[ LA WHISPER with CHIA-YU — Photographer in Transition ]

We’re honored to introduce Chia-Yu (she/her), a Los Angeles–based photographer originally from China.
Her work lingers at the intersection of identity and visibility — capturing moments of softness, solitude, and self-assertion with unflinching intimacy.

Educated in the U.S. after moving abroad for graduate school, Chia-Yu arrived in Los Angeles with more questions than answers — about home, about womanhood, and about love.
Photography became her quiet rebellion. A way to document what felt real when everything else was shifting.

Shall we hear from her?

Behind the Frame

"I didn’t plan to come out while still finding my place in a new country. But once I admitted who I was to myself, I couldn’t un-know it. I told my parents I was in love with a woman. That I wanted to marry her. What followed was silence. Support disappeared — both emotional and financial."

"At first, I thought I’d break. But I didn’t. I turned to what I had — my camera. I started to photograph what I needed to see: bodies at rest, softness without apology, women simply existing. That’s when my work began to feel like me."

"I believe sex isn’t something to be explained. It’s yours. Just like your identity. Fluid, full of nuance, not needing permission.

My photos reflect that. I don’t want to stage fantasies — I want to reflect truth. Whatever that looks like for you."

"I no longer separate my story from my art. The way I love, the way I choose freedom over expectation — it melts into every frame. The exhibitions have been small, sure. But every image holds a piece of the life I chose, and keep choosing."

"I used to chase approval. Now, I just chase light — and trust that it’ll find the rest of me."

— Chia-Yu