind a Saturn VUE we noticed as we were heading towards the next corner a Subaru came sliding out of control and it smacked straight into the front of the Saturn. I felt very sorry for the guy in front of us yet thankful it was not us. No one was hurt fortunately. Remember.... 4 wheel drive is not 4 wheel stop!

Extraordinary Expressions Photo Contest

Many of you remember our photo contest we had last year partnering with the great and unique children's boutique Spoiled Rotten. We will be doing it again this year! Last year we filled up so call early to secure your session. Hundreds of dollars in prizes from both Adrian Klein Photography and Spoiled Rotten. Sessions from 4/3 to 4/11 and only $29 + 3 cans of food for the food bank. Only sessions on 4/3 and 4/4 will be at Spoiled Rotten, the will be at home studio of Adrian Klein Photography. Click here for more info or call 971-275-2116 to signup. Event will also benefit the Oregon Food Bank.

PPO Convention 2009 - Best Illustrative Division

Another great Professional Photographers of Oregon convention has come and gone. It was a fun and educational time as always despite this time missing some of it because of a miserable sinus infection. In the photography world today you have to take the time for continuing education seminars and conventions a couple times a year at minimum. The world changes and it's either jump on the moving train and enjoy the ride or stand and watch it fly by. Although sometimes it's tiring and you want to slow it down. Fortunately we enjoy the ride!

During the annual PPO convention we also have a print competition with many fine awards. I was fortunate enough to have the image "Hypnotize" accepted into the Court of Honor and picked as Judges Choice (this photo is below and was taken at Cape Kiwanda, Oregon). Additionally, I received the award of Best Aggregate Score Illustrative Division for all of my prints combined having the highest score in this area. A nice honor that I humbly accept. Below are all four prints that I submitted this year. Congrats to all the other photographers that won awards, many fine photos were present this year as usual!

Kahli - On The Farm Senior Session

Winter in the Northwest here can be rainy and wet for days on end, but sometimes you get a nice break for some great portrait photography. Winter does not mean all sessions need to be in the studio by any means. Just after some rain and snow we did this recent senior session on a large farm. Kahli is a senior at Vernonia High School, she contacted us about this shoot and we knew it was going to be a blast from what was described about the location. I can say she was easy going and fun to work with, not to mention the farm with endless props. Plus it was barely above freezing with snow on the ground and she braved the cold weather in lite clothing for some cool shots.

AirPlay Cafe - Your Child as a Rock Star!

Have you wanted to see your child up among the lights of stardom for all to see as a famous rock star! Well, if yes then this is for you and even if you don't want that for your child this is still for you. We are partnering with Airplay Cafe located inner East Portland to do a special photo session of babies and kids. They are a fun cafe that caters to the younger clientele with story and music time daily! A fun part of this special is that we will have musical instrument props provided by Airplay for the kids to play for photos we take during the session. We will also of course take some photos of the child without musical instruments, so you will have both to see and enjoy.

We have done specials like this before and we know kids that are regulars at a cafe or coffee shop love going in there to see themselves up on the wall. And here at Airplay they will be on display for close to two months! Photos from the session will be available for purchase for those that are interested.

Airplay Cafe - 701 E Burnside

- Session fee is only $29!
- March 27 to 29 in SE Portland
- Support the OR Food Bank and a chance to win gift cards to Airplay!
- Limited sessions available
- Your child superstar photo on display

Contact Molly Klein today to get your little one on the schedule for this rockin' fun event! 971-275-2116 or molly@adrianklein.com

Mt Hood to Columbia River

Sorry for the lag in posting lately folks. Things have been a little busy around here in a number of ways. Here are a couple images and some info behind them.

The first one is Mt Hood, Oregon at sunrise just above Timberline. When shooting sunrise or sunset landscapes most often it's nice to have some nice clouds in the sky to give added color and interest to the scene. That said sometimes you can find other points of interest when the sky is lacking to fill the void. On this morning I focused on the texture of the snow just after the sun popped over the horizon and gave some nice shadow and highlight detail.

The second is along the Columbia River just West of the Hood River Bridge. This evening was a lesson in patience that I sometimes need to be reminded of no matter how many times I have been out photographing. On this evening Mother Nature reminded me very well. The sunset was pretty lacking, I had been out since sunrise and I thought I should head home to the family. I also thought it would not get any better. Just at sunset time, shortly after this shot, I packed up and headed out. Well, sure enough once I got on the Hood River Bridge and looked West the sky lit up. The drear gray clouds that looked like nothing was going to happen with them came alive. This is a reminder to me and to you, wait all the way through. The sky changes by the minute and who knows what will be next!

Tween Photos

Do you have child that is age 8 to 13, then you have a Tween! Yes they are in between what they call a young child and a teenager. This is a time in a child's life that should be documented with great photography just as much as when they are little kids or a senior in high school. Mention this blog entry and receive a Tween session for only $49 if you scheduled before March 15, 2009!

This photo is of Kate from a session we did last summer for her 8th graduation photos. Parents, these will be the photos you will want to remember your young one more than the traditional one second shot for the school yearbook. Call us today to book your appointment.

Northwest Photo Tours and Workshops

Here is the latest postcard brochure that we are producing about the photo tours that Kevin McNeal and I are offering. If you want more info and or interested in signing up see our site: http://nwphototours.com/

Some 2009 tours include: The Columbia River Gorge, Painted Hills and Oregon Coast. All of our group tours are sponsored by Singh-Ray Filters which allows group particpants discounts on their products!

Kauai - Klein Family Vaca

After the busy fall photo season we like to take some downtime just after the Holidays duing our only slower time of the year. This year we went to Kauai again and it was quite enjoyable, which is easy to imagine. This is the rainy season in Hawaii yet it still rains far less than Portland and much warmer rain when it does. As a fellow photographer friend put's it "rain in paradise is still paradise." Our son Logan was a reading fiend finishing the first two Twilight Books, along with much time in the Ocean. Little Rowan could not get enough of the beach... playing in the water, building "sand castles" and the playground where she made many friends. Molly has spent time reading, relaxing and just plain taking it easy (I need to take lessons from her!). And there is me where I missed no more than a couple sunrises and sunsets over the two weeks, photographing as much as I could during the golden light and spending time with the family during the day. I did not always have good weather or a great sky but I sure as heck was out there. I did my share of reading, relaxing and even a body board crash where I stepped on a sea urchin. They sure are painful! I will post more photos later I am sure. Here are some I got from the many sunrises and sunsets on the Garden Island.