Uploads from karrah.kobus

baby fiona.

nobody@flickr.com (karrah.kobus) — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 09:30:48 -0800

this shoot was so fun, but so scary - ive never taken newborn photos, and i also have never shot an entire session indoors. so lots of firsts here, but whenever i try new things i always end up happiest.

fiona was so precious, i absolutely loved spending a few hours with her and her momma (who i took family pics for over this last summer)! we also did a snowy scene for this winter baby, but i ended up liking this blossom-y full-a-life one better. :P

strangely, menards has also become my favorite store over the last few days. i picked up an awesome variation of "backdrops," as well as some handy desk lamps, to prepare for this shoot and am now really looking forward to opening up more indoor portraits.

as always, inspired by tim walker and rosie hardy.

absent minded.

nobody@flickr.com (karrah.kobus) — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 16:51:41 -0800

karrah.kobus posted a photo:

took an evening to myself and finally created something new (my first personal piece since july... wow, i am embarrassed). this was recently taken in a tiny town in oklahoma, thanks to the lovely and amazing zack ahern and family who were beyond hospitable and gave my friends and i a stay in the back room of their cafe. above, were the remnants of an abandoned hotel. kristi and i ran up to shoot this really briefly in the morning, and i remember saying i was nearly 90% certain this wouldnt work anyway. i guess i am proud that something came out of it, despite the fact that it was impossible to have any real water present in this location. :P now off to finally cook dinner for the boyfriend, who has been patiently waiting for many hours. ;)

inspired by gregory crewdson, all of brooke shadens underwater photography, and rosie hardys half-underwater piece.

stock used: water drops. texture.

before/after on facebook!

phoebe!

nobody@flickr.com (karrah.kobus) — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 13:38:38 -0700

karrah.kobus posted a photo:

see another image from this family shoot here.

these pictures were shot in tribute to the little girl this family is adopting (phoebe is big sis)... she will be arriving from china around christmas time. :) according to a chinese legend, people who are destined to be together, to meet sometime someplace (similar to the concept of soulmates), walk around with an invisible red string tied around their ankles. the string can twist and turn and tangle but it can never break. and that was the basis for our shoot!!

in other news, its time to put a hold on work and celebrate halloween! im dressing up as cruella deville. pics to follow on my facebook in youre interested. :P

it was cold but we were warm.

nobody@flickr.com (karrah.kobus) — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 12:30:05 -0700

karrah.kobus posted a photo:

someday soon when im a momma, i think the most important thing ill have to teach my lil one is to love the rain. and that is why i made this photograph.

this is a piece of client work, from a mother/son portrait session i did recently. you can see more photos from the session here on facebook!

im kind of indecisive about whether or not i want this on flickr...

rest your tired wings.

nobody@flickr.com (karrah.kobus) — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 11:00:31 -0700

karrah.kobus posted a photo:

im pretty sure that instead of getting better at bringing my ideas to life, im getting worse... its hard to tell, because my ideas themselves, i think, are getting a lot better and a lot more detailed... however i find myself over the past few months feeling scared to shoot my personal work, and really doubting that i can create anything, which is the absolute last thing i want to feel. i havent hardly been shooting personally at all (since march ive only made 3 photos that havent in some way been commissioned), and ive realized its REALLY taking its toll on me - photographically, but also emotionally. creating imagery through my camera is my rock in life and ive been smacked in the face and really reminded of the girl i was before i had that rock, and that girl is the last person i want to be again.

ive decided its time to rest my wings and focus on the important things again. i feel like i go through this same conversation in my head about once every three months, but i never actually do anything about it and each time the feelings get worse. life lessons can be a pain in the butt, but ive finally made a pact with myself to stop booking new paid work after september so i have time to actually try to be the photographer i want to be.

oh yea, also my pro account expired, so apologies for my old stuff disappearing. ill probably scrap together some change and renew soon.

power line stock. ahhh i wish i could have used this better...

