When things come full circle: 2018 ⏩ 2025
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Sometimes you don't know where life would take you, until years later.
And that's exactly how it played out with Jayers @jktattoohongkong and I.
I first learnt of her work because T, a college friend of mine, decided to get a full back tattoo from her and T asked me to document the process.
That was the summer of 2018, when I decided to shoot more portrait photography and explore if I could make it my career.
T and I did three shoots together: (1) before getting the tattoo, (2) when he was half way through (slide 2), (3) when the tattoo was pretty much done - which was when we went for an outdoor session.
I'd never forget that misty summer afternoon, unusual for the season (slide 3-4). As I look back, that session marked the beginning of my present style.
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Later, T shared the photos with Jayers and she used the images for her tattoo convention.
That's how we first connected. But we won't meet in person until the fall of 2023, when I reached out to her for a tattoo.
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By the time we finally met, we'd both arrived at a different stage of life - she as a mother of a toddler, planning to move to Hawai'i; and I had been freelancing as a photographer for almost 5 years, having developed my own approach and style.
We'd grown in our own ways and somehow, we are inspired by similar elements and the works we create share similar motifs: movement, nature 🌳🌊🌅, dance...
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Fast forward to April 2025, I had the pleasure to photograph 70+ of Jayers' clients in the past ten years, and one of them was, of course, T, whose tattoo marked a turning point in Jayers' artistic development.
"We should get some shots together." So I quickly changed to get into the shot with T after photographing him, in a studio this time.
Here we both were, 7 years later (slide 1).
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Sometimes, I meet creatives who could have been me and I could have been them in a different lifetime. And that's how it felt in the process of working with Jayers on this shoot.
It's the feeling of "I know you. And I see you."
But that'd be for another post 😉
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#tattooartistmag #hongkongportrait #女攝影師 #香港紋身 #explorehongkong #tattooinspiration
Representation matters.
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The more I work with people from all walks of life, the more I feel how we don't see enough "real people" in traditional media.
This is a problem when so many of us struggle with #bodyacceptance - We know most photos are airbrushed but we still can't help comparing ourselves to those unrealistic standards.
As a #womanphotographer , I find it empowering to work with my clients -- there's so much beauty in all of us, when we really look.
And getting ourselves to turn our attention outward helps us to appreciate ourselves more: it's often easier to see beauty in others than in ourselves.
This is why it matters that we see more realistic representation of humans in images.
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Grateful for my client's trust and openness, as well as his consent to using these images.
Being a photographer means I'm almost always the observer. But it's been a pleasure and a lesson to be seen by other creatives.
(Each of their works deserves a post but that'd be for another time : p)
You've heard from some of the women I've worked with this past week:
Rachel, Karen, Christina…
are among the 100+ women I worked with in the past 6 years.
Very often, they are not just my clients.
They are a mirror and teacher.
Over our pre-shoot calls and in between shots,
I have learnt so much:
Courage. Boundaries. Forgiveness. Body. Family. Self‑worth.
Each journey is different.
And each showed me possibilities
I might not have chosen or experienced on my own.
But they also taught me the same thing.
When a woman allows herself to be truly seen—not performed—something shifts.
I've been lucky enough to witness that shift, again and again.
This International Women's Day, I'm celebrating the women who've trusted me with their stories.
They've given me so much:
their willingness to be seen exactly as they are.
And I — who have been hiding behind the camera since I was a teenager — have felt seen through their eyes.
Thank YOU.
With care,
Linda
#givetogain #iwd2026
We talk so much about forgiving others.
But what about forgiving ourselves—
for the pain we've caused, even unintentionally?
Share this with a friend who's kind to everyone else but themselves,
or save this for the next time you need to hear it.
With care,
Linda
"Who else has this 'I don't mind' habit?"
— Karen, Founder of Styli Collective
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I met Karen back in October 2022 when she commissioned me for an outdoor shoot. We connected immediately, walking along the trail after the shoot.
It was her energy. Her love for writing.
Then, as our friendship grew, it became her honest advice, her empowering words, her eagerness to learn.
The way she supports friends—even while navigating her own challenges in business and life.
These photos are turning four years old, but her heartwarming energy hasn't changed.
I invited her to share while we co‑worked earlier this week, and I was touched by what she wrote.
I resonated with how touch as a love language is acquired, not learned, for many East Asians.
And seeing her owning that by choosing the people she wants to surround herself with—it was a beautiful reminder for myself too.
In a people‑pleasing culture, that might be one of the most daring things we can do.
With International Women's Day coming up, I'm sharing stories from women I've worked with this month. Stay tuned.
With care,
Linda
p.s. If you're interested in working with Karen, DM her at @stylicollective
This line hit me hard when Rachel shared her career pivot with me over our consultation call.
She quit her job as a line cook to backpack around Central America for three months — until she broke her leg.
While recovering in bed, she started teaching Cantonese.
Jumping into the unknown without hesitation —
because there was no going back.
And so she carved out a new path for herself.
Her faith reminded me of my own pivots in life.
Her love for small shoots thriving in brick gaps, for the quiet quirks of the city — made me think of my younger self doing street photography in Sheung Wan.
Her love for sharing culture and language? That, too, I recognised in myself.
Such are the precious moments of mutual seeing in my consultation process.
