Susie Fong, Harpsichordist | San Francisco Headshots Photographer
Susie peered into the window like a child sneaking a peek at the Christmas presents long before it was time, and she gestured me over to show me. In one room, a harpsicord with light-colored wood ornately painted with floral designs. In another, a stark modernist piece with sleek curving lines and a bold red, black, and white color scheme. These were extraordinary, unique harpischords sitting in ordinary practice rooms, there at the SF Conservatory of Music just for a summer festival.
Susie swiped her card to let us in, and she sat down at the red harpsichord. I just have to try it out. And as she played the beautiful notes from a Bach prelude, her love for the instrument and for early music took the scene, and everything else faded into the background.
Krystle Tugadi, Musician | Los Angeles Headshots Photographer
She's got soul, she's got style, and it's no surprise that she's on the rise. While a lot of musicians these days are going all-virtual with their webcam performances, Krystle Tugadi has taken it back to the stage. She performs live shows several times a week around her Los Angeles/Orange County home base. Don't worry, she's got plenty of web presence too. Check below for the links.
More on Krystle Tugadi:
Listen in on Myspace
Stay tuned for the launch of KrystleTugadi.com in less than a week
And look forward to her video collaboration with Turtlist Media in the coming months.
David Duenas, Guitarist | Santa Clara Headshots Photographer
I first met David at the beginning of this year when I did group portraits of the San Francisco Guitar Quartet. This time, I met him down at the beautiful Santa Clara University campus for an individual headshot session. The Spanish style buildings, abundant greenery, and the beautiful Mission Church made for a wonderfully serene setting for the shoot.
Just looking at these images helps bring back the feeling of summer warmth. I can even hear the beautiful guitar rendition of Bach's Violin Partita that David effortlessly teased out while sitting on the Mission steps.
Enjoy!
Samsun van Loon | San Francisco Headshots Photographer
Sam is a cellist living in San Francisco. He plays recitals and chamber music not just as mode of performance, but as a social venture, performing with different friends and getting to know various musicians and audience members. Oh, but he's not just a cellist. He also recently dislocated his shoulder snowboarding (though it's getting much better), and he needs a daily walk in the park, so it's a good thing he lives right next to Golden Gate Park.
Just a couple shots from our headshot session:
Trio Jubilee | Palo Alto Headshots Photographer
Not five minutes into my first conversation with Claudia, the violinist of Trio Jubilee, I discovered she was born in Ann Arbor, grew up in the East Bay, and taught at Duke University as part of the Ciompi Quartet. No way! I was born in Ann Arbor, live in the East Bay now, and went to Duke, where I played violin and thus occasionally hung out with Ciompi Quartet members...
How I love those kinds of conversations, sprinkled with No way, me too! Do you know so and so? Who knew! They make me smile at how intertwined we are without us even knowing.
But I digress. Trio Jubilee is a piano trio with a special interest in performing unusual and lesser known classical music. I photographed them briefly at Sumi's home in Palo Alto. They were such wonderful people to work with; I just hope to see them actually perform some day, because this is really making me miss my days playing piano and violin and being a part of chamber groups.
Piano trio= violin + piano + cello.
Thomas Shoebotham, cello; Sumi Park, piano; Claudia Bloom, violin.
Sasha Launer, Flutist | San Francisco Headshots Photographer
It was still early morning when I drove in to the sunset district of San Francisco, thankful for my Fastrak as I whizzed by the traffic on the Bay Bridge. I found Sasha's apartment on a wide, busy street. Cars were flying by loudly, but inside, it was all peace and quiet. A beautiful space with clean walls, hardwood floors, and plenty of gorgeous window light.
Sasha is a flutist at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Beautiful and talented. Killer combination.
San Francisco Guitar Quartet | San Francisco Headshots Photographer
Western music very often comes in fours: 4/4 time, 4 strings on a violin, and all those beautiful 4-member groups: string quartets, barbershop quartets, brass quartets-- even the standard rock band is usually two guitars, a bass, and a drum kit. But a bit more uncommon is the guitar quartet. No, not a band with four guitars, but a classical ensemble: four classical guitarists who merge their playing into a beautifully blended mini-orchestra of sound. Only a handful of U.S. cities have these guitar quartets, but San Francisco is lucky enough to be counted among them.
