anita lobsenz photography

happy holidays

2010-12-13T15:35:00.000-08:00

Yes I have neglected this little blog for quite some time, but hey this girl has been kind of busy you know?
I feel so fortunate to have been able to travel to Budapest, Paris, CT and New York this year with little guy in-tow! (I still can't believe he turned FOUR yesterday!) Both trips were amazing for different reasons, and I am quite proud of myself for actually being able to pick out a few favorite shots to post. That doesn't happen too often, hence the absence of photos on this blog that is supposed to be about....well, photos...See the issue is when it comes to my personal family pics I am; a. indecisive b. a procrastinator c. a perfectionist. So there you have it. Luckily my clients don't have to deal with these little issues, thank goodness.
Except with the perfectionist part, but that is a good thing - I think. I also feel fortunate to be a part of the MKI team ( Mending Kids International) and will be posting updates on our Portraits With a Purpose fundraisers. I hope you're all getting cozy with your families for the holidays. Cheers, Anita
This has to be my favorite pic right now. My grandfather meeting his first great-grandson (Luke) for the first time. Atany, Hungary.
Playing in the fountain at Place des Vosges, in Paris. Hey I don't blame the kid, it was so hot I wish I could have jumped in there. Paris, France These were shot a few weeks ago in NY. We ended up hanging out at the zoo and park for almost six hours which is awesome if you're fingers aren't frozen! Luke was all cozy and warm, but I of course had to go sans gloves, since I was messing with my camera settings most of the time. It was all worth it.

Central Park Zoo, New York

gratitude

2010-02-22T21:13:00.000-08:00

I am a big fan of living with intention. Resolutions not so much, however this year an ambitious intention of mine is to commit to one blog post per week. Minimum. Words, pictures, anything. I must admit this is a little intimidating, and it may sound simple and easy - but some days I just don't have that much to be chatty about, or not sure what to share.I welcome any encouragement from anyone who reads my blog. SOAR Sisters are you out there? :)

It's interesting looking back on my last post, it seems so long ago. I have weekly blog ideas, will scribble them down to work on them and a few days later think, oh THAT wasn't important enough to blog about, who would want to hear about THAT, and does anyone REALLY want to see Luke making his first peanut butter & jelly sandwich? So I end up keeping these to myself, along with images to go along with the story. So maybe it is not so much that I don't have anything to say or share, the issue is being afraid or hesitant to. And yes, sometimes it is about prioritizing hanging out with little guy instead of the computer.

I do want to share a recent experience, that keeps me on my toes about gratitude. This was originally written on Feb 3rd, after my last shoot.

GRATITUDE

It is hard to describe or put into words the feelings that come up when you see
an injured child. As a mother; pure empathy and love, mixed with sadness, hope and strength.

I took portraits today that made me feel awkward. Portraits with purpose, that made me feel a little embarrassed. Portraits of a little girl from Haiti who was injured in the earthquake, with thousands of other children. She was beautiful, sad, lost, confused and scared. I don't think she liked me very much for pointing a camera at her. I wish I could have told her "good luck" and that she will be in amazing hands of talented doctors and surgeons. I am just documenting and capturing "what is" and that things will get better. I wish I could have said many things to this little girl, but because of the language barrier we pretty much communicated through gestures and eye contact.

Maybe in a strange way I related to her. I was the same age when I arrived at LAX with my mom (as she with hers) flying for the first time, across oceans, not speaking the language, feeling lost, confused and scared. She will be going home, or what is left of her home after 3 months of surgeries, healing, and the generous hospitality of her "host family".

I have the privilege of staying here and living my life, being a mom to an amazing little guy, and using my talents to help other people in need. All I can say is GRATITUDE.

We are so removed from the Haiti tragedy, and many other similar situations around the world. It is easy to walk away from the television or internet, and choose to "forget" about real people in need. It is an indescribable experience meeting a mother and child face-to-face, with hopes and dreams, knowing that a tragic event will effect their lives forever. That is not so easy to walk away from.

