There are more than enough sources out there that bring us down. Magazines with pictures of women with unreal faces photoshopped to the point where we all believe that under-eye shadows don’t belong. Forums and blogs where internet trolls say horrible things about women they’d never say to their mothers. Even at parties and weddings, I hear and observe women judging one another.

In the end, my photographs cannot happen if you don’t believe in your own beauty. I can’t make you believe that you are beautiful. You need to believe it first, and to get there – and I know this can be hard – you have to learn to love yourself and put yourself above the noise, above all the people who don’t see you for the real you. In the end, they do not matter.

I can help you, but you must be open to believing in the existence of beauty in your life

Getting there is a process. The first step is the desire to be a better person

Reward yourself. Acknowledge all the amazing and good things happening in your life and what they have brought you to, thus far

Recognize that there will always, always be things beyond your control. The weather. A zit. Don’t worry about those, because no one else can change them either

If you have people who cherish you in their lives, don’t be afraid to ask for affirmation! It sure doesn’t hurt for me to hear from my parents how proud they are of me, or from my boyfriend how awesome he thinks I am

Rise above cattiness, judgment, and jealousy yourself. To become beauty, we must embody it, inside and out

Give yourself me-time and fun-time. For some ladies, it might mean manis and pedis, for others, it could mean paintball. Whatever it is, do something that makes you smile

Give back to others. There is no purer form of joy than that derived from doing something for people who have no means, no power, no ability to give you anything back

Recognize that life will have its ups and downs. There is beauty in pain, too. Make sure that you surround yourself with people who will be there to prop you up when you need a hand, and also who will celebrate in your success

Be open to change – and know that change does not come easily. However, be on the lookout for opportunities where you can continue to change into the best version of yourself

Love yourself first, always. It will lead to amazing things

May 22 – 24 – San Francisco, CA
May 25 – 28 – Boston, MA
June 1 – 3 – Boston, MA
June 9 – Graduation, Chicago, IL
June 11 – 30 – Boston, MA
June 19 – 21 – San Francisco, CA
July 1 and on – Living full-time in San Francisco, CA
July 14 – 15 – Seattle, WA
July 21 – 22 – Los Angeles, CA
August 10 – 19 – Boston, MA
September 1 – 9 – Boston, MA
October 5 – 10 – Boston, MA
October 11 – 14 – Chicago, IL

Shang is a jetsetting wedding photographer for dynamic couples. She captures imagery that pops with color, personality, and energy.
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I love the beautiful colors of Spring’s outfit

To keep little B entertained, we brought these bouncy balls

Joe’s mother also came along to help out with the session

Super sweet

I just about died when I saw that they brought a toy camera for B

So cute!

Spring majored in music and is a music teacher. I asked her and Joe to sing to their baby girl

Absolutely glowing!

Congratulations Joe and Spring!!! So excited to see your family grow!

April 20 – 22 – Philadelphia, PA
First week of May – San Francisco, CA
May 25 – 28 – Boston, MA
June 1 – 3 – Boston, MA
June 9 – Chicago, IL – I graduate!
Mid-to-late June – Boston, MA
June 22 – 24 – Kiawah Island, SC
July 1 and on – San Francisco, CA

Shang is a jetsetting wedding photographer for dynamic couples. She captures imagery that pops with color, personality, and energy.
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My philosophy has always been about finding what is the most positive and wonderful part in your life, and drawing that out for the world to see in your unique way. Headshots – even for people going into conservative work environments – should convey a sense of confidence, maturity, and show your hopes and ambitions, without being too stiff. I find headshots a very unique challenge in getting to know you intimately with only 20 minutes of shooting time, with no other subject to work with you. It’s a quiet, focused interaction between you and me, and I take my time in capturing yourpersonality just so. I tell love stories in albums of 60+ pages. For a headshot, I want to show your best side in just one image.

Why fit in when you should stand out? 7 of the 8 photographs here were taken in the same building, but I see 8 diversely unique souls here. Each and every time, I want you to walk away and feel empowered by who you are. Your dreams are beautiful, and I hope that you see them reflected here. The quotes interspersed in between photos were real reactions that I’ve received – either in person, or communicated later.

“Did I mention you are a genius?  Love the photos! You are just that talented and apparently my parents want a zillion pics of me wearing the same outfit. ;)”

“I felt so comfortable and had so much fun during the shoot!”

“If you have the opportunity to have professional headshots taken with an amazing photographer like Shang Chen Photography, I highly recommend it! With the right photographer it’s a fun, collaborative and empowering experience, and now I’ve got great photos for LinkedIn and grandma! :)”

(this photo was an outtake, but too fun not to post!)

