From Wok Lids to Wings: A Lunar New Year Reflection - Los Angeles Custom Portrait Photographer

Due to my ethnic background, I get to celebrate the new year twice.  For that reason, I’ve always jokingly said that if I somehow drop the ball on the first one, I always have another chance to do it right when lunar new year comes around.

This year, I really dropped the ball.  The holiday/new year post did not happen.  And when the world was looking forward to a fresh start, no one was ready for the devastating fires that broke out in LA.  In no fashion should a new year be celebrated that way.

So now, at the cusp of one and only other chance that I get to do it again, I pledge to show up and be present to the people/things that are meaningful and important to me.

As the world is seemingly spinning at an ever-faster pace, we all are strapped for time, whether it’s time in a day, or time in the remainder of our lives.

Hence the million dollar question - what/who is important to us?

As I always say, the most difficult thing to do in this life is to face ourselves in an honest way.  No one is exactly the same in what makes us happy, and what values we embrace.  It’s up to ourselves to figure out the exact priorities in this life and to spend our time accordingly.   

What makes your heart sing might make someone else want to plug their ears, and that's perfectly fine! Life's too short for one-size-fits-all happiness.

In 2024, I got to walk alongside (and work with) many courageous ladies that have taken a deep journey in learning about themselves and to meet the many sides that they’ve never seen before.  It gives me great joy in seeing the liberation in them, not just physically, but also spiritually.  In my usual metaphor, they walk in a caterpillar and leave a butterfly. 

My goal is for them to start enjoying the world, sampling life's sweetest nectars, viewing the world from perspectives they never imagined possible, and never look back at the days when they were munching green leaves.     

The below short video is just a sneak peek of what beautiful butterflies we have flying amongst us, done in my usually wacky, authentically Jean fashion!

If something in you flutters while watching this, maybe it's your wings getting ready to spread. Get in touch and/or spread the words (or the video).  Last I heard, monarch butterflies have become endangered. This world needs more butterflies, especially ones with a story to tell.  🦋

P.S. Yes, that's me at the end of the video with my beloved wok lid. Who says professional equipment can't come from your kitchen? Remember, my post about getting out of the “old year” with a bang?

40-OVER-40 PORTRAIT EXPERIENCE WITH JEAN HUANG PHOTOGRAPHY

I’m photographing 40 women in their 40s, 50s, 60s+ and I'd love for you to be one of them! You are invited to a unique and luxurious one-of-a-kind photoshoot experience.

At the culmination of the project, your story will be featured in my upcoming celebration and gallery-style exhibition along with the other women's.

As yours truly always says, "Beauty is Not Measured by Metrics".

Join the movement to show that we are all unique in our beauty and stories.

https://jeanhuangphotography.net/over40

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Autumn is My Favorite Season - Los Angeles Transformational Beauty Photographer

The onset of the fall season always brings out a lot of emotions. The shorter day light. The crispiness in the air. The quality of light - oh yeah, the way certain shadows show up on the wall only in fall. And as a person passionate about food, the fruits loaded on trees, ready for harvest. And the smell of bakery and the heat from the oven…

If I have to describe the fall season with a couple words, “intense richness” come to mind. It’s the maturing after the jolly spring and the (sometimes) unbearable summer, the slower pace, the calmer ambiance and the depth that comes after all the ups and downs in life.

Wait, am I talking about life?

Yes, I am. When many look at the transition into fall season in life in terms of wrinkles, grey hair, weight, etc., I enjoy and appreciate the richness that this season brings in life. Like nature, the colors are more saturated, and the occasional fallen leaves bring more character.

I had the pleasure of getting to know and photographing a beautiful lady and got to show her a side of her that she didn’t know exist. As someone that used to work in a photography studio, this is the first time that she had her own portraits done. I am honored that she entrusted me to be part of her journey in this pivotal point of her life.

Now, I’m obsessed with photographing ladies in silver hair. So if you are or know someone with silver hair, send them my way (my phone or email on this page). :-)

I love fall season and I’m on a mission to show its beauty to the world.

Francesca has been dyeing her silver hair since she was 20. Coming to us was a key moment in her journey to accept her true self and discover her beauty.

As someone that used to work in a photography studio, this is the first time that she had her own portraits made. Now, her future grandchildren will see all the beautiful sides of her.

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Happy Mother's Day (2024) - Los Angeles Custom Portrait Photographer

Do you have a parent (or parents) that don’t get what you do? I’ve gotten two.

So, for as long as I’ve been a photographer, I don’t try explaining it to them.

But things changed last year. Many of my clients heard about my story in how I bit the bullet and decided to “walk the walk” (Remember, I’m supposed to prove that every woman is beautiful no matter the age?). I offered my mom the opportunity to experience the Transformational Beauty Photography in my studio.

For someone that’s deeply rooted in a different culture, giving her just enough information so she can show up and enjoy the experience was a fine dance to perform. But let me tell you, I was delighted to witness how much she was giggling in her belly from the moment that I arrived to help her pick the outfits all the way to the end when she was making faces in front of the camera.

Not many words were offered afterwards by my mom. But now, I know she gets it in what I do with my women clients and the kind of transformation (inside and out) that they experience.

Happy Mother’s Day (2024) - Copyright Jean Huang Photography

For someone that was a natural beauty, she’s struggled to accept the change in her look. I’m not trying to prove that she still looks the same as she was in her 20s or 30s. I wanted her to see that she is proof that a woman is still beautiful in her 70s.

Do you know that she wore the same dress to my wedding and everyone was raving about my beautiful mom afterwards?

The other day, I ran into this article about Isabella Rossellini - a beauty in my opinion. Considering that my mom’s been around the sun for a few more times than she has, I’d say mom’s doing no too shabby. Do you think I’ve made the case with my fine photography? ;-)

Anyways, happy Mother’s Day! Enjoy it, savor it because today will never come back. I chanced upon some words that I wrote 13 years ago. I find myself enjoy reading it. I hope you do too: Life is In the Moments, Celebrate it! I’ve got a photograph of both my mom and dad there as well.

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