Shang Chen Photography, jetsetting wedding photographer based in San Francisco

Happy Father’s Day 2013!

Shang — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 04:00:20 +0000

Happy Father’s Day to all the amazing dads out there! Without you, your sons and daughters could not be who they are. Here is a selection of photos with dads from 2012 weddings, ending with a beautiful father-daughter dance from 2013 =)

And as a fun extra, here’s me and my dad pointing at sheep in New Zealand =)

Shang is a modern wedding photographer for dynamic couples who love to live life to the fullest
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The sparkly ending

Shang — Sun, 26 May 2013 12:32:26 +0000

Though this entire wedding was rained out, there was nothing gloomy about Monica and David’s wedding at the Tower Hill Botanical Garden. It was a day filled with laughter, lots of fun, and happiness as this couple – who dated for eleven years (!!!) – finally tied the knot. As the rain tempered down to a drizzle, I brought them outside and we created this beautiful, sparkly memory. Stay tuned – there will be lots more to come!

Shang is a wedding photographer for dynamic couples who are in love and see a world bursting with color and possibility
be the first to see new work - like Shang Chen Photography on facebook

Travel makes life rich

Shang — Tue, 21 May 2013 05:06:30 +0000

It’s not about the four star hotels, which we avoid unless we can afford it through Starwood points earned on sleepless work nights. We only hop into cabs when it is raining cats and dogs, otherwise navigating our ways through the tubes and tracks of the city’s underbelly. We pack lightly, our souvenirs are often just the images we’ve recorded on our cameras. There are days when I’m so tired I don’t want to walk. And then there are nights that I don’t want to end, because we’re walking hand-in-hand by a beautifully lit part of the city. Though distance is what has separated us for most of our relationship, traversing distances is what brings us closer together. This is the man with whom I want to travel for life.

Shang is a wedding photographer for dynamic couples who are in love and see a world bursting with color and possibility
be the first to see new work - like Shang Chen Photography on facebook

My Engagement Ring

Shang — Thu, 09 May 2013 18:38:59 +0000

The ring wasn’t the first thing on my mind when I got engaged – in fact, I didn’t get a ring when I became engaged. However, in the process of designing my ring, it has truly become a very personalized piece of the wedding. It all began with the fact that I didn’t want a diamond for the center stone but I still wanted high quality materials and did not want to go through a big commercial store, nor have a premium slapped on top just because it had a brand name attached. Those weren’t things that were important to me. I ended up selecting a morganite gemstone – it’s a pale blush pink, which perfectly reflects my optimistic viewpoint on life.

We were lucky to know a private jeweler in the Los Angeles jewelry district who agreed to custom design this ring for me. It is more beautiful than I ever imagined!

We are leaving tomorrow evening for a whirlwind trip to visit my extended family in China and stop over for a couple days in Seoul, Korea. I will have intermittent email access, but will for sure get back to everyone when I return on May 21.

Are you in the Bay Area? I’m now taking inquiries for sessions on June and July Sundays of 2013. Inquire quickly, these spots will sell out!

The bride on her wedding day

Shang — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 08:54:49 +0000

I love bridal portraits. It’s all about making the bride shine beautifully.

Are you in the Bay Area? I’m now taking inquiries for sessions and weddings on June and July Sundays of 2013. Inquire quickly, these spots will sell out!

Kissed by the sun

Shang — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 03:47:42 +0000

Sun flares. One of my favorite things

Are you in the Bay Area? I’m now taking inquiries for sessions and weddings on June and July Sundays of 2013. Inquire quickly, these spots will sell out!

Thank you for all your love and congratulations

Shang — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 07:57:25 +0000

“You will throw a fabulous wedding!”
“Who’s going to be your wedding photographer?”

I have received so many beautiful notes over the last week congratulating me on my engagement and I am so overwhelmed with love, thank you, thank you, thank you! Now I can finally reveal that a big reason behind why I’d been so adamant about taking a hiatus from full-time photography – it was so that I can build a beautiful life with him. Photographing other people’s weddings was proving to be an obstacle to my own love story, since we were a long distance couple and could only see each other during the weekends. In America all too often the culture is work first, family second. I wanted my life to be family first, work second. I have been profoundly impacted by this article of the regrets of the dying and many others, and decided I would live life to the fullest.

A wise blogger told me, never blog something you wouldn’t want your mother to read. When I began dating my fiance, he taught me the value of keeping the most precious things in your life private. Now, the photographer behind Shang Chen Photography that you all see, it’s not a fake persona. It’s a part of me, but it’s not all of me. I know thousands of people read my blog, as I still every now and then meet someone randomly who’s been a fan for a long time.

I couldn’t bring myself to blog about my proposal. Why? It’s too beautiful. It’s the best engagement proposal I could have wished for, and I only want the people who truly understand us to know what happened. In addition, when I shared my decision to not have a diamond-focused ring, the reaction was mainly supportive, but I could tell that some people took issue to it. When I have thousands of people following me, I need to separate what I think as a wedding professional from what I personally think as a bride-to-be. I’m not saying that people actually listen to what I say, but I do want to be responsible for my professional presence.

