Lauren & Ryan | Cincinnati Lifestyle Photographer
We grew up playing violin together, having named ourselves the two halves of "wubu," Anna Wu and Lauren Buchkajian. We played so much in so many various groups and combinations (youth symphony, chamber symphony, duets, quartets, etc.) that our high school orchestra conductor named an award after us, the wubu award, equivalent to the 3000 points club. Yes, we were really that cool.
Orchestra overachieving aside, Lauren is doubtlessly one of my longest running blogstalkers, as she has been a personal supporter of mine from the very beginning. Long before I ever knew I wanted to be "a photographer" she stood by me in my various little ventures. She is incredibly beautiful, smart, and talented, and is far more amazing than she ever gives herself credit for.
This summer we got together back in Cincinnati at the tail end of my Midwest tour, meeting at the Panera Bread right by my house. We sat in the shop chatting for a little while, until the sun started to disappear. We took the quick trip over to Weller Park, and in between mosquito bites, I snapped a couple photos. Lauren's boyfriend Ryan joined in for a little bit too, before we headed over to Dairy Queen to finish off the night. I may have frightened Lauren with the horrendous swelled up welts on my legs from the mosquito bites, but it was all worth it in the end.
Please tell her she's gorgeous. Sometimes she doesn't believe me.
Lauren and Ryan have the most adorable story about how they met-- commuting together on the same bus together for literalaly weeks and weeks, neither one having the courage to approach the other. Of course, one day Lauren finally said hello, and well, here they are. 
Laura & Phil | Oakland Lifestyle Photographer
Laura is a stunning natural beauty in every way. No self-conscious preening or layers of makeup. It's just her that shines through. And yes, Phil is handsome too. Handsome, warm, and funny. The two make a lovely couple, and in the past year they've frequently hosted gatherings that feel more like family celebrations than 20-somethings' house parties.
Laura is about to move to Beijing, China, to work with an organization called Teach for All, while Phil needs to stay in Oakland another year for school before he can try to join her there. Long distance is never fun, but not even the Pacific Ocean can keep these two apart. We picked some good Oakland locations to get these two some portraits before she embarks.
We started the session at the Morcom Rose Garden, tucked away off Grand Ave. right here in Oakland.
If I haven't mentioned it lately, I love magic hour sunshine. It only hangs around in the 45 minutes before sunset, but it's truly magical.
Laura and I went to Duke together, and even before I really knew her, I knew of her and was often there photographing events where she'd perform with Chinese Folk Dance and Sabrosura.
Stunningly Beautiful.
Then we headed over to Lake Merritt for some classic Oakland backdrops.
Sunset over downtown Oakland.
So here's to wishing them all the best with these life changes coming up. And Laura, I hope to see you when you visit!
Margaret & Eric’s Engagement | Berkeley Engagement Photographer
Their relationship is quiet but insistent, punctuated by laughter. It's built on a deep caring for one another. Simple tasks and quiet discoveries. Long conversations and simply watching television together. It's not flashy. It's not a show put on for others. It's love. Pure, simple, beautiful. No bells and whistles needed.
I've known Margaret since we were in junior high at summer camp. She might not know this, but I've always admired her from afar. She's a brilliant person with the strongest of convictions, and passion for working toward a better world. And even though I've only known Eric briefly, I can just feel the beauty in their lasting connection. Margaret and Eric have a very sweet story of courtship and an engagement involving ring pops, but I will save the full story for their wedding.
For now, their engagement session: we headed to the Berkeley Marina on a very sunny day, right after daylight savings kicked in.
This squirrel was really funny running around with its leafy greens. I just had to let it into the blog post somehow.
Gorgeous.
Loved Margaret's dress and the colors in this. No enhancements needed- basically straight out of camera.
I'm already looking forward to their September wedding! And excitedly keeping up with the planning details along the way.
Candace & Tony’s Castro Valley Shoot | San Francisco Wedding Photographer
It was Friday morning, and everything had been planned for our shoot on Sunday. We would meet in San Francisco at Candace & Tony's place with our hair & makeup artist we had lined up and a floral designer who would meet us there. Just one problem-- rain.
What started as a 30% chance for precipitation had billowed into 90% all day Sunday. So luckily, within a couple of hours, we managed to move the whole shoot a day earlier to a new location for convenience: Lake Chabot in Castro Valley. We had a new hair & makeup artist Penney Do, Courtney, the floral designer, dropped off the bouquets in the morning, and all was set.
