Anna Wu Photography » portraits

A Birthday Gift… For You! | Photography Giveaway

Anna — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 18:47:45 +0000

Yes, today is my birthday, and in honor of this day, I wanted to celebrate you! All of you out there who have been following my work and supporting me in all my little adventures deserve a little treat. Plus, yesterday, my facebook page just surpassed 1000 “likes”, which was really a delightful little gift and perfect with its timing!

So today, I kick off a photography giveaway for one lucky winner. Up for grabs is a one-hour photography session of your choosing. It can be a portrait session, headshots, an engagement shoot, an anniversary, a family session, etc… If you are located in the San Francisco Bay Area, then great, so am I! But even if not, then here is my travel schedule when we might be able to squeeze in a session. And if none of those work either, then you still have the option of gifting the session to someone else. More info and details are below.

Travel schedule (dates are approximate and may not all be available for bookings):

San Francisco Bay Area: this is where I live!
Los Angeles: January 14-19, February 24-27, March 14-19
Las Vegas: January 20-22, February 19-23
Philadelphia: February 10-13
New York City: February 14-15
Durham: April 19-23

Photography Giveaway!

One-hour portrait session with me, Anna Wu Photography! Includes the full online gallery and disc and a feature on my blog (valued at $625+).
One winner will be selected randomly from the comments below.
The winner can schedule a session in the San Francisco Bay Area or one of the cities I’ll be traveling to in the next couple months. OR the winner can gift the session to someone else who is able to schedule the session. Scheduling is subject to my availability and discretion.
Session must occur before the end of April, 2012.
This prize has no cash value and cannot be traded for any other services or goods. A la carte options and products may be added at regular pricing.
To enter, comment below with:

Your name
Your city
How you found Anna Wu Photography
What you would do with the portrait session if you won!

The deadline to enter is 11:59pm PST on Tuesday, January 17, so don’t delay. Winner will be notified on Wednesday, January 18. Hooray! Happy Birthday to you!

Book a Session Today!

If you’d like to go ahead and book a session instead, I am offering a birthday special for you too! (Weddings included). Just mention my birthday giveaway, and you’ll receive a 5% discount on any bookings finalized between now and the end of January 2012. And yes, this would be a lovely birthday gift to me, too. =) Use the contact form or email me at anna(at)annawu(dot)com.

Pei-Hua & Tony | San Francisco City Hall Wedding Photography

Anna — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 20:24:26 +0000

Pei-Hua and Tony first met when they were they first joined AOL and were sent to training in Virginia. Six weeks of work training led to a cross-country long distance relationship, and a couple years later, Tony joined Pei-Hua in California to move into the next stage of their lives together. It was a brisk December day when Pei-Hua and Tony were officially wed at San Francisco’s City Hall. Some of their family members had flown in from Taiwan for the occasion, and Pei-Hua was radiant in her beautiful gown, looking just as elegant as the space.

San Francisco’s City Hall is beyond amazing. It’s such a beautiful building with plenty of natural light for photographs, and it’s simply the perfect setting for a civil ceremony.

Friends and family gather around as they wait their turn for their ceremony.

Laughter and tears!

It was Pei-Hua’s idea to finish off the day with some jumping photos. I love how this turned her dress into a giant poofball!

Congratulations Pei-Hua and Tony! Now that I’ve fallen in love with San Francisco City Hall, I can’t wait to shoot more weddings there!

Wedding Vendors:

Hair & Makeup: Jessie Weng
Dress: Mori Lee
Shoes: J.Renee
Shrug: Light in the Box

Best of 2011: Engagements & Couples

Anna — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 20:53:43 +0000

2011 was filled with the most amazing couples. I got to shoot engagement sessions in New York, Atlanta, Seattle, and of course all over the Bay Area. I photographed a surprise proposal on the beach, a really disgusting (or is it cute?) gum wall, and even a baby pig! You can see it all for yourself below. Thank you to all the couples who made this such a fantastic year!