My wedding is about me and him. It is personal. The choices I’ve made in planning were choices made by a couple who want their wedding to be meaningful and special to everyone in attendance, not professional choices made by a wedding photographer. Of course, I will be hiring some pretty awesome photographers I am also lucky enough to call my friends, so don’t you worry about that one ;)

For those who wanted to learn about wedding planning, I really only have two points to make:
1) Don’t get into debt throwing a wedding. This is your first big financial decision together, it will set the tone for how you two approach money in the future
2) Your wedding isn’t a show for others. It’s not something you plan so you can get it into a magazine. Your wedding is about you and your future spouse, so make it personal, because that’s how it is beautiful

I don’t want the world looking to my wedding for some sort of trend or statement. Hence, I won’t be blogging actively about it. Nevertheless, thank you all so much for being so supportive of me, I really appreciate it! In addition, much appreciation and thanks goes out to all my clients who were willing to let their love stories be featured on my blog.

This blog post also serves as an official announcement that there will be an end to my hiatus, with some modifications. I will be strictly observing a religious sabbath on Saturdays. Unfortunately this kills off a bulk of wedding celebrations, but I have the faith that in making God and my family first priority, everything else will work itself out. So, if you’re getting married on a Sunday in 2014… please get in touch =)

Shang is a wedding photographer for dynamic couples who are in love and see a world bursting with color and possibility. She now adds “engaged” to her relationship status
be the first to see new work - like Shang Chen Photography on facebook

Alexis and Hersh, Engaged! | Engagement Photos in Marin Headlands

Shang — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 17:17:08 +0000

What a wonderful day it was to spend a lovely afternoon with Alexis and Hersh in the Marin Headlands. We had amazing and dramatic views of the city, the ocean. Jagged cliffs gave way to rolling wetlands that stretched to soft green and yellow hills. In this relaxed atmosphere I really got to witness the blending of their different personalities. He: outgoing, loves being the center of attention, and a high tolerance for risk. Her: reserved, prefers intimate meetings, and excels under certainty and structure. In many ways I really like meeting couples where you can see the opposites-attract phenomenon work so well.

I was struck by how open and natural they were in front of the camera. I didn’t have to do much directing to get all these natural moments

The epic view, this is one of my favorite shots

Alexis’s sky blue eyes are incredible! And those fun hats match =)

Though it was a cloudy day, their colorful outfits popped, and Alexis and Hersh joked it might have been better as they squint in sunlight

After a quick outfit change we found this soft and beautiful background to work with

You can’t help but smile when looking at this photo!

Look who’s getting competitive ;)

I’m so very excited to photograph their wine country wedding this summer. I have so much love for wine country!

Shang is a San Francisco-based wedding photographer for dynamic couples who are in love and see a world bursting with color and possibility
be the first to see new work - like Shang Chen Photography on facebook

Good causes

Shang — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 23:57:06 +0000

This spring I have had the privilege of backing several projects that I felt were meaningful and changing the world. Some of these are ongoing so I hope that you guys, if moved, would support them.

Divided Families Film Project – Kickstarter - $7,696 needed and 10 days to go

My friend Jieun is one of the creators of the Divided Families Film Project. The project will raise enough money to document the stories of Korean Americans separated from their families in North Korea by the Korean War.

Project 1040 - $35,000 still needed, 11 days to go

I personally know several of the incredible individuals behind Project1040 and for years they have dedicated efforts each year to provide basic needs around the world. This year during the 40 days of Lent, they are raising money to build 10 wells which would provide lasting clean water for 5,000 people, every day. Join me in providing the most basic human need.

Telling the greatest story ever told… to the world – Kickstarter - $5,255 raised, 12 days to go

My friend Lusi is the creator of 4Soils. 4Soils create biblically accurate stories and activities for children, with a focus on iPads. I like this project because it provides the resources to translate the app into different languages. The most unreached parts of the world when it comes to the Christian faith are abroad. Translating this fun and engaging app would reach youngsters all over the world with the beautiful story of the Gospel.

Operation Smile

I have donated to Operation Smile since I first had income back in college. Cleft lip and palate is a medical issue that hits close to home for me. It is such an easy surgery to perform, but without it, children are ostracized from society.

Heifer International

Last year during my birthday giveaway, one of my loyal readers alerted me to this amazing organization that aims to end hunger and poverty through gifts of livestock and training. I believe in gifts that give themselves, and gifts of livestock are incredible ways to allow people lift themselves up. This month, they are running a matching campaign for Guatemala and Honduras, visit this link to see your contribution have double impact.

Are there any other amazing organizations – particularly with a focus on international missions, justice, women, education, and poverty/hunger alleviation that I should be aware of? Tell me in the comments!

Annie and John, a Love Story in San Francisco (part 2 of 2)

Shang — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 19:36:06 +0000

Yesterday, you saw part 1 of Annie and John’s Love Story where they got dressed in their wedding attire for some beautiful and classic portraits right around their apartment. Afterwards, we packed up the car and drove to San Francisco’s famous Russian Hill to get iconic San Francisco imagery. Parking was tough, but we lucked out and were able to get these photographs in before the light faded

Again, how lucky am I to be in San Francisco? Such beautiful light

Some of my favorite personalized props to use during a shoot are magazines. Both Annie and John graduated from business school together and like finance, so, no girly magazines here ;)

Are they this cute in real life? Um, yes!

Thank you Annie and John for a wonderful afternoon (and for the giant box of cupcakes! Yummy yummy!) I’m so happy we were able to make this Love Story come true through imagery

If you would like to be considered for a Love Story session in the future, please email me at shang@shangchenphoto.com

Love Story session openings are announced on an ad hoc basis, and are typically offered for long distance couples, couples with incredible love stories (hence the name!), and couples who had disappointing wedding photography experiences