Today we’d like to introduce you to Annie Wu.
Hi Annie, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Photography started as a way to get more creatively involved in my horse world in a different format. It allowed me to meet people in so many different equine disciplines. It’s a huge part of what opened up my riding world.
I started out shooting casually in my horse world about 7 years ago and naturally grew the business from there. It took some calculated focus to realize this dream. Encouragement from friends, amazing advice from fellow small-business owners, and a little 100-day goal book helped me lay out my business plan and take little steps towards my destination every day.
My involvement with horses as an owner, instructor, and a forever-learning student also helped to give me that extra-refined eye to pose and capture not just people, but animals. Honestly, becoming a better horsewoman is a huge part of what makes me a more effective equine photographer: styling the horses, making them comfortable, reading their expressions… all of these things are just as important for the horses as they are with the people for a truly stunning capture.
More than helping people capture memories, what I love most about photography is its potential to completely change someone’s self-perception. It allows people to see themselves in a whole new light. I live for that gasp from a client, the moment of “is that really me?!” Yes, yes it is. I hope we all get a chance to feel that one day and never forget it.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
My biggest challenges are self-inflicted. I am a bit of a perfectionist and detail-oriented. I am patting myself on the back here since these are things you definitely want in a photographer. That said, it’s these same qualities make me constantly stress over what I could have done differently to achieve the perfect photo faster or with less editing or gear. I also retroactively overthink about missed posing opportunities, props I could have brought, different conversation topics to make the little ones more comfortable… the list goes on.
Otherwise, I’ve been very fortunate to have a low-risk and smooth journey in photography. My assistant has been an incredible resource to help me stay organized and presentable. She reminds me that at the end of the day, anything less than ideal is just an opportunity to improve!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am an equine photographer. I specialize in horse portraits, including ground, mounted, and fine art moments.
I am best known for my editing ability. While it’s best to get the photo perfect on the camera, with horses, it’s sometimes not worth the risk.
Horses can get impatient or uncomfortable in front of the camera. It’s not fair to the horse to extend the experience if they aren’t enjoying it, but it’s not fair to the rider to miss out on an incredible memory! So, we meet in the middle. I shoot with halters, lunge lines, and handlers as necessary for the horses’ comfort and rider’s safety and polish reality a little in post-processing.
Some of my most proud magic moments are included in the supplementary photos!
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I LOVE the growth opportunities available in this city. Not just for my equine photography, but in industry, engineering opportunity, and personal discovery.
Being surrounded by so many other strong leaders and focused business owners makes me extra motivated to hone my edge and be my best self.
The least appealing aspect of the DFW area is just how physically big it is. I want to be able to ride my horse in Garland, do a photoshoot in Highland Park, then go dancing in Addison with a 10-minute commute. Short of innovations in teleportation, I think this is something I’ll have to learn to live with!
Contact Info:
- Email: anniejwu.photography@gmail.com
- Website: www.anniejwu.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anniejwu.photography/
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/anniejwu.photography
Image Credits
Annie Wu
Taylor Hooten