Jon, Mark, Patrick, and David are the four men of the San Francisco Guitar Quartet. You might recognize Mark from his previous headshot session with me. They might look like laid back casual guys hanging out on the Laney College campus on a Friday morning (and they are,) but don't let that fool you. These are serious musicians with serious cred. Take Jon, for instance. Behind that bright blond mohawk and that crazy 11-string guitar is a guy who premiered at Carnegie Hall when he was 20. I even got serenaded briefly in the middle of our shoot, as the quartet spontaneously broke out into song. It was simultaneously enlivening and calming, and an absolute treat. To hear for yourself and to learn more, check out the SFGQ website. Their next album is coming out soon.
Mark Simons, Guitarist | Oakland Headshots Photographer
We met up in Jack London Square, the waterside district of Oakland where century-old warehouses and new businesses coexist, an area in the midst of a transformation to chic before our very eyes . When Mark pulled up and stepped out of his silver sports car, it was clear that he was a man with a distinctive sense of style and an attentive eye for details. It's not hard to imagine how wonderfully his natural feel for art and love of precision must translate into his musicality and technical skills as a classical guitarist.
We set out for a moody, artsy shoot with album covers in mind. Here are a few of my favorites.
Sometimes there really is nothing better than natural lighting. They call it 'magic hour' for a reason!
Thanks for the cool shoot, Mark! Looking forward to a session with Mark's whole San Francisco Guitar Quartet coming up soon.
Best of 2009: Portraits & Headshots
As photographers, so much of the work we create depends on who we are and how we relate to the world around us. For me, a large part of that perspective is shaped by the people who come into my life.
My friends and family have long supported me in my "creative" and "unconventional" ventures in life. I have also been lucky to have the most generous photographer colleague/friend/mentors who have guided me in my work and enabled me to learn and develop in my craft and my business. This year, I've also managed to meet and photograph some of the most incredible clients. Among my subjects were a published novelist, Hollywood actors, a pageant winner, classical musicians, and a singer-songwriter, just to name a few. Not only am I thankful to find myself surrounded by such talent and passion, I also am thankful because I can count these inspiring people among friends.
Thank you all so much for an amazing 2009 here at Anna Wu Photography. Enjoy the pictures below-- some of my favorite portraits and headshots from the year. Follow the links to learn more about the people or to view their full sessions on my blog.
Rachael Berger, Ms. B, at her home in the Oakland Hills
Henry M. Chu krumpin on the streets of North Beach, San Francisco
Miss San Francisco Chinatown Ilyssa Lu around the Avalon at Mission Bay, San Francisco
Ilyssa Lu again, Avalon at Mission Bay, San Francisco
Paul Yen around the Oakland Museum of California
Violist Holly Attar at the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music
Cellist Amy Gillingham, also at the University of Cincinnati, CCM
Ernie Ng in Times Square, New York City
Ernie Ng by the Pacific Ocean in San Francisco
Singer-Songwriter Alice Tong in her apartment in the Haight, San Francisco
Alice Tong again in the Haight-Ashbury district, San Francisco
Shawna Yang Ryan, author of Water Ghosts, on the UC Berkeley Campus
Stephanie Isidro's shoot in Oakland for Mochi Magazine
Friends from TAF: Ming, Howard, Alice, Harmony, Jon, & Young in the Oakland Hills
Actor Adam Wang in Oakland
Alice Tong | San Francisco Headshots Photographer
It comes upon you and envelops you. It’s so warm and rich that you want to pull it around you and curl up in it. I'm not sure how such a sound comes out of her petite frame, but one thing is certain-- Alice Tong has a beautifully capitvating voice.
I got ten thousand ways to say I love you and nine thousand times I’ll never tell you.
When I arrived at Alice's place in San Francisco's Haight district, her sister was still helping out with makeup. Alice seemed ready to slide out of the chair and begin shooting, but her eyelashes had to be fixed up properly, and Lance and Momo (her two beloved dogs) were still busy scoping out the new stranger.
As we began our shoot, I could see Alice's personality unfurling; she has an open spirit and a gentle, laid back aura matched with a quirky twist, a sense of humor and such a strong voice with so much to say. Wandering from living room to windowsill to Buena Vista Park, we found amazing shots all along the way.
Check the bottom of the post for more information on Alice's music and her upcoming gig at Hotel Utah in San Francisco.
Alice Tong's first album, Small, is a beautiful collection of jazz tunes available on Amazon, Blacklava, and iTunes. Her second album is in the works; it's a selection of all original compositions set to be released in early 2010.
In the meantime, check out Alice Tong two days before Thanksgiving at Hotel Utah in San Francisco: Tuesday, November 24, 2009, at 8:30 pm.