With 5 kids, spanning from 4 1/2 to 10 years old, there was no shortage of action and silliness.  And I’m not just talking about the kids!

Climbing Trees

This photo cracks me up!!!  Anton (10) was helping all his brothers and cousins up the tree.  Look at his face!

I can’t stop laughing!  Here’s another one…

Football

An Afternoon Stroll

The grandparents took a not-so-quiet stroll while the grandkids raced back and forth.

With the Grandkids

I love all the big smiles!  Even the 3-eyed alien is smiling.  Tee hee.

Also, you may recognize two of the kids from my session last weekend:  Ali and Griffin.  It was great to see them again and get lots of hugs in!

The L Family

I love this shot!  Everyone was resting on the bench when the kids stopped for a snack.

I stepped back to take in more of the tree, and in doing so, I got the beautiful sun peeking over the building!  I also love the myriad of textures.

Stealing a Moment Together

Irene

I love this beauty shot of Irene.

Making an Escape

While all of the seated bench shots were taking place, I noticed Woody was sneaking out of someone’s purse. 

The Snack Thief!

Aha!  Woody was trying to steal some Goldfish crackers!  He almost had it, too.

Underexposed:  Aliens

Peyton is giving Ali a piggyback ride, but with the wide angle lens and the low perspective of the shot, they look like aliens in this underexposed shot.  Love it.

The Bright Sun = High Contrast Shadows & Overexposure Fun

It was especially sunny yesterday, so we avoided the direct light for most of the shoot because it was too harsh for portraits.

When we did head into the bright sun, however, we were able to get some fun, creative shots.

Whistling is soooo much harder than it looks!

This one smells the best.  Oh wait, I mean tastes the best.

That clicking black box is so rude!  It always gets in between my face and mom’s!

I… almost…. got it!  It’s right below my chin!  #@*&$!!!!

Meet my pal, Gi-Gi.  He doesn’t talk much.

She won a 1-hour mini shoot and the digital negative of her favorite image.  Congratulations, Ms. L!

The Mystery Winner!

To see my clients’ children grow up makes me feel like Auntie Annie instead of just their Photographer.  And seeing my clients again is like a fun catch up period with friends!

I am so lucky to have such awesome clients.  They make me excited to get up at the crack of dawn and lug heavy equipment around for a couple hours! 

[Click here to see the Y. Family's shoot from July, 2009.]

I Heart San Francisco

“Disrupting Wildlife”

Annie Tao Photoshoot Leniency Act 14a:  Let kids chase nature to get the right shot! 

Smokin’ Hot

One of my favorite shots of Edward.  He has a great profile and so does his son, Griffin!

The wall behind them makes this photo especially intriguing.  (You know I love patterns and textures!)  The tear design looks like Edward is smoking, which of course he is in this photo! 

Fave Outdoor Family Shots

Alright, these are just a few of my favorites!

[FYI to Photographers: I slightly overexposed the outdoor images because it was a typical overcast day in the city.  I also gave it a nudge more saturation -- set in my camera, not post-production -- to make my images pop despite the gloomy weather.]

So sweet and natural…

Lines, Patterns and Curves, Oh My!

The wide angle accentuates the arc of the path and elongates Edward’s back leg.  Together with the curve of Edward’s back makes this a “Wow” image for me.

Fave Indoor Shots

The delicious light and Griffin’s expression made me stop at this photo when I was flipping through all the images I took from today!

I composed this tight shot so Ellen and Edward act as visual “bookends” to their adorable children.

Ah yes, another Annie Tao Photoshoot Leniency Act:  Give children candy if it will look good on film! 

A Quiet Beginning

This is one of the first photos I shot this morning, so it was a quiet stroll with no playing or goofing around.

I love that Ali is looking outside and Ellen is gazing adoringly at her daughter.

Funny Moments

An Upside-Down Griffin Cake!

It’s too loud!

I never knew candy could taste so…. icky!

It was recently Myra’s birthday, so we did our usual Twin Day hangout.  (Click here to see last year’s Twin Day!)

Twin Day is a day of catching up, indulging in food, and doing anything we feel like that soothes our souls.  There is usually a lot of silliness and laughing during Twin Day.

Myra, aka Twin, aka My My, aka Soul Sister

She is one tan lady since her recent beach vacation!

A Delicious Treat

Well, one of the treats! 

What’s Interesting?

As we walked around, I shot things that I found interesting, which is usually about light, texture or emotion.

Snap Snap!

Thank you for letting me take photos of you, Myra!  And happy birthday!!!

This past week, while on vacation at the coast, my husband took our older kids for a swim.  I had planned on taking baby Ava to meet them, but I got caught up taking photographs of her instead.  Big surprise, I know!

Ava is as cute as a button.  Well, cuter!  But taking straight shots of her in a sterile hotel room was a little shy of a big yawn!  So I changed my shooting perspective by rotating my body all around her.  And voila!  I found my inspiration….

Baby Feet

They are just feet, but the way they interact with each other tells a story.

And sometimes they form a pretty shape.

It’s like laying on the grass and seeing recognizable shapes in the clouds.  Art is everywhere; you just need to look for it.

I relate well with kids and love playing with them, so I think even the “shy” ones warm up fast!

I believe that kids can sense when people are genuine with them and if they truly like being around them.

In the Garden

Sweet little Camryn is 1 1/2 years old.

Toys in Nature

One of the benefits of shooting at a woodsy park is there are plenty of toys in nature!

Logs, sticks, rocks = wheels to roll, chairs to sit on, swords to pretend-fight with, balls to throw!

It’s All About the Eyes

Though different in shape and color, Grant and Camryn’s eyes are equally mesmerizing when you gaze into them!

It’s All About the Light

Straight, Crazy & Silly

This is one of my favorite creative shots of the day.