- on an added note, i want to say thanks to everyone for all the super nice and encouraging comments, but also wanted to let everyone know that by no means am i stopping or falling any bit out of love with photography! its just a matter of practice, and ever since i began photography ive never spent this little time on my own work! so i feel like that lack of time is holding me back from growing at the same rate and obviously is resulting in less work which i dont like! and i actually think this piece is successful, otherwise i wouldnt have uploaded it... i think its just farther away from what i intended than my earlier stuff, which is a setback! :P -

before/after since has been added to facebook!

where have all the flowers gone?

nobody@flickr.com (karrah.kobus) — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 12:19:37 -0700

karrah.kobus posted a photo:

the tale of a girl who took it all and always wanted more.

today i had the absolute pleasure of having jessica (pictured here - what a beauty!) over for a 1-1 workshop! teaching and meeting other photographers, getting to spend the whole day with them, is my very favorite, so im always on a complete high after a day of workshopping! this lil lady also came over from north dakota - i feel so extra honored when people travel to learn and shoot with me. sometimes i still cant really comprehend why, but i couldnt be happier for experiences like this.

jessica also took this shot as a self portrait, and im sure you can watch her facebook page if you are interested in seeing her result! ill also post a link on my facebook page.

aaaaand im super happy because all last summer i wanted to use these fields but never thought of something proper to do before winter came and sucked them away! plus i was feeling like a cruddy photographer for a while now, and i actually really like the way todays shot turned out so thats quite helpful for my emotional well-being. :P

if youd like to book your own 1-1 workshop, email me at karrah.kobus@gmail.com!

let it snow?

nobody@flickr.com (karrah.kobus) — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 13:19:00 -0700

karrah.kobus posted a photo:

*sigh* finishing up all these shots is making me so nostalgic!

this is from the cancun creativity workshop, which was already 10 days ago! seems like just yesterday i was splashing around at the beach... just one more photo to finish up from mexico city, a couple weddings, and then i declare self portrait time!

in other news, this photo is a huge reminder of how much more i personally have to learn. it took me forever to try and get a working color scheme on this one! and i still wish id done many things differently here. hopefully in another 2 years ill be better. :P also i apologize for how boring i am with my framing right now... haha.

goodbye, nightmares.

nobody@flickr.com (karrah.kobus) — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 16:00:00 -0700

karrah.kobus posted a photo:

flickr!!! ive missed you so much. incredibly happy to have something to upload, once again.

this was shot in monterrey, mexico at one of the creativity workshops i taught this month alongside daniel usenko - who is one of the most lovely wedding photographers! i cant even explain how surreal the whole experience was... to be traveling the world, helping others to free their spirits and create. every single person i met was incredible, and i feel so honored - i think i might be the luckiest girl on the planet.

despite all of this, i still managed to have plenty of nightmares the last few weeks. even though all my wildest dreams are coming true, it still can be incredibly stressful, and difficult. my life is changing so, so fast and sometimes its really hard to keep up with. when i sleep, i think i take all of this stress and begin to let it out through my dreams... sort of mopping up my subconscious messes, if you will, and allowing myself to wake up the next day, usually really tired since its hard to sleep, but ready to take it all on again and keep pushing forward. somehow i need to find a better way to deal with the harder sides of this journey, so i can truly say goodbye nightmares.

im hoping to shoot lots + lots of personal work this summer! i have a few weddings to catch up on, and another to shoot this weekend, but july and august are looking good for shooting on my own. :)

starry sky stock!

model is one of my dearest friends, alyssa. :)

everything shatters.

