I set up a casual portrait session in my office photo studio and revisited my favorite lighting setup: one light, one softbox, and a fan.

PhotographySophia LiuDecember 10, 2021portrait, portrait photography, studio lighting, studio, studio light, portraits, black and white, studio photography, studio photoshoot, oakland, thredup, workComment

Darin at the Beach

Glad we got to go out and enjoy a breath of fresh air in this coastal town I have near and dear to my heart.

PhotographySophia LiuFebruary 18, 2020portrait, portrait photography, beach portraits, portraits, darin, avila beach, san luis obispo, sunsetComment

Misa—Model Test Shoot

Misa's been working as a commercial model for over 10 years, and I was fortunate to have gotten to test shoot with her on campus before her TED talk

PhotographySophia LiuFebruary 9, 2020portrait, portrait photography, model, LA models, slo, san luis obispo, tedxsanluisobispo, portraits, public speaking, misa, misa chien, commercial, test shootComment

Portraits with Nelson

Last week my friend and aspiring stand-up comic Nelson hit me up for headshots. I wanted to go beyond the classic actor headshots and make portraits that express his colorful personality.

PhotographySophia LiuNovember 7, 2017portrait, portraits, portrait photography, headshots, nelson, comedian, new york, tribecaComment

Jenna

I love light and movement, shape and textures. For me it's more than showing off clothes. I want the personality and emotions of the model to come through. And the more I experiment, the more I come back to simple and sleek forms, clean lines, and beautiful natural expressions.

PhotographySophia LiuJuly 11, 2017portrait, portrait photography, black and white, jenna, studio, studio photoshoot, chiffon, jenna leos, fashion photography, beauty, womanComment

Portrait of a Lady

I want to create more photographs that resemble paintings. Less fast photography, more meaningful fine art photography.

PhotographySophia LiuMarch 21, 2017fine art, portrait, portraits, portrait photography, rembrandt, romanticiscm, art history, kaylene, portrait of a lady, nude, womanComment

Dani

For the studio shots, I wanted to capture the photos you'd normally see of Olympic athletes: physique portraits in dramatic, beautiful light. The shots at the pool are environmental portrait-inspired.

PhotographySophia LiuMarch 11, 2017portrait, portraits, portrait photography, dani, swim, swimmer, pool, outdoor, environmental portrait, grad portraits, cal poly grad, cal poly grads, fitness, athlete, athleticComment

Sena

Sena is so sweet yet so fierce. During our brief portrait shoot last weekend, I photographed her in some of her stylish wardrobe. Girl knows how to model.

PhotographySophia LiuFebruary 19, 2017sena, portrait, portraits, portrait photography, studio, studio photoshoot, styled shoot, studio light, studio lighting, studio photography, beauty, beauty photoshootComment

Pramika

It was such a blast getting to photograph Pramika last weekend. She has one of the most gorgeous smiles I've ever seen, and looks beyond elegant in this soft lighting.

PhotographySophia LiuFebruary 9, 2017beauty, beauty photoshoot, pramika, portrait, portraits, portrait photography, studio, studio light, studio lighting, black and white, vanity fairComment

Caroline

The clothes a model wears speaks so much about the person wearing them and the artistic vision behind the photos. And as you can probably guess, this shoot is my aesthetic af.

PhotographySophia LiuFebruary 7, 2017portrait, portraits, portrait photography, caroline, beauty, beauty photoshoot, fashion, styled shoot, black and white, model, supermodelComment

Allure

I invited my friend Mariah to come in and model, and asked Bernadette to do a soft smokey look on her. My concept was natural, sexy, supermodel.

PhotographySophia LiuJanuary 31, 2017mariah, studio light, studio photoshoot, photo class, makeup artist, styled shoot, black and white, supermodel, model, portrait, portrait photography, boudoirComment

Cindy

Cindy knows how to pose in every outfit and play the the part of a girl in any mood - whether it be commercial beauty, dark and moody, bubbly and colorful, or street chic.