The organization responsible for bringing this little girl and her mom here, along with providing the medical care (and setting her up with a host-family) is http://www.mendingkids.org/ I have been offered the amazing opportunity to help document the stories of numerous children they will be bringing here, by photographing them.

The pages of my gratitude journal are filling up with daily thanks, big and small since January 1st. This journal keeps me grounded, reminds me to live with intention, to be mindful & to give daily thanks.

PEZ

2009-11-04T15:40:00.000-08:00

You know it's going to be a good day when a little package from Brooklyn arrives at your doorstep. We were just getting back from our nap-time drive when I saw THE BOX. I sprung up the stairs with passed out child in my arms, to run back down and tear THE BOX open. I love getting that box, never know what kind of treat will be inside, but yummie you can count on.
My sis in law is at it again, and this time sadly (though not so sad for us) the goodies were devoured before I remembered to take a pic. Yikes. That sounds bad. I mean it took us about two days to finish the amazing cranberry pumpkin bread, but somehow I kept forgetting to take a pic.
Really the purpose of this box was Halloween goodies for Luke - his first box of Halloween goodies, and I wanted to capture how happy he was opening them. So at least we have that, and since she can't be here to open it with us I thought documenting would be the next best thing. Thanks Bissy!

my superman

2009-10-18T11:43:00.000-07:00

MAKING PIZZA

Out of Focus

2009-08-12T14:47:00.000-07:00

I'm finally coming around and posting again, this summer I have been out of sorts a little - or you could say out of focus. Summer always makes me feel like I am on vacation, so it's okay to give in to my whimsical schedules and ideas since it's....summer. Anyone relate? I have tons of images to share, but I'll start with this one of little guy happily splashing (and note) with swimmies on arms. A month after I shot this he jumped into a pool without swimmies, and no I didn't have time to capture that one! I followed him right in, fully clothed of course. :) How many of you guys have experienced this? From talking with other moms, my conclusion is that boys are professional pool jumpers and mom scarers, and I'm not sure which one of those comes first. I hope you all had a happy summer!

Happy June

2009-06-01T15:36:00.000-07:00

I must say I am thoroughly shocked that it is June 1st. I know that sounds strange, but what's up with Christmas being only 6 months away? Time to book holiday sessions, right?
Speaking of being away - we took a nice long (3 day each way) road-trip. I'm a little late on this one since the trip happened in April, but better late than never. The purpose of the trip was a vacation / photo workshop and I must say the experience was amazing. If anyone out there is thinking about going to Kevin Kubota digital photography boot camp - do it, and do it now! It was so inspiring to hang out with other creative peeps, not to mention photo mama's who are in similar situations of juggling (sometimes not so gracefully:) photography, children, passions and the likes. And it was a boot-camp indeed - learning, shooting, eating and sleeping photography 24/7 for 5 days! Awesome!

Future photographer?

It was awesome to do something different and to shoot a wedding couple! Maybe weddings are on the horizon? Just maybe.....

A Little Boy and His Dog

2009-05-01T16:49:00.000-07:00

I have so much to catch you guys up on ; road-trip to Oregon, Kubota boot-camp (photo work-shop) fabulous new photog friends, but before I get to that I wanted to post a few fun images from my last shoot in April.

This is CJ and Bee-Dog.

Bee-Dog made a long treck from Colombia in the cockpit of a commercial airplane (that lucky dog) so he can be CJ's pet.

He is definitely CJ's new best friend, and THE cutest dog ever.

Just look at that face. We had so much fun together on this shoot. Hmmmm, maybe we should get a dog for Luke, ahem..

I'm sure my husband will go for that one.

how awesome is my sister in-law?