nobody@flickr.com (karrah.kobus) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 15:51:04 -0700

karrah.kobus posted a photo:

last time i had a lollipop, life was certainly free of cracks. i figured not much would be better at showing a loss of childhood innocence than an exploding lollipop. :P

this is from yesterdays workshop with ashly! we took TONS of photos - ive got a few extra portraits up on facebook (more coming soon), and you can also see ashlys photos on her facebook as well. :)

i changed my idea for this workshop yesterday morning, and set out to pick up 2 lollipops, one for each ashly and i to use. however NO WHERE sells real lollipops! after searching probably 15 stores for 3 hours, i finally found this one here, which is made of marshmallow - so weird. i also snatched some crystal rock candy in matching colors, which we mashed up and sprinkled to create the shattering effect. still think this would have worked much better with a real lollipop, but such is life! nothing is perfect, but afterall its nice that way.

you can book your own 1-1 workshop by sending an email to karrah.kobus@gmail.com!

not lonely when im alone.

nobody@flickr.com (karrah.kobus) — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 17:56:12 -0700

karrah.kobus posted a photo:

for a long time i relied on the world to make me feel ok, but not anymore. this is the lesson that changed my life the most.

today i wandered through a spring time dream. twas all real simple, but also all real perfect. i colored my hair back to brown which felt just like the re-birth ive lately been in need of. i feel pretty (and cant wait to wear lots of white!), which is always nice. just spent what felt like lots of "me" time and i feel ready to tackle everything that has been tough for me lately. to top it off, its thunderstorming out as i write this and nothing beats editing to that natural soundtrack.

if i could live today over again, i wouldnt change a thing.

facebook | formspring | tumblr | blog | client website

never learned to skip a stone.

nobody@flickr.com (karrah.kobus) — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 08:49:01 -0700

karrah.kobus posted a photo:

the other day i was talking with someone about how doing things the technical way isnt always best. when it comes to photography, i think i do a lot of things "wrong" but whats important is having something beautiful and meaningful to look at in the end - and at least to me, the best part about skipping a stone is just watching the water droplets dance. some aspects to having proper technique can be great, but a lot of times i just prefer to do things my own way. why add such pressure?

anyway sophia and i went out to snap this today, and im so happy a streak of inspiration led me to quickly turn off the highway and use this spot. i was on the lookout for a cement bridge, which is how this image looked in my head, but as soon as i spotted this, i knew it would be perfect. we had some hurdles to jump through the process, and got rained on (which was giving my old rickety 50 a tough time in the focusing department), but it was tons of fun and i think im happy with the outcome. regardless im still super pumped about these green pants i got thrifting yesterday. :P

oh and p.s, i really cant skip a stone.

facebook | formspring | tumblr | blog | client website

small steps.

nobody@flickr.com (karrah.kobus) — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 08:06:06 -0700

karrah.kobus posted a photo:

firstly, meet madison!! shes obviously quite stunning (with the most amazingly long gorgeous hair in the whole world), but shes also a stunning photographer! i recommend clicking the link and finding out for yourself. ;)

i wanted to keep this a bit vague and very much so open to interpretation and relation amongst you guys - though my personal thoughts behind this image are about conquering new things, your goals/fears/etc, but how a lot of times that journey is very individualistic. theres nothing really wrong with having those moments and feelings for yourself - it just reminds me how no one, no matter how much i love them or how much time we spend together, will ever truly know me. each person in my life sees sides of me. some see more than one. but, to me at least, in the end i feel like im out there conquering the world on my own. and thats saying a lot for someone as madly in love with love as me. :P maybe im just a true introvert. either way its all quite bittersweet.

on another note, after a string of failed shoots ive been feeling kinda low. but i think today turned out to be exactly what i needed. and ive been dyyyyyying for a b+w conceptual for months - finally got it, and overall im signing out today with a happy face. :)

look forward to some separate portraits of madison on facebook.

formspring | tumblr | blog | client website

p.s. I LEFT THE FLAG SHADOW OUT ON PURPOSE. it was intended to serve as a small symbol between what this place is now, and how this character has conquered it, vs what it was before. i realize this is being very misunderstood, but i repeat, i had reasons behind it. :P

i will go until my heart stops.

nobody@flickr.com (karrah.kobus) — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 09:26:55 -0700

karrah.kobus posted a photo:

created this today with ali and kenzie at our workshop!

