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Anna (YAN) Palmer

@yanpalmer

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she/her/theybe
artist/educator, many mediums.
•photographer•writer•speaker•podcaster
yanpalmer.com

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mom and I recovered film from the city that's still haunting my dreams

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Not me thinking I was going to send out 2027 photo session travel dates and locations out on Sunday, then deciding I desperately needed to update my website first.

I was still trying to decide if summer was truly over, when it occurred to me that fall was zooming by. Suddenly, we find ourselves in deliciously mystical, sometimes moody, and often humorous tree vibes. Clearly demo'd here by my delightful photo collaborator, client and friend, the endlessly creative @maryamsalassi (and fam).

I've spent nearly every weekend since Aug in a different city with both my camera and heart cracked wide open by all the things. Especially the bursting, dark horse beauty of the people I'm lucky to photograph.

The good news is that Autumn is practically designed for FEELING and HEALING BB - even if you don't proudly consider yourself to be emotionally sl*tyy, like I do. Either that or RAGING AGAINST THE DYING OF THE LIGHT in every bright color, just like the leaves do. 🍃🍂🍁🪾

The bad news, (which I will promptly follow with some more good news since there has been SO MUCH BAD lately), is that my photo prices are going up in 2027. In THIS economy? 😩 Yeahhh, don't we all know the pain?!

So the other good news is that you can still get my 2026 photo prices if you act fast. I'm sending my dates and location to my waiting list first. If you wanna grab a spot when it's hot off the press, dm or comment me your email pronto, pretty please.

If not, I still encourage you ALL to leave your fav line of poetry in the comments. Did I mention it's my birthday month? That means I shamelessly ask for poetry, jokes, and compliments all the way until Oct 31st.

*photos on film by me taken in the Bay Area. Scanned and developed by pals at @indiefilmlab

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An honour to witness and capture your beauty, inside & out ❤️

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Most of the lists I’m subscribed to are sending one type of email with varying consistency. Usually it’s the “helpful tip” email, or the “here’s what I’ve been up to” email, or the “I have something to sell” email. And they send that same type every time.

But imagine only ever having one type of conversation with a friend. Only ever giving advice. Or only ever telling stories. Or only ever asking for something. The relationship would feel lifeless, awkward, and one-dimensional.

Your newsletter works the same way. It isn’t a broadcast channel, but we’re taught to treat it like one. A newsletter is a relational space where people need to hear different things from you at different times: stories that make them feel known, ideas that shift how they think, invitations that show them what’s possible, and yes, clear offers that give them a way to work with you.

When you understand which type of email to send and when, the whole thing stops feeling so much like a guessing game. You stop staring at a blank screen wondering “what do I even say?” because you know how to read what the relationship needs from you.

Which is why in the work I do with clients, I don’t just tell you what to do and send you off on your own.

We collaborate, and thought partner, and ultimately bring shape to what you do and how you do it - and somehow get *that* down on paper, so you remember the next time you forget.

My dm’s are always open when you’re ready to reach out. But if you’ve got your eye on starting before the end of this year, let’s start the conversation soon. I have a few spots open for doing this work 1:1. 🤍 Send me a note & I’ll tell you what you need to know.

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i get hired all year to photograph someone’s favorite people, family, chosen family.

so i decided to look at mine all summer, too.

on film

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BEHOLD: some of the film photos I co created with my clients last month. Scanned and developed by @indiefilmlab

Sometimes I've got more words than I know what to do with.

Other times I've got none.

Suffice to say, July was the best lucid dream I've ever had. Each encounter felt fated. Each person I got to create with was a teacher and friend. No one knows just when or how the muse decides to speak- I'm just damn grateful -- (and frankly a little fumbly with my camera cuz she's loud and she means business)-- when she does.

Never hurts to be assisted by soul, earth and summer sun.

I also felt I should remind the photographers who I'm trying to nudge to purchase my original TEETHKISS content (on sale for just a little while longer!) that I do in fact, still make photos. Grab TEETHKISS if you're ready to make your photos match your guts. It's worth it.

Link in bio.

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An assortment of characters at the hot springs…nature accepts us all 100 million percent just as we are. Here for it.