2009-03-09T15:03:00.000-07:00

My sis in-law sent us this amaaaaazing organic banana tractor cake (she whipped up) oh about a month ago...but I am still dreaming about how yummo it was. It is why I'm posting about it many weeks later, because I think about this cake often. And I also thought it would make a good addition to Luke's real tractor photos. Happy March! Time to come out of winter hibernation and work off that cake!
his cute little face says it all. awesome! thank you!
He didn't eat the whole thing...just grabbed a handful

in a nutshell

2009-02-05T15:31:00.000-08:00

ALL BOY

It's raining and yuckie outside, and Luke happens to be also napping so I thought what a perfect time to update the blog! It's been long enough. I have shot so many pics, and kept thinking I was going to post them with stories etc, but days and weeks have come and gone and I will have to do a bit of a rewind. Probably a holiday rewind as well, so I can share a few holiday pics. So instead of getting overwhelmed and not posting anything I'll be doing my posts in reverse, with most recent activities and adventures with Mr. Luke. Hmmm, what have we been up to the past month?

had east coast grandpa over for a visit
went to the long beach aquarium
had dinner at Benihana where Luke sat through a meal for the first time ever!
got diagnosed with Hashimoto's disease
watched Luke make his first peanut butter & jelly sandwich, awesome
visited west coast grandparents - Luke attempted to clean up horse poop
chased after tricycle riding toddler on boardwalk
chased after fast tricycle riding toddler on boardwalk
fed lots of duckies at park
thought about updating my blog
thought about opening my new best friend (gocco printer)
Luke got a haircut
toured a pre school
had a play-date
got food poisoning
visited west coast grandparents again - Luke drove a tractor with grandpa
had dinner with a friend (first time solo in two years :)
made a home for kid mattress on floor so toddler can jump, slide, and catch air
repeat last activity - at least 10 times per day

So that is it in a nutshell, I may be leaving a few things out and believe it or not I have pics to go along with all these lovely activities. This will help me be more organized with the post. Pics coming soon.

a new year

2009-01-05T09:16:00.000-08:00

If you are one of the few lovely people who actually reads this blog, THANK YOU and I wish you all the best in 2009!

The last two months we have been busy baking, wrapping, shipping, shooting, downloading, editing and all that good stuff. And jumping around.....a lot although my job is to do the catching most of the time, as Luke jumps off of something probably too high and dangerous. Oh yeah, and Luke turned 2! I really can't believe how fast these little creatures grow. I have to tell you that although I have weekly pics documenting his growth, changes, messy faces, etc. I really wish I would have been more disciplined to write with the pics, more personal blogging to remember all the little quirky funny things he says now on a daily basis. I am happy that I documented with photos like crazy. I will go back and post a ton of catch up pics (especially for family) if I don't let my perfectionism get in the way. Just kidding, sort of...:)

Here is my little dude being curious about mommy's ancient medium format camera. Even though this pic is a little grainy I really do love it because it is something I stumbled upon, Luke sitting in our living room quiet and concentrating, which does not happen very often. Notice the one shoe, and the oh-so-clean toes.

more pumpkin muffins please!

I finished the Core studio promos, and now we are ready to go with private sessions, kids head shots and drum roll....PHOTO PARTIES! I had quite a few phone calls asking if or when I will be offering group sessions again and I decided to do something a little different this year. I will announce details as soon as I have everything together. I will probably only do 1 or 2 per month, so please let me know asap if you are interested.

I am also working on a few creative projects, and will be opening an ETSY store soon.

I have to share an inspiring quote that I read in my current favorite book "The Creative Family" by Amanda Blake Soule,
I highly recommend this book to anyone with children, especially for creative moms. Something to think about for 2009.

If we did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.

-Thomas Edison

little monkey

2008-11-01T18:42:00.000-07:00

This one is for the grandparents. :) So once again we dressed up our little monkey as....a little monkey. Same costume as last year, but hey the size is 12-24 months, and the pants were only a wee bit short. That's sort of creative right? At least he was warm and cozy in it. We took Luke to a local Halloween stroll, full of bouncy houses and adorable toddlers in costumes. There were plenty of hugs, kisses and high fives going around. As soon as we pulled up I spotted this cute mural in a parking lot, and I just had to use it as a backdrop.

beautiful family

2008-09-25T19:42:00.000-07:00

This gorgeous family of four is a recent fave session. Pssst, don't tell anyone! You can't help but notice the love & bond between them, it makes me happy that I played a tiny role in documenting a part of their lives.

look at this handsome little dude...

and his stunning big sis.

a few favorites

2008-08-17T16:12:00.001-07:00

Just a few current favorite images I am working on. What do you guys think of the textures in the background? Would love some feedback. Happy Sunday!

wow, new post!