the title came from ali, who had been thinking about a way to use it. when ali proposed the title, and how she had been wanting to do something with ribbons wrapping around, kristi immediately said "reminds me of something mechanical pumping a heart." and thus, this image was born! after hearing both of those thoughts, i started to see this story of an old mad and lonely scientist, who just wont give up til he has created his perfect magical woman to love forever. the title could then be given the double meaning to his creation, which is a bit mechanical in nature.

i absolutely love how this turned out... its really mysterious in its elements, and a bit weird feeling to be honest, but i think it could portray soooo many things. im thankful that ali and kenzie came out for their workshop today, because without their ideas, this photo never would have been created! and funny fact - the boy character here is being played by my beautiful intern sophia! who woulda thought with a few bobby pins and a big jacket she would be so manly! :P

i also shot a personal concept today as the basis for our workshop so hopefully ill get that one edited up and posted soon. :)

if youre interested in booking a workshop and learning my tips on conceptual photography, email me at karrah.kobus@gmail.com.

facebook | formspring | tumblr | blog | client website

will bend, wont break.

nobody@flickr.com (karrah.kobus) — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 21:50:41 -0700

karrah.kobus posted a photo:

this image is from my one-on-one workshop today with nicole!

we had a toooon of fun today, starting with alyssa and i searching high + low for a ship figurine, finally finding one in an art museum gift shop and feeling like a little kid all giddy on xmas morning, to spending the perfect amount of time in an algae filled, spider infested swamp, and finally founding the swamp gang. alyssa (modeling here) is one of my best friends from highschool, but along with nicole who we just met i feel like we all had a great bonding experience. :P

aaaaanyway, this photo came out of a feeling i was having a few days ago. i had gotten a bit overwhelmed with work, and was sort of at that point where you feel like you have to make a decision between staying strong and going on, or letting something break you. of course we all go through hard times, but what matters is letting those experiences lend to our flexibility, rather than letting it break us. and, when you stay strong through something, its going to be helpful and inspiring to people around you - even if you dont realize it. so, let yourself bend but dont break and crush those lil boats! ;)

if youre interested in booking a one-on-one workshop, email me at karrah.kobus@gmail.com!

facebook | formspring | tumblr | blog | client website

i may have memorized the shape of your body.

nobody@flickr.com (karrah.kobus) — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 16:01:54 -0800

karrah.kobus posted a photo:

but treasuring the indentation in your pillow wont keep me warm at night.

i went into this shoot with very low hopes, to be honest. i was kind of looking at it as a test run. i thought of this whole story spur of the moment, on my way home from grabbing lunch (i think of lots of ideas when i drive). there were other details to this i was thinking of adding, but when i got home i couldnt think of an appealing way to add them in (such as a pair of mens shoes sitting on the floor next to the bed - composition just got all funky when adding in other elements). then i figured this would turn into nothing - no one would get it. but in the end, i liked what i created today and its nice to remember art isnt about "getting it." its fine if people dont understand every last bit of an image. i think art is about an experience, and i think that regardless of what you see when you look at this, or how detailed of a story you can create for yourself, you will leave with an experience. i hope. :P

- if you are wondering - to me, this girl lost the love of her life. but they didnt break up. neither one let go intentionally. he died of cancer (beyond just looking nice, i wanted to hint at that a bit through the head scarf - perhaps she wore one to comfort him). thinking of losing my love like that sometimes even keeps me awake at night.

still trying to improve myself by tackling things that scare me - like working on self portraits again!

facebook | formspring | blog | client website

AND i recently made a tumblr account, where ive been posting about fashion, life, and random experimental art.

where everything collides.

nobody@flickr.com (karrah.kobus) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 13:39:04 -0800

karrah.kobus posted a photo:

in my memories, i am reminded that nothing is real and nothing is imaginary. i prefer to live where everything collides.

