{Photography: Up Close and Personal with Augie Chang}

We sent fellow Pink List Panelist, Michelle Barrionuevo-Mazzini of MB Wedding Designs, on a recent errand. We wanted to find out more about Bay Area wedding photographer, Augie Chang. Here’s MB on AC.

MB: Name one item or gadget that you can’t live without and why you need or love this item/gadget so much

AC: First thing that comes to mind is my iPhone. My iPhone has become a part of my body. Besides taking off my glasses, it is the last thing I look at and the first thing I pick up in the morning. I can't say that I cannot live without it, but not having it will make my life a lot less efficient. I run my entire photography business on my iPhone. From storing my portfolios to exchanging emails with my clients to checking my latest photo shoot appointments, my iPhone has it all. The one favorite application that I use ALL THE TIME is Shazem. If you don't know what it is, you HAVE to find out. I pretty much have music around me all day long, while I am driving to my next photo shoot or sitting at my studio office editing away. Finding out the name of a song and the artist is important to me. I am always looking for the next best slideshow song you know?!

MB: Who is your wedding vendor crush? Basically what vendor do you just like right now or who’s work do you admire or stalk frequently :0)

AC: I have a wedding vendor crush on the Canadian cinematographers - StillMotion. I had the opportunity to work with them in 2008 for my clients, Griffen and Curtis, who got married at V. Sattui in St. Helena. Their work is beyond the every day wedding video. Instead, they "produce" a music-video-like short film for their clients.

MB: What is your favorite wedding shot of 2009 and why? Please include image

AC: My favorite wedding shot of 2009 was from Stephanie and Dan's wedding at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga. The typical bridal room was under construction so we had to move to the backroom of the amphitheater to get ready. Outside the backroom, there were arches along the bottom of the overhang. The evening sun was low which casted perfect shadows across the arches. Stephanie had a vintage head piece and an overall vintage look. I have always loved fashion, so adding some high fashion poses to my images seemed natural. We pulled up a chair and Stephanie sat underneath the sunlight. The sunlight highlighted her head piece and brought a beautiful glow to her face.

MB: Do you have any secret finds? A great place for a wedding that no one has heard of, a great vendor that’s under the radar, a place where you get supplies that no one knows about, or a secret gadget that you use?

AC: One of my album vendors that I think is talented but is under the radar is Michael Chinn Albums. I find Michael's work to be timeless, contemporary and elegant. The first time I saw Michael's work, I immediately fell in love with it. Not only does Michael's work speaks for itself, Michael is a genuinely nice person. His dedication to his work and to his family is something that I greatly respect. His attention to detail and his customer service is superb. Michael runs a boutique-like album binding business at his San Francisco studio. Now that the cat is out of the bag, I am afraid he is not going to give me the attention that I got from him before this post!! *wink*.

MB: What is one thing your best friend doesn't know about you?

AC: One thing that even my best friend doesn't know about me is that I am a closet world extreme cage fighting follower :) When my kids are asleep and whenever I am not working at night, I find myself tuning to ESPN WEC (world extreme cage fighting) reruns. The reason why I like cage fighting is because the fights are real. You can see the determination and the desire to win in these fighters' eyes. I love the real-ness of things, like how I apply that to my photography. I am not a big Photoshop fan, so you will see minimal editing work done to my photos. I don't believe in over edited photos. There's just something artificial about them. I prefer pictures that are more genuine with minimal editing.

Augie Chang turned a hobby into a career. Starting in 1999, Augie begun shooting weddings, engagements, kids, babies and family portraits. His style is a combination of contemporary and classic techniques. Each one of Augie’s assignments is unique just as it’s subject matter. The key to his success is his fun attitude which makes people trust him. The ability to make his subjects comfortable allows him to get genuine expressions. When not photographing weddings, kids, or events, you will find Augie playing around with his two sons and enjoying life with his beautiful wife of over a dozen years, May.