We created two looks with three different floral designs for our shoot. Candace had her wedding dress, as well as a shorter cocktail dress, both of which were absolutely stunning.
The florals were provided by Courtney Marie Floral. She drove them all the way up from Santa Cruz to Oakland that morning!
The great thing about the rainy season here is that rainy days and sunny days are often mixed in as if they've been shuffled up in a random alternating pattern. Sandwiched between two absolutely dreadful days are sometimes beautiful days, perfect for photos. After it rains, nature turns an amazingly bright green, as if the saturation bar has been rigged in real-life Photoshop. And a big cloudy sky is nature's giant softbox, providing flawless shadowless lighting. And every so often, the clouds part open for a peak of sunshine that warms the entire place.
Candace and Tony are such a cute couple-- warm kind, and loving. They got married recently, and you can tell they'll glow with happiness together for a long, long time. They're a couple that loves an adventure in each other's company, and I think more than anything, they love to laugh together. Not a little smirk, like an 'oh, haha' kind of chuckle. No-- it's a wide-open mouth, enthusiastic, creases-in-your-eyes kind of laugh.
Photographer: Anna Wu Photography
Assistant: Mona Quinlan
Floral Design: Courtney Marie Floral
Hair & Makeup: Penney Do
Location: Lake Chabot, Castro Valley, CA
Kristina & Peter’s Engagement | Sebastopol Engagement Photographer
There's a huge obsession with everything "vintage" in the wedding world right now. Brides and blogs all over the place are carefully crafting their perfect illusions of this old, chic style. So imagine my amusement when I got to explore a whole place that was effortlessly vintage-- not because we styled it that way, but because things had actually just been sitting there for as long as 50 or 60 years.
At first, I wasn't sure what to expect when I pulled up at "The Farm" in Forestville, California. Kristina and Peter were just in town for the weekend, having flown up from Orange County. So when I went to meet them there, I thought maybe they got permission from their ceremony venue to do their engagement shoot there too. Chasey the dog greeted me at my car and walked me up to the front door, where Kristina welcomed me inside-- crackling fireplace, beautiful wood furniture, and all. And then on top of everything, she explained that the place is actually owned by Peter's grandparents. They all live down in Southern California now, but the fruit trees and grape vines allow the property to pay for itself, year after year. I nearly melted from sheer delight.
Dream setting, dream couple. Kristina and Peter are the warmest people-- kind hearted, laid back, and completely willing to trust me, even when I asked if they could possibly climb into the strange wooden cart next to the big green tractor. Needless to say, I had a wonderful time, and I can't wait for their October wedding back on "The Farm." Enjoy the photos below!
Farewell. Until next time!
Best of 2009: Weddings & Couples
You wouldn't know it now, but I wasn't really one of those little girls who spent her time dreaming of her wedding day. My first wedding experience was in high school, when I was hired to play violin in a string quartet. All I can remember from that episode is the impossibly long rendition of Pachelbel's Canon we played. It's not that I didn't like weddings, but I didn't quite understand what they were all about.
Of course, years later, I am now a wedding photographer subscribed to no less than 25 wedding-related blogs. I love the gorgeous dresses, the flowers, the fancy cake, the beautiful place settings, and the millions of other thoughtful details that can go into a wedding. While I adore all of these things and I will always love photographing the pretty elements of a wedding, it's not any of those things that drive me to this work. To understand what a wedding is all about, you can strip away all the pomp and circumstance, and you'll still be left with the core. It's a love story-- two people who have found each other in this world and are vowing to love each other for eternity. I could photograph that forever and it still wouldn't grow old.
So here it is-- favorite moments from some fabulous love stories of 2009. Weddings, engagements, and even some just-because couple shoots. Thank you to all the fantastic couples for sharing your love with me.
Sierra & Steve's post-wedding shoot at the Emeryville Marina, California
Erica & Robert's engagement at the Kunde Family Estate in Kenwood, California
Erica & Robert's wedding in Santa Rosa & Kenwood, California
Sara & Phat's wedding in Geyserville, California
Pingping & David's wedding at the Hyatt Regency in San Francisco, California
Mona & Jiongyi's just-because session at Union Square, San Francisco, California
Cami & Eric's just-because session at Lake Merritt, Oakland, California
Maria & Ryan's just-because session on the UC Berkeley campus, California
Mona & Jiongyi | San Francisco Lifestyle Photographer
"Tis the season!
