PHOTO OF THE MONTH

'Man & Camel' by Adrian Baljeu.

Adrian was born in 1970 in Sydney. Due to his mother having Rubella during her pregnancy he is profoundly deaf and has a form of Autism, Asperger’s Syndrome.

He won a part time scholarship in Photography to KvB College. Adrian completed this course successfully and was offered a part scholarship for the Diploma of Photography. He commenced this in 1999 and graduated in 2000 winning the Colourmaster Prize.

In January 2001 he first exhibited in

The Blue Mountains Photographers Exhibition.

He has also exhibited on two occasions at Gallery Lane in Leura.

Adrian has travelled extensively in India, Tibet, China, Pakistan and Czechoslovakia, returning to Australia in 2002.

May-July 2003 he had his first major exhibition at the Yering Station Gallery in Yarra Glen, Melbourne. The theme of this highly successful exhibition was India.

In June 2003 he visited Oregon and North California, USA to christen his newly acquired Canon 1DS. It was during this trip that his postcard diary concept developed. Adrian is currently designing a website in relation to this work. His work can also be seen on the website www.baljeuphoto.com

His first book, a collection of his Postcards, was released in August at the opening at his second major solo exhibition at Stop Laughing This is Serious Gallery, Blackheath. This exhibition was also an enormous success resulting in the majority of the works being sold. Being limited editions many were sold in repeated numbers.

In 2004-2005 he travelled extensively throughout Tasmania which produced further work for another successful exhibition of his Postcard Diary Series at Yering Station Gallery, Yarra Glen, Victoria, from September - November, 2005.

Some of these photos are currently on exhibition at Stop Laughing This is Serious Gallery at Blackheath beginning January, 2006.

In 2005, he won the BMAN Photographic Award for Digital Photography, with

the self portrait, “White Face”.

In 2006 he won a Silver Medal at the Canon APPA Competition in Sydney.

In 2007 he was a finalist in the Bowness Photographic Competition run by the Monash Gallery in Melbourne.