Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Dana Klein. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Dana, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.

While most people refer to me as a photographer, I see myself more as ‘an artist with a camera’. I specialize in photographing children but not like the traditional portraits you are used to seeing. I’ve combined my experience as a fine artist with my love for photography to offer families one-of-a-kind portraits that whisper their child’s unique story.

The most important part of my sessions happen long before I pick up a camera, it first starts with a deep dive interview. As I learn about your child, I start to visually piece their story together. Instead of just taking a photo, I’m combining lots of different photos, symbols, textures and layers together to create an image that speaks directly to you and your child.

Dana, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

From a very early age I was drawn to art as a way to express myself. Growing up as a shy, little girl in a large, loud family I often felt unheard and unseen. Art was my ‘go to’ place where I felt most comfortable. This is where my dream of becoming an artist was born. Fast forward a few years…..

I’m now a wife and mother of 4, with two sets of twins. I’m a self taught artist with a camera and for the last 10 years I’ve specialize in photographing children and shining a light on what makes each child unique and different. I believe when you walk into a home the walls should whisper the stories of the people most important to you.

When I decided to launch my photography business in 2012 I knew I had something different to offer. With my former fine art background and my love for photography and storytelling I began honing my skills in conceptual portrait photography. I didn’t want to just take a photo, I wanted to create eye catching images that draw you in and tell a special story.

My studio prides itself on providing a high end service from start to finish. We not only delivery finished artwork for your home, we also design the piece to fit your space and decor.

When I’m not photographing children, I’m donating my time and talents to community fundraisers around mental health awareness and giving back to the breast cancer community through my personal passion project called Project Shine. Project Shine offers no cost, makeover photoshoots to survivors while growing a collection of storytelling images that exemplify beauty, strength, hope and resilience for an upcoming book.

I’m always looking forward to new collaborations and ways to use my talents to lift people up and to remind them that anything is possible.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Two specific times come to mind. The first, was when my family and I took an entire summer off and went on a roadtrip across the country. Towards the end of our adventure my husband unexpectedly sold his business and was already working on a new start up. We thought he’d have to be in California a lot to get this venture off the ground so we asked the kids, “If we had to stay somewhere for a year out west, where along our summer trip would they want to live?” They all picked, Park City, Utah and within an instant, we were all starting over in a brand new place. Suddenly starting a business over in a brand new place is not easy, but I’m grateful for what it taught me about myself and our family’s resilience.

The second time was when the pandemic hit, when everything was shut down and we could not bring people into the studio. How was I going to work, pay the bills and feed my family? So I had to pivot, like so many of us were forced to do. I began offering online photography classes for kids to do during quarantining. It was a great way to keep working while offering something fun for kids to do during those crazy times. This class lead to another online class called the Art of Storytelling where I began teaching other photographers how I create my storytelling images through ‘watch me edit’ videos and practice files for others to follow along and learn. I still offer these type of classes to date.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is learning how my artwork has touched other people’s hearts and how the same piece of art can reveal different stories and emotions for different people. For example, I recently launched my very first collection of limited edition prints featuring the local wildlife here in the mountains called: Moose & Magpies. One of the pieces from the collection, called Going Up, incorporates all the things I love about living in Park City – the beautiful mountain views, feeling like your up in the clouds, world class ski resorts, the wildlife and the occasional hot air balloon up in the sky.

The very first collector to purchase this piece was effected by this image in a much different way. A few years ago, her son had tragically died skiing on the mountain. One of the last photos he sent to her was a mama moose and her calf and another photo taken at the top of a mountain up above the clouds. She said, “It’s as if you made this art piece specifically for us”. I love when art touches the heart in such a powerful way.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.danakleincreative.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danakleincreative
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/danakleincreative
• Other: Email: dk@danakleincreative.com

Image Credits
Dana Klein