2008-07-14T22:28:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. :) I have been blessed with many photo sessions since March, and I am doing my best juggling taking care of a toddler (who is sick right now) :( running a photo business, shooting, orders, printing, shipping, and all the glorious things that come with doing what you love! Oh yeah, and I'm also going to be setting up camp (studio) at the core which I am super excited about! Luke was in bed by 9 pm tonight, (10 ish is his usual) so I had just a few extra minutes to update with a favorite pic from this past Saturday. This little girl was such a ham, very sweet and animated. :) This was a fun image to work with. More images to come.

happy mama's day!

2008-05-11T13:00:00.000-07:00

I just love lilacs, and I couldn't resist sharing them with you guys.
Take some time out for yourself today.

Color vs BW

2008-05-01T07:59:00.000-07:00

Decisions, decisions. This is one of my fave images from the PV Hills shoots, and I wanted to post in color and b/w to show off the difference. It is amazing how the same image can differ so much, based on color choices in the photo. I just love playing around with color, but I also love a classic b/w. If you are trying to figure out which images to order and display, definitely think about the many options you have when it comes to choosing your priceless pics. :)

another fave image from the core shoots

2008-04-24T13:02:00.000-07:00

How adorable and sweet is this little girl? I just love this image.

core studio sessions

2008-04-15T17:54:00.000-07:00

So these are the first sneak peeks from our core studio sessions. Thanks everyone for participating and for letting me run with my imagination. We really got some truly fun images, I can't wait to hear the feedback. I have been playing around with storyboards lately, and will soon be offering this option to clients. Keep checking back for info on that. I will also be launching the new website soon, I will keep you posted. It's really up to Luke how much I get to work on it. :)
This little girl is a mini comedian, she is so full of personality!

Happy Spring!

2008-04-06T15:27:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder to live, laugh and love.

beach time, fun time, nap time

2008-03-12T14:23:00.000-07:00

The title sums it all up! We are hanging out at the beach quite often these days - so happy spring is here!
My little guy is 15 months old today, and he has recently discovered smoothies!

spending time with his lady friends...

This little boy has to run around quite a bit to work off his energy, so....doing laps in the sand has been great for him.
And this is the result.

Brand new WEBSITE and studio details coming soon....and Core shoots coming up which I am so excited about!

studio

2008-02-26T13:46:00.001-08:00

A few studio samples all taken on white backdrop, which I will be using for The Core shoots! Simple, fun and clean. :) Will post more later this evening.

the core

2008-02-24T16:44:00.000-08:00

Super exciting news!

I am proud to announce an amazing photo project I will be working on with THE CORE for the next few months.

All local moms and clients I encourage you to check out their brand new beautiful facility. It is truly an inspiring and positive space, a fitness and wellness center for the entire family - offering art, dance, yoga, and so much more.

I fell in love with THE CORE the first time I walked in (as many people do) and felt I had to collaborate with them.

I wanted to share the promo postcard that went out to local families just in case some of you won't have a chance to see it. Click on the post card image to enlarge. The details are also on the core's website, please go to the link section and you can access it there.

For anyone on the list for a photo shoot, I will be posting studio samples of my work shortly and I can't wait to meet all of you! I am also happy to announce that I am feverishly working on my brand new website, which will be up and running really soon given my little guy let's me work on it this week, ha!

beach

2008-02-11T16:52:00.000-08:00

This week I finally decided to take advantage of living near the beach.
The weather has been amazing, (the opposite of cozy which was my last post) so almost every morning Luke and I walked on the boardwalk and played. I snapped this after setting him down bare feet on the sand for the first time.
It's so cute - I think he was a bit overwhelmed by the size of the ocean, and I loved capturing that moment.

cozy

2008-01-29T12:02:00.000-08:00

Since the weather has been so cozy here I am digging out a few more east coast pics. This shot was taken in CT back in November, and I wanted to share since it's part of my photo project for my father in-law.