“You are completely right that we look our best when we believe in ourselves… I had a really good, happy time and you were indeed funny. :-)”

Shang is a jetsetting wedding photographer for dynamic couples. She captures imagery that pops with color, personality, and energy.
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I was so happy to collaborate with them on this wintery outdoor shoot in Chicago. I picked out a beautiful, quiet, tranquil spot where we could really be ourselves. They are very comfortable with each other.

Also, the blanket? An excellent choice

I love all the texture we captured on this shoot

 I really like natural portraits where I just feel like everyone is at ease and having fun

Yeaaa profile picture :D

Isn’t this tall grass awesome? I really work hard to find stuff like this in the winter… but I can’t wait until the green comes in!

So. Cute.

And, since I had some new equipment come in, of course we had to test some night shots as well!

Thank you guys so much for braving the cold and having fun with me!

Do you live in the San Francisco Bay Area? Do you have an awesome love story? Are you making a difference in the world? Email your story and a photo of you and your other half to be considered for a complimentary Love Story shoot in the spring at shang[at]shangchenphoto.com. All kinds of couples (dating, engaged, married) are welcome!

Shang is a jetsetting wedding photographer for dynamic couples. She captures imagery that pops with color, personality, and energy. Shang believes in taking the time to cultivate a trusting bond between her as a photographer and her clients.
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Allyson and Steve met while Allyson was attending law school in Atlanta in 2009. Steve was visiting his best undergrad friend. Steve accompanied his friend to Allyson’s house to pick up an item, and Allyson had just gotten a kitten and was showing him off. Allyson and Steve hung out, and Steve extended his stay by a week just to get to know her better. Allyson was trying to discern where to go for her summer internship – her offers came from LA and NYC. Steve lived in Massachusetts at the time. Allyson took the Manhattan offer, and that summer, they traveled by train to see each other. They continued long distance as Allyson had 2 more years of law school. They got engaged over Memorial Day weekend in 2010 in Cape Cod. Allyson was registered to take the bar in California in 2011, and had job offers in California and Chicago. In her words: “the Chicago job was pretty much my dream job (adjunct professor at Loyola Chicago and representing low-income clients through a law school clinic). Steve is incredibly supportive, and adventurous, so a month after we decided to make San Francisco our first home, we switched courses and decided to go for the position in Chicago. Three days after I graduated we drove up to Chicago (with the kitten in tow) and moved into an apartment in Lincoln Park.”

The main reason why I picked this couple to photograph was actually the fact that they had a super-intimate wedding: they got married in DC (where Allyson grew up) in a courthouse wedding with two friends as witnesses. They’d never been photographed professionally together before they met me.

I was super happy Allyson brought a bright yellow cardigan to add color to the photos, as winters in Chicago (and Boston) are notorious for being quite gray. I picked the historic Chicago Union Station building as a setting for their love shoot. It represents the trains they took in their relationship, and is absolutely gorgeous!

Allyson and Steve were so laid back and comfortable with each other. We laughed the entire afternoon

So. Romantic.

Allyson has a heart for representing the under-served low income people of this city. She speaks of her career with so much passion. And it was clear that Steve supported her – he had the great luck of being able to telecommute for his job which is still back in Massachusetts

We caught some beautiful light

Allyson was the more talkative of the two, and we had some fun showing off her style to Steve

Thank you Allyson and Steve for spending a great afternoon with me!

Shang is a wedding photographer known for imagery that pops with color, personality, and energy. She is writing this post while it’s -2 degrees outside in Chicago. Though she doesn’t do many winter photo sessions because it’s a brutal time to photograph in Chicago and the colors are a bit dull, she recommends wearing bright colors and breaking for hot chocolate in between!
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Having already been married and now together, they are so happy and relaxed with each other

Love how these flowers match Blair’s cardigan

Blair really likes trees. We got some awesome shots with different trees

They also went all in to get this shot in this great patch of wild grass

August 31 – Return to Chicago
Sept 8 – 12 – Boston
Sept 23 – 25 – Boston
Oct 8 – 10 – San Francisco / Bay Area
Oct 22 – 28 – Barcelona, Spain
November 4 – 6 – Boston

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These natural vignettes are my favorite. Little boys really don’t need a lot to dress themselves up.

At the time of this session E was almost 1 month old

I’d never met E #1 until the session but Tammy had shown me so many photos and videos of her. She was every little bit the little cutie I expected her to be

This picture is pretty fun – Mochi (the dog) napping/ignoring what’s going on, E #1 rolling around, E #2 just observing

The gorgeous family!