Sun & Elliot at Sutro Baths, San Francisco, California

Theresa & Rob at Muir Woods, Marin County, California

Debby & Justin in the Mission District, San Francisco, California

Jenny & Kevin’s Anniversary Shoot in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, California

Connie & Tony’s Engagement Session in downtown Los Angeles, California

Magali & Sam’s Engagement Session in San Francisco, California

Silvia & James’ Engagement Session at the Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco, California

Shelly & Mark’s Surprise Proposal at China Beach, San Francisco, California, and their Engagement Session at the Palace of Fine Arts, San Francisco

Evelia & Joseph’s Engagement Session at the Atlanta History Center, Atlanta, Georgia

Raquel & Andy’s Engagement Session at Lullwater Park, Atlanta, Georgia

Mega & Jason’s Engagement Session at Baker Beach, San Francisco, California

Catherine & Joe’s Engagement Session at Baker Beach, San Francisco, California

Janey & Lee’s Engagement Session on Treasure Island, California

Kristen & Ryan’s Engagement Session in Sunol, California

Cat & Dan’s Engagement Session in Buffalo, New York

Nina & Fernando’s Engagement Session in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California

Cami & Eric’s Engagement Session at Pike Place, Seattle, Washington

Anny & John’s Engagement Session at Baker Beach, San Francisco, California

Best of 2011: Portraits & Headshots

Anna — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 21:20:56 +0000

It’s been another wonderful year! We kick off the year-end recaps with the best of portraits & headshots in 2011. Click on the links or images to visit the full posts.

Lifestyle Portraits & Headshots

Karina Garcia Li in San Jose, California.

TaiwaneseAmerican.org t-shirt shoot in San Francisco, California. Dental school students never looked so good.

Alexandra Leem, violist, in San Francisco, California.

Ho Chie Tsai in Oakland, California.

Diana Lee in Los Angeles, California.

Eugene Petrushansky, Harpsichordist, in Fremont, California.

Family Portraits

Wallis & Julian, family session in Orinda, California.

Little Isla, family session in Oakland, California.

Deion’s Birthday Party, family session in San Francisco, California.

Baby Miles in Richmond, California.

Little Sarah family session in San Gabriel, California.

Inspiration | Shoot What You Love

Anna — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 09:30:31 +0000

Have you ever felt so passionate about something it makes your heart beat a little faster, turns interest into obsession? Have you ever been so excited to work on a project, it just feels like something deep within your soul is wanting to leap right out of you? If you’re a photographer, an artist, anyone who creates anything, chances are, you probably have. You may have since forgotten, but it’s what brought you to your craft to begin with. All too often, after that initial excitement of finding what we love, we start noticing the compliments we get, those paychecks we manage to receive, and we wander off. We start paying more attention to the whims of others than to that little heartbeat inside that drove us to create in the first place.

To all of us collectively, I say come back. Take some time and simply create something that is just for you. What is it that only you can create? What is it that you have always wanted to create? What would you absolutely put everything else aside to do?

Do it.

Personal projects are not just luxuries. They are your core, your heart. They allow you to discover and celebrate who you are. They feed your creative soul. One heartfelt personal project will give you more energy than five hundred well-executed but not very interesting gigs. Find what compels you. Shoot what you love.

I am so excited to share with you this sneak peek from a session today. This is my passion project right now: a personal endeavor photographing ballerinas. I am falling in love with photography all over again. I could not ask for anything more as we wrap up the year. And it makes me so excited to see what 2012 will bring.

Ballet dancer: Sharon Kung
Makeup: Pretty by Julianne
Assistant: Jonathan Lee

Eugene Petrushansky, Harpsichordist | San Francisco Musicians Headshots

Anna — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 18:19:37 +0000

Eugene is not only a great harpsichordist but he also restores the beautiful old instruments for fun. Plus, it turns out he’s quite the natural model too. Multitalented and handsome. Here are some of his portraits from our headshot session in Fremont:

Sailing in the Bay

Anna — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 18:34:02 +0000

It was a gorgeous Saturday morning– sunny and seventies– and it was perfect for sitting in a boat in the middle of the Bay. The irony was, the air was so nice, warm. and calm that there was zero no wind for sailing. Undeterred, we slowly motored along from San Francisco’s Pier 40 toward Angel Island.

The three pirates: Arvind, Jon, and our captain HD.

As we quickly learned, it’s very easy to underestimate distances over water. What looked like a five minute stretch took us about three hours by boat, while a blimp circled around the bay overhead, as if taunting us with its speedy air travel capabilities.

Right off the bat, we saw a cluster of seagulls fighting a sea lion for fish. Later, we saw a dolphin frolicking about.

Passing under the Bay Bridge, and our boat docked at Angel Island. We did make it there by motor after several hours, and after a brief lunch break on the island, we had to circle back around before we would be sucked out to sea by the currents.

Passing by Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge

The ferry building on our return journey. We got plenty of wind on our way back in, but it was counterbalanced by the going against the tide.

The water looked unreal, like it was made of metals instead of water.