playground

2008-01-23T14:48:00.000-08:00

I love that there is a freshly built playground around the corner from us. I decided to venture out drizzling and all, and let Luke burn off some excess energy in hopes of him taking a (much needed) nap. Of course he went right for the slide and I had to run up after him to try to capture his excitement. On another note, we are almost out of the woods with our colds.

new year

2008-01-21T22:42:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

Wow, I can't believe it's been more than a month since I have posted. One of my creative resolutions for 08 is to update my poor lonely blog once a week, and if all goes well I will be putting up something, anything, every Monday. I think writing about it commits me more to actually doing it, so feel free to bother me if I am frolicking behind.

So Luke has not only perfected walking, that crazy kid is already running. Usually at full speed towards the stairs, or towards anything that has to do with food. I swear sometimes he eats more than me and he is only one! How can this be?

We have been laying low since the holidays, and just finishing up a few fun creative projects. I finally finished my big photo project for my father in-law, and will mail it this week. It was supposed to be a gift for Christmas, oops. I will try to post pics of it, after I send it off. I don't want to ruin the surprise in case he is reading the blog.

We all have the sickies right now - but I think the worst of it is over and we are on our way to full recovery.

I would love to hear from some of you guys who regularly visit. I honestly thought only friends, family, and a few clients visit me here. So thanks for being patient and checking out my work and rambling.

Happy Monday

east coast

2007-12-02T12:03:00.000-08:00

I have been neglecting my poor little photo blog for a while - and for good reasons.

My holiday season has wrapped, with orders shipped and clients happy, yay. We have also been traveling, and I had the chance to shoot just for me which was so refreshing. I will be posting more pics by the end of this weekend. Now onto planning Luke's first Birthday party which is next Sunday, yikes! And of course preparing for our own family holiday - I'm still debating whether we should get a tree, not sure how that works with a 1 year old. I can certainly smell trouble though.

We are finally home from our east coast visit, which I must say went pretty well with little guy. We were a bit nervous
since this was his first time flying - but he was a trooper and managed to win the hearts of several stewardesses.
Speaking of which, he was such a flirt all over NYC he was always smiling and babbling everywhere we went.
New York is such an amazing place for children, everyone was super accommodating and baby friendly! They were even tolerant of spaghetti throwing and cheerio smashing, which was quite surprising. When he wasn't busy with making a mess Luke and I would just walk all day, discovering festive decorations and fun baby stores.

Here are two fun shots to start with, which I ended up using on his Birthday party invitation.

tis the season

2007-10-18T22:26:00.000-07:00

I am all about hoodies for fall and winter, they always add an extra something to my images. These are my two favorite hoodie shots from Nicole's group sessions last weekend.

brothers

2007-10-18T22:08:00.000-07:00

I am slowly getting around to posting some pics from recent holiday group sessions. How adorable are these two little guys? After about an hour of editing and wrestling with their proofs I finally decided on a few favorites, although there is one more I may just have to post.

fall

2007-10-05T22:54:00.000-07:00

Finally a pic of someone else other than my son! Fall is here, and the crisp weather always inspires me to head outside with the camera. I usually try to talk everyone into shooting at a park, rather than at home on the studio backdrop.
I just love the warm earth tone colors, and fresh feel of all the pics. I wanted to post just a few of my fave holiday shots from last year, since I never got around to doing that. I was a little busy with preparing for baby, and making sure all my orders were shipped out in time, ha.

little king

2007-09-22T14:36:00.000-07:00

We borrowed this bumbo seat from our friend Andrea, and Luke apparently thinks it's his throne. This pic makes me laugh, he looks like a little king just sitting there contemplating something...perhaps thinking about what his next meal will be. Hmmmmm, squash or peas?

rock star

2007-09-21T14:43:00.000-07:00

This has to be my new fave pic right now. A few days ago Luke was hanging out in this rock star tee, which happens to be HIS favorite shirt, ha. I am probably pushing it with this one. I can still (barely) manage to squeeze his big dome through the top. I told the little guy comfort must be sacrificed to impress his baby lady friends. He thought about it for a second and gave me this grin. This square format is also the way I have been presenting proofs to clients, and it's been a big hit. It's such a creative alternative, and looks pretty awesome put together in a collage. More to come soon.