[lifestyle sessions by Shang Chen Photography are offered on a limited basis to family, friends, past clients, and special circumstances]

August 31 – Return to Chicago
Sept 8 – 12 – Boston
Sept 23 – 25 – Boston
Oct 8 – 10 – San Francisco / Bay Area
Oct 22 – 28 – Barcelona, Spain
November 4 – 6 – Boston

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For most of this shoot Amy directed while I watched and gave pointers on lighting and posing. However, every now and then I’d come in and try some ideas of my own, the majority of the images I present here were the result of that. For example, Katherine requested especially that I do my sun flare photo, and some reflections, amongst other things.

Amy goes all the way to commit to the shot!

I really like the color that they brought in with their clothing. They fit right into what they wore. Comfortable, relaxed, being yourself, that’s what I emphasize in any photo session with me

Will is a pretty quiet person, but when he’s around Katherine, their interactions immediately light up

I think there’s a lot of value in anniversary photographs. It’s a way to celebrate your journeys together. I’ve photographed anniversary sessions in the past with couples who’ve been married 5 or 10 years, and there’s a deeper growth and understanding that comes from having been married

Sun flare! :D

Reflection! Also another thing I’m learning to do more of

As I’m a little past mid-wedding-season right now, I’ve taken some time to critically review my photographs and see where I stand. I’ve found that though I’ve learned a bit more classical posing earlier in July from the Jerry Ghionis workshop I attended, I continue to be drawn to images that move – I want them to jump with life, color, energy, emotion. I want to communicate something dynamic with a frozen moment in time

Being a city girl, I still continue to find fun ways to incorporate architecture, that, paraphrasing the words of one of my clients, compliments but does not overpower the people in them

Thank you Katherine and Will for such a wonderful afternoon and for your support through the years, really appreciate it!

Starting this Saturday I will pretty much be photographing a wedding each weekend through beginning of October. There will be lots, LOTS more on the blog!

August 19 – 22 – Jamaica
August 23 – 24 – NYC
August 31 – Return to Chicago
Sept 8 – 12 – Boston
Sept 23 – 25 – Boston
Oct 8 – 10 – San Francisco / Bay Area
Oct 22 – 28 – Barcelona, Spain

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There were two concepts / visions for this shoot. Monica has so many interests, it was pretty tough for us to pare it down, but we did it! From a series of “helter-skelter hodgepodge stream of ideas”, we wanted to exemplify the following: Monica loves art – she is a dancer and a pianist. Monica is fashionable and bubbly. Monica is playful and upbeat. She hopes to enter a career in public service with an interest in education. Phewph! In the process I created two inspiration boards for her.

Here’s concept #1 – the artistic side of Monica. I simply love how she brings in dance and dance movement in all these photos, and the hair flowers! Love =) At the last minute I also brought in sheet music (shoutout to my intern Ami for finding it!) to add to the feel

Though visually I knew the area that we’d picked for the photographs, we weren’t too familiar with the details of getting there. At one point we had to climb a fence… :D

This photo was the Facebook sneak peek. Yes, I did get bitten by fire ants while taking this photo, probably not the smartest thing I’ve ever done. However, the pictures were worth it

Monica dances as part of the Harvard AADT – a student dance group I used to photograph a lot back in the day

There is very little doubt as to why I really love my in(SCP)iration sessions and see them as my own baby – they push my creativity and are in general, just super fun

Before part two even began, we passed a playground. SWING! Of course, Monica had to play on it :D

For part two – the playful and energetic photos, we went to the DeCordova Museum.

Something about the way her shadow falls on the umbrella on the picture on the right..

I laughed when she arrived with these balloons for the shoot. Ordinarily, balloon props for photoshoots are giant, large, and mono-colored. Monica specifically chose three whimsical balloons – Winnie the Pooh, Elmo, and a yellow smiley face. The person selling her the balloons was a little bit puzzled – “you want three??”  Really, no one ever needs permission to have more than one helium balloon.

I’m in love with this strappy strappy shoe

The cuteness of these photos speak for themselves

By now, she’s already larger than the bear!

A rocking black and pink tutu. Fit for a princess

Snowy, the family dog, wanted in on the action. He’s still a little scared of the human baby though

We took these photos mostly while she was sleeping. But she did wake up after an outfit change

This photo touches my heart strings in so many ways. Brycen is my business school classmate and currently at an intense finance internship in Hong Kong – thousands of miles away from his little one. I know he misses her a lot, but I also know that he is working super-hard to support his family. My own parents sacrificed similarly – I wasn’t reunited with both my parents until I was around 3 years old.  Brycen’s quality of diligence with no complaint is a rare one that I wish I could emulate more

July 9 – 10 – New Haven
July 29 – August 4 – San Francisco / Bay Area – please email me if you’d like to get in touch
August 19 – 22 – Jamaica
August 23 – 25 – NYC
August 31/Sept 1 – Return to Chicago – taking weekday sessions in Chicago for the month of September
Sept 8 – 12 – Boston
Sept 23 – 25 – Boston

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