Such are the conversations that stay with me when I work with clients.
With International Women's Day coming up, I'm sharing stories from women I've worked with this month.
With care,
Linda
p.s. If you're interested in working with Rachel on your Cantonese, check out her website : )
Photoshoot, to me, is a process of witnessing and mutual seeing.
It's been an honour witnessing Christina @_good_peoples_ over the past few years through
Shooting her portraits, her brand, her oracle card deck, her family.
Six shoots, and counting.
These are some of my favourite frames from our time together.
Can't wait for the next one.
"When you hit 40, there's this real, zero f**ks given kind of attitude.
It's not even that I dare to be different.
It's that it's so boring to me to be the other way."
— Christina, Founder of Good Peoples
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In my recent interview with Christina, I asked a question lots of creatives struggle with:
How do you connect with your own voice in such a loud world?
She said:
"I've been working since I was 20.
That's 25 years of doing what the client tells you,
what your boss tells you,
what your parents tell you.
Doing what your friends are doing,
what everyone on the internet is doing.
For me, it doesn't give me joy to do what someone else is doing.
And that mixture of imposter syndrome and joy
creates this impulse to do things differently."
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Christina runs a business. So do I. So might you.
And the questions we're all asking—
about voice, about difference, about trusting ourselves—
they're not separate from the work.
They are the work.
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I'd love to know:
What's one area of your life where you're daring to be different—or wish you could?
Drop it in the comments. I read every single one.
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With care,
Linda
I spent five hours with Christina last month, recording this.
I could have written about her without the interview—
we've spent hundreds of hours talking over three years,
on her studio carpet,
while cleaning up after shoots,
while figuring out life.
But perhaps our long chats have become a kind of ritual.
In 2023, I wrote about her just after she opened Good Peoples, her wellness studio in Causeway Bay.
In 2024, we co‑hosted About Me, a personal branding workshop that's really about self‑understanding.
In 2025, she sat on a stage with me and talked about creative partnership.
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And somewhere in between,
she became the person I text when I need to remember that the process is worthy,
that I don't need to measure myself by the norms,
that the only real question is: 'Does this excite me?'
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This is the first of stories from our conversation.
More soon.
If her words stirred something in you,
I'd love to hear what arose.
Drop a 🌿 in the comments if a line here stayed with you.
With care,
Linda
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#personalbrandphotographer
#hongkongphotographer
#fotowritingstories
#VisualBiography
#女攝影師
2016 to 2026 was a lot. And it's probably the same for you.
Some days it was f***ing hard, and still we woke up and dragged ourselves through them.
Most days, we try not to burden others with our struggles and save our self-doubts for those late night musings.
Most days, we don't give ourselves the credit we deserve.
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As I dug out my photos from the past decade, I felt a lot of love for my younger self and I wish I had more photos of my camera-shy self.
Photos are special this way — they are the closest thing to reliving moments in the past.
And in the act of making images, we are also actively re-membering the present and creating memories, which is why I love what I do.
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Good portraits, I believe, are the by-products of honest conversations. And making portraits and conversations are both about holding space for you — whether you are a new founder of a business, someone welcoming a different life stage, or anyone who wants to see their own story reflected back with tenderness and truth.
If this way of seeing resonates — if you’re in a chapter of change, consolidation, or quiet becoming that you’re ready to honor — comment “BIO” below and I’ll reach out to you, and explore what we can create together for you to look back to years later.
With care,
Linda
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#HongKongPortrait #PersonalBranding #VisualBiography #HongKongPhotographer
2025, a year of unexpected soul-searching: fewer photoshoots led to more real connection, and less posting made space for more exploring. The most powerful work really began in the quiet space of real conversations, heart-opening trust between total strangers, and the courage to step into the unknown.
This year, I learnt to build those spaces everywhere:
🚄I spent 3 months across Kyoto and South Africa, following a thread of connection from a single friend to other beautiful people who shared their presence and trusted their stories with me. Grateful for all the deep connections created on those trips and can’t wait to go back.
📔I condensed 5 years of conversations into my first photobook, "Condo Convos", shortlisted for the Hong Kong Photobook Dummy Award. This personal project informed my core belief: a genuine portrait is the by-product of a real conversation. This is the depth I bring to every client project.
🎭I stepped from behind the camera onto the Playback Theatre stage, learning new ways of retelling stories, holding space, and working as a team. A huge thank you to those who shared stories and the stage with me. This practice deepens my ability to listen and respond authentically—the very foundation of a collaborative shoot.
🔥So, what does this mean for you in 2026?
It means working with a photographer for whom the session is a creative inquiry. Someone who uses their craft not just to capture your essence, but to help you clarify your story.
I’m now opening a limited no. of spots for:
▶ Brand & Portrait Photography that feels like a collaborative journey to your core.
▶ Creative Workshops where oracle cards become keys to unlock deeper self-understanding.
▶ 'Portrait in Words’ Sessions – The signature discovery process from my brand shoots, offered as standalone coaching. In 90 minutes, we map your core narrative through guided dialogue to gain actionable clarity.
🌱If you’re a founder or individual at a turning point, seeking visuals (or guidance) which shine light on the person within you—I am here to see you.
💌DM "STORY" to schedule a complimentary 20-minute connection call. Let’s explore what's in store for you in 2026 🌅
