My name is Annie Tao. I am a photographer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. I specialize in lifestyle photography where you get to play, hang out, and be yourself. I capture the moments, real emotions and stories that occur during our time together. Check here often or subscribe to my blog (RSS feed) to see what I am up to or get creative inspiration. Thanks for visiting! 
I scoured through thousands of my client photos and pondered my philosophy on photographing people. What I realized was that my philosophy was incredibly simple.
Looking at all these gorgeous faces and families, my heart melts a little. I hope you’ll enjoy it. ~annie
Want to see more? Yippeee… here’s a video on why you should choose Lifestyle Photography.
After photographing Evy and Ethan since they arrived into this World, I can’t help but feel connected to them. Thus, it was imperative that I spend part of their shoot playing with Evy and holding baby Ethan. <3 Admittedly, I breathed in Ethan as much as I could. We’re talking my face was in his hair. Can you say awkward? The fresh scent of a baby is like sniffing a bit of Heaven! Well, Brent called it something else, but I’ll leave it at that. 
There is always a lot of joking around and laughter when I see Heather and Brent. I love it when clients turn into friends because the shoot feels just like we’re all hanging out. In any case, we had a lot of fun and the kids were incredibly well-behaved. The weather in San Francisco was bright and crazy-hot that day, even in the early morning hours, so I had to “find the (good) light”.
Now check out Heather, Brent, Evy and Ethan in the park on this gorgeous Autumn day…
When I started my business, I didn’t know if it would become more than a hobby or if it’d fizzle out after a year. So with each booking, I’d ooh-and-aah. At the end of each client shoot, I’d marvel at the fact that I was able to do something I love and someone liked my work enough to pay for it. It still blows my mind sometimes. Maybe it’s from the kind of childhood I had (cue violin – haha), but it’s with this kind of attitude that makes me want to improve and continue to grow. Complacency is a virus I never want to have.
So this brings me to my recent shoot with The L Family.
I’ve been photographing Julie, Chris, Callie and Ian for 8 years. Each year, I am excited when they book their shoot (and Julie books early too – yay!) And each year, I can’t wait to see them. I have watched Callie get braces and get them off! I’ve watched her become a preteen. I’ve watched Ian grow into an inquisitive boy who starts most conversations with “You know what?”
Seeing my clients is seeing old friends. I am grateful. <3
Take a look at The L Family in The Golden Forest…
In one of my Psychology classes at UC Berkeley, I learned about the different kinds of love. I remember pondering which kind “was the best”. I was probably 19 years old, so the topic of love sounded mystical. Almost fictional. Now, at the age of *cough cough*, it’s entirely different. Do I label love? No. Do I weigh which kind is better? No. Are there many forms? Sure, but…
Love is love, it’s that simple.
That brings to me to the photoshoot I had last weekend in San Francisco. I’ve known The M Family for many years. Over the years, things change. For instance, the kids get older, taller, wiser.
One thing, no matter what, stays the same: their love for each other. There’s a realness in true love that you just. can’t. fake. Joe, Yolanda, Teo and Nea have that! It’s in the way they look at each other.
It makes my heart melt a little. <3