this is a good example of why kristi is my favorite. i told her what the photo was going to look like, and how i thought we should safely go about getting her pose... her response: "how about i just actually jump at the wall?" hahaha.

in other news, i made a tumblr. im using it for fashion and random artsy experiments. and i cant wait for spring.

facebook | formspring | blog | client website

no masks, no costumes.

nobody@flickr.com (karrah.kobus) — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 12:02:56 -0800

karrah.kobus posted a photo:

meet masha and tim! this is from an engagement session i did at the beginning of this month. when i was asking masha to describe her and her fiance for me, she mentioned that tim is very athletic and she was interested in doing something showing him as her superman. sooooo i thought it would be cute to do a little story line about a sort of "everyday" superhero - complete with a make-shift bed sheet cape to make the bystanders stop and stare!

working conceptually on commission is still a bit tricky for me... im happy with how this turned out, except ignore how strange the feet look! ran into some issues and did the best i could. :P

if you dig through my wall photos on facebook you can find a few other shots from this session.

formspring | blog | client website

all my life i lived in a bubble.

nobody@flickr.com (karrah.kobus) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 19:03:43 -0800

karrah.kobus posted a photo:

but then one day, i dressed against the cool air and i blew and blew until that bubble popped.

well, this was supposed to turn out a bit differently, but whenever i try a self portrait things never go as planned. :P i decided to try and get better at them though!

i meant to have a little house inside the bubble, and a ladder coming down... but... that didnt turn so well! and my stick of gum doesnt really look like a stick of gum... better luck next time!

this also looks soooooo similar to my last photo. i dont like that one bit (waaaaa everything is brown. everything!). however ive been (successfully, id say!) trying out some new things lately, and while my general "style" is still enticing to me, i may be making some changes once spring comes around and i am shooting more often!

on a side note, i found this scarf in my car... does it belong to anyone who knows me?!

facebook | formspring | blog | client website

i set them all free.

nobody@flickr.com (karrah.kobus) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 22:01:38 -0800

karrah.kobus posted a photo:

and all i want is to set you free, too.

flickrbugs, meet sophia! she has been interning for me for a few weeks, and i absolutely love having her around. the extra help is great, plus i knew as soon as i saw her gorgeous face that she needed to model for me. ;) you can check out some of sophias photos and adventures here on her blog!

also a bit sad to say i had to edit in these hot air balloons. this idea came about because i had the opportunity to shoot with real balloons last weekend, however unfortunately it was too windy that morning and the balloons never launched! i just couldnt move on without attempting to create the shot, though. hot air balloon stock can be found here. i much prefer to use all of my own imagery when making a photo, however sometimes things (like hot air balloons) are just hard to come across! :P

and on a side note, sophia and i found a dead dog in a trash bag in this field... talk about creeeeeepy... AND i taught myself some new things in photoshop tonight, wahoo!

before/after on facebook.

formspring | blog | client website

whispers through chained lungs.

nobody@flickr.com (karrah.kobus) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:12:33 -0800

karrah.kobus posted a photo:

the other day kristi wrote to me and described how she was feeling, and said that she needed to model. i was honored that she trusted me to help her express herself, and today we set off on this collaboration. it was especially awesome to be reminded on how much we are both on the same page, because as soon as i heard how she felt, i imagined the photo in black and white, and involving a bare back. kristi got excited and said she was thinking the exact same thing. :) in the end, this is the image we came up with together (we both even edited it a bit!) and below is what kristi has to say about it:

"Have you ever felt that tight constriction on your lungs when you breathe because what you are breathing in is tainted. The moment of panic and frustration you feel when you can't breathe. Being refrained from gasping and releasing the pollution within you and inhaling lightness of a fresh breath of air. Like running for so long, running, running, running, no time to cease. Being held underwater and only wanting to gasp. Your lungs are chained and suppressed from that air you thrive for, that long inhalation to completely elate your mind. Breathe. Breathe. *breathe*"
-kristi

now im off to deliver some prints for a client, woo!