Anna Wu Photography » san francisco

Best of 2011: Weddings

Anna — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:55:40 +0000

I know I know, it’s almost February, and I am still back in 2011, recapping weddings. Please forgive me. I thought about letting this post slide by, but I simply couldn’t let it go. 2011 was filled to the brim with such wonderful couples, unique venues all across the country, the most touching moments, and above all, love, love, love.

Below is a selection of just a few of the amazing moments from the past year. The majority of these are photojournalistic captures of genuine emotion. The laughter! The tears! The hugs! I chose these photographs because they are the types of images that remind me what an incredible honor and privilege it is to be able to do this for a living.

My sincerest thanks to every one of my 2011 couples and to their friends and family who invited me to be there on such a special day of your lives. I hope you enjoy! Click on any image to view the full wedding post.

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: Personal Posts

Anna — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 16:24:23 +0000

2011 was a lovely year filled with little surprises. I was lucky enough to fill my days with travel, photography, and even yogurtland and ballet. Oh, and I even managed to read 36 books (thank you iPad). And I blogged and blogged through it all. Below, I share some of my personal posts reflecting on my adventures along the way.

Places

In 2011, I found myself in Las Vegas three times in a row and Los Angeles six times during the year. I had amazing clients who flew me to Atlanta, Washington D.C., Arizona, and upstate New York. And then there was our epic roadtrip up the West Coast from San Francisco to Vancouver. Below are my various adventures, arranged roughly thematically: Bay Area, Las Vegas trips, other destinations, and the Cascadia Road Trip.

The City \| San Francisco	Sausalito	SF Vignettes	Falling in Love with San Francisco	A Lifetime Ago \| Oakland	Sailing in the Bay
All of the Lights \| Vegas	Out in the Desert \| Vegas	Neon Museum \| Vegas	Ice Waterfall in the Desert \| Vegas	Pyramid Lake	With Etiquette
A Single Snow Day \| Tahoe	Staying in Awe \| Duke	The Beauty of Night \| Atlanta	Stone Mountain & Rhodes Hall \| Atlanta	Nogales & Tubac, Arizona	Washington D.C.
Cascadia Road Trip	Crater Lake	Portland, Oregon	Tacoma, Washington	Seattle, Washington	Vancouver, British Columbia

Personal Reflections

I’m sometimes not sure how I let such personal thoughts travel from my mind out into the wild world of the internet. But I believe strongly in the power of personal expression, and whilst I found myself seeking inspiration on more than one occasion this year, I had this little hope that perhaps my words could somehow contribute to others finding inspiration as well. Below, some of my personal musings from this past year.

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

2012 Internship

Anna — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 16:50:24 +0000

HEY SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA! I am looking for one or two awesome people to work with me behind the scenes of my wedding photography business! You will be working with me about five hours a week, either in the East Bay (Berkeley or Oakland) or sometimes remotely. The internship is unpaid, but you will gain experience and training in return!

IDEALLY, YOU…

Can commit to working 3-5 hours/week for the next six months.
Are an aspiring photographer with serious interest in working as a photographer either part-time or full-time.
Have some understanding of dSLR photography and own your own dSLR.
Have not photographed more than two weddings as the primary photographer.
Are computer-savvy and fluent with social media (twitter, facebook, blogging).
Live in the San Francisco Bay Area and are able to travel to the East Bay once a week.
Are reliable and professional. You are on time and never cancel on your commitments.

THINGS YOU’LL PROBABLY BE DOING:

Meeting with me once a week in the East Bay (Berkeley or Oakland).
Image Editing: learning how to cull down to the best work, learning some lightroom/photoshop skills, and learning to manage a workflow that works!
Client Interaction: managing new client inquiries, delivering galleries and products to existing clients.
Marketing & Advertising: assisting with marketing campaigns, creating and submissions for publication, and leveraging social media in the best way
Assisting at shoots when available– mainly assisting with lighting and gear. This is NOT a second shooter position, but you may be allowed to take photos for personal portfolio use when there is time.

WHAT YOU WILL GAIN:

One-on-one workshops and consultations with Anna– we can cover anything from camera technique to business development
Constant feedback on your images and portfolio
Behind-the-scenes view of my business– emails, client contacts, shooting, post-processing, and more
Access to my overflow photography inquiries
An ally and a friend
The adventure of learning with me as I learn!

TO APPLY

Please email me at anna[at]annawu[dot]com.
Include: 1) Contact information. 2) Your photography/relevant experience. 3) Why you want this internship.

I will be setting up interviews with applicants in the next couple weeks and will have a trial run period before any confirmations are made. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis.
Please contact me only via email. Facebook messages, tweets, etc. will not be considered as official applications, but feel free to help spread the word! Send everyone here: http://annawu.com/internship

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.

Catherine & Joe | Fort Mason | San Francisco Wedding Photography

Anna — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 17:53:11 +0000

You can see it in the way their eyes sometimes lock– they’ve found their sense of home in one another. Catherine and Joe first met when they worked together at the same accounting firm, and it took years of friendship and dating before Joe– never the planner– planned a romantic beach getaway and proposed.

On a beautiful day at Fort Mason in San Francisco, Catherine and Joe were married, surrounded by plenty of friends, family, laughter, and even a few happy tears.

This flowy, understated Priscilla of Boston gown fit Catherine perfectly.

Gorgeous and hilarious! The bridesmaids were oh so elegant in their strapless floor length dresses also from Priscilla of Boston.

Beautiful mother and daughter

Meanwhile, in the man cave… these were shot by my second shooter Kirsten.

Catherine & Joe opted to do a “first look,” seeing each other for the first time before the ceremony. It allowed us plenty of time to create these beautiful portraits.

Image on the left by Kirsten

Image on the right by Kirsten

I love the glow of the late afternoon sun– magic hour.

Image on the right by Kirsten

Sisters embrace

Reception in a frame!

The wedding party really enjoyed the same day slideshow!

Catching the couple for a moment in the dance party.

And one last frame, shot by Kirsten.

Congratulations, Catherine & Joe!

Wedding Vendors:

Venue: Officer’s Club, Fort Mason, San Francisco CA
Hair: Hair by Dante, San Francsico
Makeup: Red Door Spa, San Francisco
Florist: Chelsea Bowman
Catering: Piazza Market
Wedding Dress: Priscilla of Boston
Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Priscilla of Boston
DJ/Musicians: Peter Haley
Wedding Cake: Jenefer Chin (friend of couple)
Photographer: Anna Wu Photography, assisted by Kirsten Tamme