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.
While I was cramming for midterms one ordinary College day, I received a phone call that broke a long silence. It was a good friend who lived in the same apartment building. She spoke so fast that her words blended together. Huh? Say that again? When she repeated herself, all I heard were bits and pieces….
“Big fire”
“Coming towards you”
“Evacuated a long time ago”
“GET OUT NOW!”
In complete disbelief, my roommate walked outside “to see if she could see anything”. She returned shaking. The wildfire was not only in sight, close by, but also distinctly heading towards our building.
We gave ourselves one minute to grab what we could before running to my car. Adrenaline was fueled by panic. I will never forget what I grabbed: my keys, wallet, a couple pieces of jewelry, and photo albums. Every single photo album. Those albums weighed like 10 lbs each, and I had to have them all!
What I learned from the Oakland Fire of ’91 is that I found photos to be one of the most important possessions I own.
That’s because a photo isn’t just a photo. It’s something that makes memories permanent, so you can enjoy, share and hopefully treasure them for years to come, or even with future generations. Each family I photograph has their own unique style, connection, and way of interacting, and I am grateful to have the important role of capturing this for them. xoxo
These quotes explain why this Commercial Shoot of The Coder School gets me excited every time:
“Coding is today’s language of creativity. All our children deserve a chance to become creators instead of consumers of computer science.”
~ Maria Klawe
“I want to encourage more young women to get involved in coding, because it’s important for them to be able to help shape the future, and coding is the future.”
~ Karlie Kloss
“Everybody in this country should learn to program a computer because it teaches you how to think.”
~ Steve Jobs
[Click here to see my first Commercial Shoot at The Coder School in Berkeley! This shoot was of their Fremont location.]
I know I sound like Cheesy McCheeserson, but some shoots feel more like I’m playing and hanging out with friends than a job. Nah, let’s be real, it’s almost every shoot.
From the time Danny pulled his car into the parking lot, I hopped out of mine and saw little Rory’s excited face pressed against the window. Then Emily drove in with Dex who looked like he grew a foot taller than the previous year.
SQUEEEEE…
There was no time to waste. We all darted into the arboretum, so the playdate photoshoot could start! 
