My wife and my little 6 year old

about me, my work, and my life

writing about myself is the hardest thing i ever had to do

About – Los Angeles Wedding Photographer Herman Au

Photography is not just my profession; It is most importantly my life-long hobby and my passion turning my entire career around becoming one of the top Los Angeles Asian wedding photographer. I first picked up a camera on my honeymoon back in 2006, fascinated by the camera but drawn by what I was able to capture. It is the joy, the happiness, and the memories that stayed with me after the trip that made me realize I wanted to continue shooting. I photographed everything around me. I took my camera out wherever I went, shot whatever I could, and all I read was photography books and magazines before bed. I then started my endless journey to become a better photographer and a better story teller. However, nothing satisfied me more than being able to do what I do now – preserving precious memories and capturing life stories as they unfold.

*thanks Nathan Nowack for my profile picture!

I take each and every single one of my assignments personally, always doing my best. Nothing gives me more satisfaction than seeing my clients smile as they look at their wedding pictures and albums that I deliver.

I never liked being posed in the first place and I learned that extensive posing only makes you look like somebody else instead of who you are; and that's why I developed a unique approach of directing to guide my couples to display their own character and to show their chemistry. The result – uniquely casual, natural shots of your own personality.

I want you to remember your wedding day the way it’s supposed to be, and not the way your photographer directs you to how to look at the camera; I never pause the action to get my shot, and I never stop you from what you’re doing to let me take my picture, and I always go the extra mile to ensure I don’t get in your way doing my work. That’s what my photojournalism is all about and I’m confident that my wedding still images will help you preserve memories, to help you recollect the bits and pieces of the fragments of one of the happiest days of your life.

Outside of the my still photography work as a LA based wedding photographer, I also founded Cotton Love Studios and served as an art director and one of the lead photographers / cinematographers. I don't think of wedding cinematography as simple wedding videos, but rather an extension of my photography work in moving pictures with sound, and most important of all, a story. I spend an extensive amount of time working with each and every one of my couples to find their story to tell, and thus my cinematography work is more so of a short film about their lives leading into their wedding celebration.  I enjoy every bit of the challenging aspects to this approach, and lately this is what keeps me going tirelessly to continue to perfect my craft.