It's more subtle in California, where Christmas lights adorn palm trees and deciduous trees are still catching up to the idea that it's time to change colors. But it's the holiday season! Last night I flew back home to Ohio and landed amidst a snowy wonderland. Ok, I may be overstating it, because there was less than an inch on the ground, but it was whitened nevertheless. So as everyone settles in to their holiday destinations, I thought I'd share some snapshots of our friends, the ever-adorable Mona & Jiongyi, frolicking about Union Square in San Francisco.
For the record, Jiongyi was a reluctant participant; I think the public display of cuteness was causing him to melt inside. But even if he's too embarrassed to show it, he's secretly the biggest romantic at heart. Just ask Mona about their first date (involving a blindfold and a stack of neon paper signs) and I'm sure it'll melt you on the inside. In a good way.
Happy Holidays!
Maria & Ryan | Berkeley Lifestyle Photographer
Autumn in California may not be as dazzling or dramatic as the famed autumns of New England, but we still have some colorful trees sprinkled about, and whatever we may lack in leaves we certainly make up for with our beautiful, mild weather. The combination makes for a picture-perfect setting.
On a California-autumn day in November, I set out with my new second shooter Vay to do a practice session. We recruited our friends Maria and Ryan to be the model couple, and models they were. Maria is the kind of girl who always looks impeccably put together, never a hair out of place no matter how she randomly flips it. I don't think she's ever taken an unflattering photo in her life. She's calm and quietly confident with a sharp sense of humor. And there's Ryan, bold and assertive, the guy who lives life passionately and goes for what he wants. Oh, and he's rather good looking too. Beautiful people in a beautiful setting. There's really some kind of chemistry in this mix.
Gorgeous! And we shot these right off the bat.
See? We have colorful maple leaves in California too.
Vay captures a goofball moment.
Speaking of goofball moments...
Just playing around with the fisheye lens
Vay's shot:
My view of the back of Vay's head as he shoots Maria & Ryan on the grassy lawn.
Checking out Vay's handiwork
And a quick glance from my camera too
And to think, this was a mere practice session. You'll be seeing more of Vay Hoang in the near future. Keep your eyes out for the December wedding we shot together, to be blogged within the next two weeks!
Cami & Eric
She teaches preschool in Arizona; he teaches high school here in California. They fly back and forth, often to meet back home in Seattle, sometimes for a vacation down in Mexico. But they are doing the long-distance thing, and doing it with grace. Even when Cami studied abroad in Italy, Eric still met her nightly on Skype; and we'd all cheer "Cami's there!" whenever the Pizza Hut 'Italy' commercial came on.
They couldn't be more adorable. When Cami came to visit this weekend, she came with handmade paper mache pumpkins full of Halloween candy. We squeezed in this photo session just before she had to fly back to Arizona.
The day was perfectly sunny and didn't betray for a moment that this was the first of November. We walked briskly along Lake Merritt, grabbing shots along the way. Yep, they couldn't be more adorable.
Sierra & Steve
Wow. Are these two not gorgeous!? Sierra and Steve were married last month, and though I wasn't at the actual wedding, I was so excited to shoot this special session with the two. Steve and I taught at the same school last year, and we also shared a special connection since we grew up in neighboring school districts in Cincinnati, Ohio. Sierra is a brilliant artist and photographer in her own right, which made for a really easy shoot, since she had all the instincts of how to pose and where to stand for the best light!
Shooting at the Emeryville Marina right at sunset, with big rocks to climb on and the Bay as the perfect backdrop.
I just love how they look at each other!
Making cool silhouette outlines with their faces
Heading over to the docks. Love the boats in the background and the funky red hydrant thing.
I just love her body language as she pulls him in.
I stood back on the banks and shot this one from way far away using the amazing 70-200 lens (one of my favorites!) I rented from Procamera.
Love this look. You can see Sierra's suede pink flats peeking out. And Steve's chucks. What great wedding shoes!
Found a very cool tree to hide under.
Have to give my friend and fellow photog Shang Chen props for inspiring this shot! Check out her work at shangchenphoto.com.
Sun is setting! They are beyond adorable, making eyes at each other. And Steve's hair just wants to fly away!
Love the back of Sierra's dress.
Stunning blue eyes.
I have so many favorites from this session, but this might be one of my superfavorites. I just love how delicate and intimate it feels.
Again, many many congrats to Sierra & Steve! For even more gorgeous images of the happy couple, see their official wedding photographs on the blog at Brunk Photography.