Back to the tub

2007-09-10T15:47:00.000-07:00

I was balancing on the bath tub for these shots, but it was so worth it. I should be finished with
my bathroom series soon, I think. :)

The art of crawling

2007-09-09T11:12:00.000-07:00

Since mastering the crawling thing, Luke has spent quite a few afternoons trying to escape. Of course I had to capture it.

Linking Our Hearts

2007-08-18T12:26:00.001-07:00

Linking Our Hearts was founded by an amazing woman who is a dear client of mine. Her grandson Jack is a talented little boy with autism.

I've had the pleasure of photographing Jack several times,
as well as shooting the kiddos and products for the website.

Linking Our Hearts.com features one-of-a-kind original art reproductions created by Jack, as well as unique, comfortable and very stylish clothing for the sensory sensitive child.

I really love that a portion of the proceeds from the sale of each item goes to Autism Awareness & Research.

This is a cute shot of Jack's little brother modeling the ABC tee also designed by Jack. We had fun on this shoot!

Swimming with turtles

2007-08-13T12:48:00.000-07:00

The bathroom is my favorite new place to shoot this week! The tub is a great reflector, and makes for beautiful skin tones. Moms, you have to try this. The babies especially love hanging out in the cool bath. I recommend shooting first thing in the morning, or late afternoon when there is beautiful sunlight shining through the windows.

Not the hat again!

2007-08-06T16:13:00.000-07:00

I shot these within the last month or so. Poor little guy is not too thrilled to be wearing "the hat" again... I of course insist he wears it everytime we shoot these days. He looks like such a little man in it. I'm going through a loving this hat phase. Gotta love his expressions.

Rubber Duckie

2007-08-03T11:23:00.000-07:00

Bath time! I figured this would be a good opportunity to test out my new lens, and I am so inspired. These pics are so much fun and precious.

Happy Summer and The All New Blog

2007-08-02T10:35:00.000-07:00

Slowly but surely I am finally getting around to freshening up this photo blog. I can't wait to share all the new pics of my little guy, and a few favorite images from recent photo parties. I am also digging through my last holiday season favorites, and will be posting those shortly. It's time for holiday bookings again. I can't believe we will be celebrating Luke's 1st Birthday in December!

Introducing BABY Luke !!

2007-03-04T10:59:00.000-08:00

We are slowly coming out of hibernation aka maternity leave!!

Here is our funny little man. He was born Dec 12, 2006 and weighed a healthy 7lbs 120z. We absolutely adore him. :) These pics show amazing progress week to week, from newborn to 11 weeks. There will be plenty more to come. Thanks for your patience everyone!

Playground Photo Party

2006-10-06T15:39:00.000-07:00

Playground parties have been really popular these days! They're especially fun in the fall when you can dress the kiddos in all sorts of fun accessories like hats,scarves and boots.

Home session

2006-09-19T21:18:00.000-07:00

Have I told you guys how much I love photographing babies? This little guy was so calm and adorable! What a beautiful family.

Malibu Beach Session

2006-09-19T19:24:00.000-07:00

Pickles and ice cream anyone?

2006-08-25T16:13:00.000-07:00

Well here it is. All my fellow preggo mamas have been asking me to post a few sample maternity pics, so they can get an idea of how fabulous they will look for their photo shoot. These pics are from early summer and some of my favorite shots. I hope I'll be lookin' this good at 9 months. Enjoy, and you girls better schedule your sessions soon - before I get huge!

Yay I got my new camera!!

2006-08-17T19:38:00.000-07:00

I am so so happy, and can't wait to try it out this weekend. It's the digital Canon 20d, and it is super amazing. I have a few shoots on Sunday, so we'll see how the pics turn out. I shot the above pics with the 20d a few months ago, when I was testing it out. I love the clarity and skin tones. :)
For everyone who will be booking fall and holiday sessions, this is the camera I will be shooting with!

Fun in the sun

2006-08-09T15:56:00.000-07:00