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
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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

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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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