From Kyoto to Now: Gratitude, Full Circles, and Being Nobody (On Purpose) - Los Angeles Custom Portrait Photographer

I never imagined that this photograph would find its way back into my life in such an unexpected, full-circle way.

Ten years ago today, on Thanksgiving 2015, I published a blog post titled "May You be Surrounded by the Warmth of Family." It featured an image I captured at Eikan-do Zenrin-Ji temple in Kyoto - warm light glowing through a doorway as autumn colors painted the historic grounds.

Cool-Light-under-Autumn-Colors-Eikan-do-Zenrin-Ji-Temple-Kyoto-Japan-Copyright-Jean-Huang-Photography

This week, as I sat down to write another Thanksgiving message, I discovered that this very image, the one that remains one of my Assistante’s favorites, was recently featured in an article celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) visual creators.

Under the section titled “Audience Connection Through Authentic Representation,” my work was placed alongside the extraordinary photographer Jingna Zhang, whose fashion and fine art photography has graced major international publications.

Being featured in this context serves an affirmation of something I've always believed: that our truest work comes from honoring who we are. When we create from that authentic place, we contribute something genuine to the larger conversation.

This Thanksgiving, my heart is full of gratitude for the relationships that have made this journey not just possible, but deeply meaningful.

Today, I'm grateful to say that I have been blessed, not just by biological family, but by the family of clients, supporters, and fellow creatives who have made this journey beautiful. You've surrounded me with warmth in ways that image could only symbolize.

I am grateful for every lady who has stepped in front of my camera, trusted me with their stories, and allowed me to create images that honor who they truly are.

May you, too, be surrounded by warmth and may you have the courage to create and/or express from the truest part of yourself.

And as my creative journey unfolds, I carry these full-circle moments with me. They remind me that beauty doesn’t appear all at once; it gathers, it deepens, and sometimes it returns to us in ways we never expect.

Thank you for being part of this journey.
Thank you for allowing me to create with heart.
And thank you for the joy, purpose, and connection that you have brought.

Wishing you a warm, meaningful, and beautifully ordinary Thanksgiving.
🧡
Jean

P.S. If you wonder why I’m a nobody, drop a line below in the Comment box and I shall follow with a story.

🌟The Radiant Women Transformer 🌟
Jean Huang Photography
+1 (626) 314-7004 (text/call)
jean@JeanHuangPhotography.com
Apply to Participate in the Radiance Rediscovered Portrait Experience
Featured on Voyage LA: https://tinyurl.com/JeanVoyageLA

Sign Up to Not Miss a Beat on Jeanism

* indicates required

Email Address *

/* real people should not fill this in and expect good things - do not remove this or risk form bot signups */

From Two Suitcases and $600 to Transforming Women's Lives - Los Angeles Custom Portrait Photographer

There are moments when you look back and realize how many pivots, reinventions, and leaps of faith brought you here.

Being featured by VoyageLA was one of those moments.

In this interview, I shared my journey — from scientist and CPA to portrait photographer — and what it truly means to help women rediscover their radiance.

You'll discover:

• What it took to leave a stable corporate career and start again in my 40s

• How I built a photography business without formal art training — just heart, vision, and relentless curiosity

• Why I work exclusively with women over 40 (and now, those just stepping into adulthood through my new "Forever 22" experience)

• The transformation that happens when women rediscover sides of themselves they'd forgotten

• How one 83-year-old client reminded me exactly why I'm on the right path

I came to the US with two suitcases and $600. Today, I help women step into their power through transformational portraits that don't just flatter — they reveal and reflect who they truly are.

I hope my story serves as a reminder that it's never too late to begin again — and that beauty, confidence, and reinvention aren't bound by age.

👉 Read the full VoyageLA interview here

With love,
Jean
the “Radiant Women Transformer” photographer | Radiance Rediscovered After 40

P.S. - If this story resonates with you, I'd love to hear about your own journey of reinvention. What leap of faith are you considering?

Sign Up to Not Miss a Beat on Jeanism

* indicates required

Email Address *

/* real people should not fill this in and expect good things - do not remove this or risk form bot signups */

Flying Again — A Portrait for Mother’s Day - Los Angeles Custom Portrait Photographer

A few days ago, I shared a photograph on social media (see it in Facebook, Instagram and linkedIn) - one taken 32 years ago with a woman I cared for deeply. It’s the last photograph I have with/of her before she passed away from COVID five years ago. When I learned she was gone, the first thought that hit me was: I don’t have a good photograph of her to remember her by.

That realization deepened my grief in a way I wasn’t prepared for. It reminded me how much we rely on photographs to hold on to the people we love - not just their faces, but their spirit, their presence, their energy.

That experience became a part of why I do what I do today, especially for women - and even more so for women over 40.

I've shared that story with clients countless times, often through tears, as a reminder: we all deserve to be seen, celebrated, and remembered with intention.

So today, for Mother's Day, I want to share something due to requests from the recent social media posts.

In the wake of that loss, I gifted my mother a portrait session two years ago, when the world was slowly re-emerging from COVID. She’s in her late 70s, and - I'll be honest - one of my most challenging clients. Not because of her age, but because of the cultural gap and how foreign this kind of portrait experience was for her.

She didn’t grow up being told she could be the subject, the center, the story. But with much effort on my end, she eventually came around to trust me. And together (with my sister’s help - you see the hands holding the “Vanity Fan”?), we made this image.

Truth be told, it helps to speak her language. When I look at her in this photograph, I see someone flying again - a nod to her days as a gymnast, when she would soar through the air with power and grace. That spirit? It’s still there. Still alive in her. Still flying.

This portrait isn’t just an image. It’s an emotional anchor. A reminder of her journey and stories that are uniquely hers.

I share it with you today as a celebration - not just of my mother, but of all mothers who have quietly carried so much, given so much, and who deserve to be seen in all their beauty and strength.

Happy Mother’s Day!

P.S. How I manage my mother’s expectation that she can still fly these days is a subject on its own. Personally, I would much prefer her flying sitting down, like the one portraited in this image. 😜

P.P.S. In case you haven’t seen the other portrait that I shared of her, click on this link and you’ll be there. In it, she was in the same dress that she wore to my wedding decades before.

Lady-in-70s-Flying-Again-Portrait-of-Ladies-Over-40-Copyright-Jean-Huang-Photography

Sign Up to Not Miss a Beat on Jeanism

* indicates required

Email Address *

/* real people should not fill this in and expect good things - do not remove this or risk form bot signups */