I love the straight lines shooting in all different directions.  I composed the shot so that the pattern of the lines draw your eyes to Grant.  The linear pattern of the stairs is counterbalanced by the crazy crooked trees above.  And the shot is perfect because of Grant’s silly expression with his tongue.  You can tell he was concentrating!

The Details

The little bows on the toddler dress, the soft curls in her hair, the long lashes.  These are all important details to remember as each stage of a child passes so quickly.

Laying Down

The expressions on their faces are priceless, even with only half of Grant’s face showing!

The Semi-Posed Shot

Ya gotta sprinkle some semi-posed shots into the natural candid ones.  Every momma wants one.  I admit it!

I have some of both kids looking straight at me, but this one is my favorite.  It looks so sweet with Grant looking at his sister and they are holding hands.

I truly believe you can meet thousands of people or just a handful, and you can be of any age… When you find your soul mate, you’ll know!

Here is a sneak peek from yesterday’s magical wedding in San Francisco.

A Few Details

Becoming a Bride

I love Lynette’s tats!  It creates a nice contrast to Helen’s softly made up face.

I couldn’t resist this top-down perspective!

When Helen’s dad came to the dressing room, it was emotional for Helen… and then for the rest of us too!

It was incredibly touching to see the bond and feel the love Helen shared with her dad.

The Gown

The Kiss

One of the many things that I loved about this wedding was how personal every aspect of it was.  Almost everyone involved with the wedding was a friend:  the wedding coordinators, Robin and Michael; the officiant, Colleen; the hair and makeup artist, Lynette; and also the florist and the pastry chef of their wedding cake!

So, in this photo, I love how you can see Colleen in the heart-shaped space created by Helen and Psi kissing.  It is very meaningful.

And not to worry, Helen and Psi!  Not every photo of you kissing at the ‘alter’ has Colleen in the middle! 

Happy Tears

The Best Expression of the Day!

The Newlyweds

“Snow White in the Enchanted Forest”

“Being Present” with Each Other

Psi and Helen often spoke of “being present” during their wedding and in how they live their lives.  I wanted to incorporate that philosophy into one of their bride and groom photos!

I have a few variations of this shot, but they are all of Helen and Psi being present and still with each other while the World — the bridal party — move around them.

Congratulations, Mr and Mrs M!  And thank you for choosing me to capture one of the most precious and memorable days of your lives!  XOXO!  ~Annie

This was a mini shoot because all we needed was one good headshot, but I have so many favorites that I can’t choose just one.

Here are only a few of my favorites!

When shooting kids, I shoot a lot — especially if they are active or shy, so that I don’t miss that one second when they look up, smile or laugh.

Kelsey was warm and sweet when she saw me, but started sucking on her thumb when she knew she had to be “on” for the camera.   All it took was a little distraction by mommy who stood behind me, or sat near her (but not immediately next to her, so she could stay out of the shots).

See what I mean?  Gorgeous, right?!!

I wanted to highlight her hair — soft, red and curly…

Watch out World.  Make room for Model Kelsey!

[To see photos of Kelsey last year, click here.  Her mom was my Tribute To Moms Contest winner!]

Since Maddie isn’t walking yet and it was a very windy and brisk day, we spent most of our time inside her house and then took a short walk around the neighborhood for some outdoor shots.  Enjoy the sneak peek!

An Important Call

Maddie is taking a moment to tell us to “shush” as she is finishing up on an important call!  That’s what it looks like anyway!

(FYI to photographers:  This series of shots were all about working the modern wallpaper!  I loved it right when I saw it and had an idea of what kind of image I wanted.  The wallpaper was in the dining room, the phone lived in a hallway, and the table was from the living room; so there was a lot of rearranging of furniture to set up this mini client studio!  Millo, Maddie’s mom, had a large number of outfits for me to choose from, so I chose this mint green outfit, which I think worked perfectly.)

“Hello?”

Who needs an actual telephone when you have a hand?! 

This shot makes me laugh!

Look Into My Eyes!

Maddie will be able to get her way when she is older (tee hee) just by the way she looks piercingly into your eyes!  I loooooove this shot.  LOVE!

There’s actually a lot going on here — the ruffles on her sleeve, the scalloped hat, the bottle, the patterned blanket — but, you still notice her eyes first!

The Human Swing

Daddy Jeff really knew how to get Maddie’s laughter going!

Flying High

This is one of my favorite creative shots of the day.

I composed the shot to include the antique chandelier in the upper right corner and balanced it will Maddie in the lower left corner.  The moldings in the wall and ceiling give the image a more architectural design.

(FYI to photographers:  For shots of young children and babies, you need to think fast with creative compositions.  Young children and babies don’t hold poses, especially for the camera, it seems!  So you need to be aware of your surroundings and oftentimes, come up with ideas on the fly!  Tee hee, no pun intended!)

Some Favorite Family Shots

These images prove you don’t need a spectacular location to create nice images.  This was neither a park, a garden or a yard.  It was a little strip between a small road and a gigantic, busy street.  Who would’ve thunked?

Maddie

The below right photo is Maddie blowing on her skin to make that “bbbbbb” sound.  Pretty funny!

(FYI to photographers:  These were taken outdoors in natural light, and the pretty bluish-gray color background is actually the paved road behind her!)

My Favorite Baby Outfit

I mean seriously!  Is there a baby outfit cuter than no outfit?  I think not!

(FYI for photographers:  It was close to noon at this time, so the sun was high in the sky (ie, bad portrait lighting), but we were indoors, so it was perfect!  Look how soft the light is on Maddie’s skin.)

Happy birthday, Maddie!  You will discover lots of wondrous things this year.  And you are one lucky girl… I know you have two very adoring parents!  ~Annie