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.

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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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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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I Wish you Joy and Wonder in 2024 - Jean Huang Photography

What happens when the door that’s been locking you from the world for years all of sudden opens? I don’t know about you. In my case, I ran out, clumsily got myself together and started exploring. The wheels that’s supposed to churn the world are ready to start swirling again. And yet, the new norm is not the same as the old. For someone that’s pretty communicative (ehem, talkative), I found myself at loss for words on more occasions than I would like to admit.

Nonetheless, in 2023, my partner-in-crime and I started traveling the world again. The plethora of emotions that we experienced in lock-downs and social spacing must have gotten us deep. We went even more further away from the “roads well-trekked”. As if we were trying to make up for the 3 years that were lost, we are making friends in more incredible ways.

On the west coast of Sicily, we crashed the party celebrating twin sisters Adele and Giovanna’s 75th birthday. The cake and champagne that were brought over from their table completed our lunch perfectly.

God sent Tamara over to help us (she was dining at the table next to ours) when we struggled with our choices in another local restaurant. Sicilian hospitality saw us being taken on a tour of amazing dessert shops (Sicilians have sweet teeth) after dinner, followed by caffè at her home.

On a road-side in Tamba, Japan, I had a “deep” discussion about some farming practices and the kind of crops grown with a lady that was working in her field. Had I not have two more temples to visit for the day and the heat I was sensing from my Assistante’s stare piercing through the car wind-shield, I would have ended up in her house, sampling the prestigious Tamba kuromame (black bean) that she had just harvested. Before parting our ways, I didn’t forget to have her smile forever saved on my phone, despite her weak protest of being an obasan and hence not appropriate for camera. I should have reminded her of what I do professionally with camera, and women. ;-)

The list goes on and on. I wish I have more space and time to share. But the post has already gotten long and it’s already 2024. :P

No worries, put in a request/reminder, and I shall write more about the disbelief on people’s faces when they realize where we are from, or the lady with a dream to open a B&B, or another lady that’s working to preserve a historical house.

As I’ve added three more rings (as in tree rings) to my life, I found myself being more unapologetically myself (weird at times) and true to my values. It’s long been my goal to have a business with a soul and to instill humanity in what I do. In 2023, I started gifting people photographs of themselves on our travels, be it a group of friends on top of a hill being surrounded by clouds, or a lady in the setting sun next to a medieval town, or a young Japanese couple that just wanted some photographs of themselves with the momiji (maple leaves in fall colors) and was totally not ready for a mini portrait session. :D Oh, I still owe a mature Japanese couple photographs of them in the beautiful fall colors, hand-in-hand.

All these photographs commemorated unique, beautiful and/or fun moments and I think it’s important that they have those memories.

Speaking of memories, many of you know that I started a journey of “transforming” more mature and wise women in 2022 (see also here). Inevitably, I was again reminded brutally how fragile life is and sometimes we don’t have the time or chance to say good-bye (I also shared about losses here and here). Even the most beautiful palm tree in the whole Southern California is not there to grace the mountains in the background anymore. I’m grateful that they now have left traces of their beauty in photographs.

As the first light of 2024 is looming near, I wanted to present this image made on a frigid morning of Faithful Geyser in Yellowstone National Park. The early light in crispy air gives off an aura of hope. And I’d like to take this opportunity to wish you lots of joy and (or of) wonder in 2024. I hope our paths will cross in our wanders. :D

Ciao!

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