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Women have so often brought me back to my knowing.
Inspired me to lean into the parts of myself that are strong, soft, expansive, scared.
The truth is, I know what I should be doing with my life. I've just been subconsciously waiting to have arrived somewhere healed enough that I don't screw it up, or get something wrong, or fall flat on my face in front of an audience.
I will never fully arrive. I will never have it just right. I will always be a messy flawed human, limping along on the path of grief and love.
When I slow down enough to witness what I know about myself, when I dare admit that I have a strength, the road map is right in front me.
I'm meant to work with women, show them a different way of living. Not because I've mastered it, not because I'll get it all right, but because I have a gift for being vulnerable and making people feel less alone in the journey.
So, my brain is busy wondering what this looks like, but I'm feeling brave enough to name something I know about myself and risk failing at it too.
Thank you Yan for reflecting back to me what you see in me and for reminding me of who I am. This is the magic of imperfectly embodied women, and I want to show others what is inside of them already.

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Hello hello, testing testing…
It’s been a few years since I’ve reintroduced myself on my page.
Hi, I’m Marilyn.
I’ll be turning 33 this year and I am so grateful for the life my gift has given me.
There are SO many things I cannot do, however, my eye for photos? Oof. It’s sharper than ever.
Sharper than ever thanks to my two children who have opened my eyes wider than ever before.
My perspective is so tender now that I’m a mom. I feel so lucky.
Some of my earliest memories consist of asking family members to show me their box of photos. I would hold each photo and study every inch. Each photo being a snippet of time encapsulated, and I got to hold those my hands? How amazing. Little me hoped I would grow up and do something special, but even then, photography wasn’t something I ever thought I’d be doing. To be honest, I wanted to be a talk show host! 🤷🏻‍♀️
I started my journey with my camera when I was 17 thanks to my drama teacher who was also a photographer. She invited me to assist her at a wedding, just to see if it was a good fit. I remember taking my first photo on her *big camera, and feeling a rush of excitement.
Since then, I’ve photographed hundreds of weddings, families, and all of life’s big (and small) moments. I love what I do.
I’m no stranger to feeling my feelings, & bringing that into my work has always brought reassurance of my calling. To me, photography is a part of my identity. It is my way of living, my art, & a dream come true.
My connection with my clients is at the top of my list of priorities. I believe making my clients feel comfortable, safe, & seen is just as important as my finished product.
All this to say, if you are looking for someone who cares deeply about your story & can take a solid photograph, I’m your girl 💫.
I hope you stick around, & even more than that, I hope we get to work together one day.
So, welcome to my page. I’m happy to have you here. One more important note to share…I feel it’s important to state that I am a believer in equality in all its forms & welcome all. 🌈 ✨ ❤️
Thank you 🙏🏼

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To the angel baby that literally saved my life, you have been such a gift. 11 years ago she burst into the physical world and brought a chaos that only a mother could survive. As I carried her in my womb, I was living in some of my darkest days, but she was my rainbow. A promise for better days. A switch clicked on as soon as i saw that positive pregnancy test and my purpose in life was made clear.

Many don’t know, but while I was pregnant I was in the throes of a painful battle with PTSD and a system that is not set up for proper care of those who suffer in our mental health system. I had a lawyer tell me at 8.5 months pregnant that I wasn’t going to be a good mother because of the PTSD that was brought on by something I had no control over. I birthed my daughter a few weeks later with those thoughts in my head…”how do you expect to be a good mother if you’re as bad off as you say you are?”…and I still hate him (and all involved) for that.

But a fire was also lit on that day. July 12th, 2015.

A fire that engulfed my entire being. One that screamed from the top of a mountain that this is my child and she will never know what it feels like to not be believed or validated. I gave her my body, my heart, my energy. It’s taken everything in me for the last 11 years to keep her torch lit and thriving in the chaos. She is my calm. She is my reason for living. She is the fire that burns when I think I’m a failure or too tired or not good enough.

I was meant to be her mother and I will spend every day of my life making sure that she knows that she belongs here.

Parenting is a choice. One not to take lightly. I’m so grateful I chose to make space for her in my life. I’m a better person for it and she is a star burning bright. The world better watch out. You’ve been warned ✨

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Big sky, little people! Thank you @yanpalmer

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When you have a really good dad like I had as a kid, the pressure is on when you grow up to find a companion who has the guts to become a dad like that to the kids you hope to have one day.

And then walks in @piratesprayer. The self proclaimed ToysRus kid at heart. The guy that gives all of himself to our daughters. The heart of gold who provides for us with every ounce of his being. The fun parent who brings an element of adventure like I never could. Arms the hold tight and a laugh that spreads like wildfire within our walls.

I picked the right dad for the babies I always dreamed about and I’m still pinching myself because there’s no way this is real 💛

Happy Father’s Day to the best there is.

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