Meet Anita Friedrich | Artist, Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Anita Friedrich and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Anita, career-wise, where do you want to be in the end?
I love this question to start. It is so important to constantly have an end goal. Of course, goals can still change but that is a great Plan A to accomplish. I would love to be active in photography, no matter what kind, I just really wanna hold a camera in my hand. When you know you found what you really adore, it is the most wonderful feeling. Photography gives me the chance every day to express myself through my images, either a landscape or a portrait. It is the greatest tool in my life.
It would be lovely to feel the level of comfort by the end of my career, to really know the camera and all my gear so well that I can utilize that in any circumstances. I would love to be known in the art world, have lots of shows and exhibitions, travel to destinations and have the freedom to go to many countries as a travel photographer.
I would also love to get my feet deeper into weddings and be a top photographer. The finest end goal is not awards or anything in prizes, it is more a well established name in the arts of California.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I specialize in capturing the beauty of California through nature, surfers and other creative subjects such as classic cars. I am beyond proud of my surfer photos and images from some iconic parts of San Diego like, La Scripps Pier overview or the Oceanside harbor.

It took me couple years, constantly going out and finding new spots and keep shooting. Everything! The secret is just shoot as many you can as you never know which shot will be the one which will stand out later on. There were times when I accidentally caught surfers and sun-flares which is super hard but when everything lines up and you keep clicking, that’s when the magic happens. It was not easy of course haha, I spent lots of free time doing this, most of the time alone like a lonely wolf. But my enthusiasm kept me in the zone and reminded me every day how much I love photography and holding my camera! Number one lesson, just ask. We often feel shy to ask basic questions but photography is not just art. There are the basic roots we all have to learn and practice. By asking people around who has been in the field is super helpful.

We all start somewhere, in my case the girl who started with an iPhone became a successful photographer. I focus on weddings and portraits along my landscape photography.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would highly recommend to make a north SD and south SD trip. In the north worth discovering, Encinitas and have brunch at Swamis Cafe. Check out the waves and surfers at Swamis beach. Drive up more north to Oceanside for a fish and chips at the pier and watch the sunset there. Don’t forget to check out the Art walk in Oceanside Main Street with lots of museums .

Another day, I highly recommend driving to La Jolla and check out La Jolla Cove with the sea lions hanging out. La Jolla is super cute with great coffee places and little hidden restaurants. Make your way south to Coronado island for a nice beach walk, and maybe Old Town for dinner with famous Mexican tacos and live music if you go on a weekend.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would love to shout out to one of my professor at Mira Costa College, Lauren Greenwald. She thought us the magic and open up our eyes to think outside the box. We have watched many interesting old photo stores and analyzed images which still have an impact in my way of thinking sort of.

Another shout out goes some big Photography communities on Instagram, such as @VisitSanDiego where I get inspired and try to recreate similar images as they feature.

Website: www.anitafriedrich.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ani_0809/

Image Credits
My headshots was taken by David England and Brianna Schrader.