We passed the city right as the sun was going down

And finally, back at the pier.

I will never look at the Bay in the same way again, and I mean that in the best possible way. Spending a day on the water has transformed it from just some blank interstitial space between the land into infinite little sailboat route possibilities in my mind. I can see why people like sailing so much. I would definitely go again!

Technical note: All of the images above were shot on Mistubishi Super MX 200 film (a random cheap film I picked up) and processed and scanned by Richard Photo Lab. I quite like the turquoise of the water on this film.

Little Sarah | San Gabriel Family Portraits

Anna — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 23:31:07 +0000

She might not be able to walk without wobbling all over the place, but she’s smart as a whip! Little Sarah reads entire books and answers all sorts of questions, from “what sound does a monkey make?” to “who is the president?” (both answers are really adorable, by the way).

It was a sunny Monday afternoon when we all met up in Lacy Park, San Marino, for a family session with the Espinosas. We kick it off with the whole fam! Joseph, Sarah, and Marilyn. Plus, another little one on the way!

Fun fact: Marilyn and Jenny (of Kevin and Jenny) are twin sisters!

A kiss for mommy!

Dimple power!

Precious!

Seattle, Washington | Cascadia Road Trip, Part 4

Anna — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 21:24:55 +0000

You would think we had planned it, the way we were greeted by colorful autumn leaves and perfect weather everywhere we went along our road trip. In reality, we were just really lucky. After our stops in Crater Lake, Portland, and a brief stop in Tacoma, We arrived in Seattle to bright sunny skies in the mid-sixties. Our first stop, Gas Works Park.

Autumn! Young, Howard, and Vince.

Love this leaf pile.

We stayed at our friend Jennie’s ridiculously awesome place. This is the view of the Seattle Space Needle out her window.

On day two, we walked through the Olympic Sculpture Park to get to Pike Place.

Love the Calder against the sea and skies.

Seattle Center– Space Needle and the Experience Music Project.

Lynn and Young– we met up with Lynn for lunch at Paseo.

And then the most amazing oyster happy hour at The Walrus and the Carpenter. Best $1 oysters ever. Vince models by the entrance.

And Young too.

Finally, one last shot from Jennie’s bedroom window on the morning we left for Vancouver– the only non-sunny day of our entire trip.

Lovely as always, Seattle! Next up, Vancouver.

Jenny & Kevin | Little Tokyo | Los Angeles Anniversary Shoot

Anna — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 17:50:11 +0000

This is an anniversary shoot. It’s also a story of love and family and Thanksgiving.

It was just over a year ago that we were all gathered in Southern California for Jenny and Kevin’s beautiful wedding. I was their official photographer, and we were also there with our brand new videography company Seaglass Cinema, which Kevin and I had co-founded.

We had already been friends before their wedding, but in the months since, we have all become closer than ever. Even though we live on different ends of California, I’ve seen Kevin just about every other week this year, and I’ve come to regard Jenny & Kevin’s place as a second home. In fact, as I am sitting on Jenny and Kevin’s couch right now on Thanksgiving Day, it’s no understatement to say we’ve become family in many ways– just one of the many things that I’m incredibly thankful for this Thanksgiving.

The anniversary shoot was initially Jenny’s idea as a followup to their engagement session and their wedding photographs, and I immediately jumped on it. I love absolutely everything about the anniversary shoot idea. It’s a celebration of love and life and a reminder that yes, weddings are fantastic (and I love them too), but they are only the beginning. The years that come afterward are just as important and worthy of celebration (if not more!).

So on a lovely fall weekend, we dressed up Jenny and Kevin and headed to Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, to kick off our new anniversary shoot tradition.

I should mention that being close friends with your photographer has its perks. Our other friend Jon and I spent the week leading up to the shoot playing stylists and shopping for a variety of outfits for Jenny and Kevin. Jon actually bought Kev a whole new wardrobe, not just for the shoot. Jon helped out for the actual shoot too, driving us around and playing assistant. I’d like to think our styling efforts paid off!

We pulled off some quiet moments in the Far Bar alley tucked between two buildings.

Love the soft sun flare and long shadows stretching across the frame. And Jenny’s pristine white TOMS complete her second outfit.

More fun with shadows.

Jon drove us to his favorite ivy wall and to a bridge underpass.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Technical note: half these images were shot on digitally and processed with VSCO Film (and other tweaks). The other half were shot on a 35mm film on Fuji 400H and processed by Richard Photo Lab. Can you tell the difference? Probably not! (Success!)