My Nephew

Meet Baby Alexander.

I’m a very proud first-time Auntie. This is incredibly exciting for me because I now have a baby to spoil and adore without the long-term child-rearing responsibilities.

This is Alex at five days old. I mistakenly thought that shooting newborns would be a piece of cake. They sleep. You snap pictures. Needless to say, it was unexpectedly harder than I imagined. Every time I pulled out the camera, Alex needed his poopy diaper changed, peed on my blanket, had to be breast-fed, or simply cried for the sake of crying. This exercise gave me a whole new level of respect for moms. It also made me realize that I will never be the next Anne Geddes and willingly devote my entire photographic career to newborns.

Seriously, my nephew is the cutest baby ever, right?

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Collaboration

Like most artists, I’m an introvert and spend much of my time working alone. When I photograph, I often work without assistants. I’m still learning how to effectively engage another person in my projects unless that person is the subject of my photograph.

My recent fashion project with clothes designer Kayo Matsuyama, make-up artist Awny Rael, and model Kara Emily opened my eyes to the power of collaboration and its synergistic effect. In the midst of working with such highly talented folks, my creativity as a photographer felt minuscule compared to Kayo’s ability to design sexy playful outfits...not to mention her ability to accessorize with the perfect item of jewelry, belt, hairpiece or pair of shoes. Awny pulled the entire “Egyptian theme” look together with her imaginative make-up skills. She also has a keen eye for detail and an ability to spot every piece of hair, clothing or jewelry out of place - things I would have overlooked while trying to capture the bigger picture. Working with a versatile professional model like Kara gave me an incredible amount of respect for people who know how to project confidence and control their body and facial expression - skills I wish every person I photograph possesses.

As a result of this collaborative process, I managed to elevate my own portfolio by developing a body of work that exceeded the limits of my own creative skills. Moving forward, I hope to continue partnering with a wide range of talented people, so please, do contact me if you are a stylist, make-up artist or model wanting to contribute your time to the process of creative exploration.

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Producing Fine Art Children's Photography

I was having lunch with another photographer friend of mine today and telling him how I felt trapped in a rut in terms of some of the photography work I was doing.  I did a lot of housecleaning earlier this year and started saying no to jobs such as shooting weddings, events and conferences.  I just couldn’t bring myself to do these jobs anymore without feeling like I wasn’t meeting my full potential.  And once again, I am back to that same place of discontent.  I’m not sure if some of you are aware that I have a second website (www.hanh-photography.com) focused on children, families, maternity,  and formerly weddings.  Lately, I’ve been re-examining that body of work and realizing, “I can do better.” 

So  for this upcoming year, I plan on taking my children’s photography work to a completely new level, and will focus on producing fine art work.  It’s my 2013 resolution and here’s a sneak preview of what’s to come.

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Shooting Sport Editorials (Part 2)

Almost every Bay Area climber know that some of the best rock climbing pictures in the world are taken in Yosemite, California, a mere 4 hours drive from San Francisco.  But what do you do when your client lives in San Francisco and has only a few hours to spare for a climbing photo shoot?   Fortunately the Bay Area boasts several scenic rock climbing locations, and places like Mt. Tam and Turtle Rock offer sweeping views of Marin,  the East Bay and San Francisco.  These images were taken for client Jameson and Jackson Search Partners to profile the outdoor lifestyle of company executive Claire Musngi.

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Shooting Sport Editorials

In recent weeks, I've had several really fun on-location shoots that took advantage of my strength in environmental portraiture, and my love of outdoor adventure sports.  My client, Jameson and Jackson Search Partners, asked me to profile their staff for the launch of their new website, so I was thrilled to have the opportunity to flex my creative muscle and photograph these scenic action and editorial images. 

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Simplifying Portraiture

I’ve been in a black and white picture-making mood lately.  This need to “go dark” emerged during my earlier black and white portrait experiments and has stuck with me stylistically since then.

A lighting instructor once taught me that shooting a subject against a black background was cheating because it was too easy of a thing to do and doesn’t challenge you creatively.

I disagree.  I like to strip the background of all distractions so that my subjects become the center of attention.  I want their expressions and emotions to fill the image.  I don’t want their faces to compete with any other element in the photo.  It actually forces me to work harder to create a classic, timeless portrait that is both beautiful and meaningful.

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Fashion Forward

For years, I told myself that I never wanted to become a fashion photographer.  I hated the idea of competing in an industry which elevated materialism, objectified women, and set an unrealistic standard for beauty. Over the years, however,  I became increasingly intrigued with the fashions of local artists in San Francisco, preferring to wear unique off-beat and funky designs over cheap, mass produced crap from stores like Forever 21. When I met Kayo Mitsuyama, I jumped at the opportunity to work with her, not only because I absolutely love her versatile designs, but because I felt the need to support emerging female Asian artists like myself, who were competing in areas that were under-represented by Asian woman. Photographing for Kayo and her clothesline, Kayo Anime, represented an opportunity to dabble in fashion and create images based on my own aesthetic of female beauty - one that diverts dramatically from the hyper-sexualized portrayals of woman found so commonly in fashion magazines.

In creating these images,  I feel it is important to acknowledge Kayo for her fashion sense, Candace Simmons for her incredible modeling skills and Sandra Moreno for her talent with hair and make-up.  It was an incredible collaborative process!

Kayo's clothes can be perused and purchased online at Kayo Anime Clothing <http://www.etsy.com/listing/110557408/frill-strap-romper?utm_source=OpenGraph&utm_medium=PageTools&utm_campaign=Share>.

  

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