We were lucky to catch up with Juri Takeoka recently and have shared our conversation below.

Juri, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I have always been interested in being my own boss, and not working for someone else. I like to get creative with my ideas and express it in my own way. That was what made photography appealing to me. Sometimes I feel lonely sitting in front of my laptop for hours and not talking to anyone, but my favorite process is when I’m with my clients at session. I like to capture people’s smile, natural body language, and moments that truly represent themselves. I like to laugh with my clients and make them feel like I’m their friend not just their photographer.
Photography has helped me realize I am a people person, and I had finally found my dream job! Right now, I introduce myself as a lifestyle photographer. My goal is to get work as wedding photographer. Currently, I offer four different packages on my website revolving around couples and families that are simple and organized.

We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

I was born and raised in Japan and moved to the United States in June of 2024 after receiving my green card from my marriage to my husband, Cam. I used to work as an AuPair in the Bay Area back in 2021-2023, that’s when I met Cam and things went great. When I was looking for a photographer for our engagement photos, I realized it must be such a cool job. After a lot of research, I got my very first camera. I learned how to use it and how to edit photos on youtube. Once I started practicing, I was having so much fun! After I got back to Japan when my AuPair contract was over, I put my camera down and focused on a different lifestyle. To me, when I’m in Japan, I feel like I can’t fully be myself. Here in America I feel free to express my feelings and practice my art. I stayed in Japan for a year and a half to get my visa processed and return to the United States. Once I was close to coming back to the States, I felt like my spark for photography had returned, and I started taking pictures again. After I have arrived in the US, I felt energetic and confident about my dream; becoming a full-time photographer and make a living doing so. After a few months of building my portfolio with free sessions, I finally started my photography business. To me, it was a big risk because I’m starting from scratch. I am good at trusting myself and putting in the effort but of course I’m scared to fail. I could have taken a safer route and a job doing something simple in America, but I wanted to challenge myself and put it all out there. I launched my website January 1st, 2025 and I received my first inquiry the other day!

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

When I started I had my photography Instagram account set up, but I was only using Facebook to offer free sessions to grow my skills and build my portfolio. I did eight free sessions for portraits & couples. It helped me learn how to navigate a photoshoot, importance of scouting locations and most definitely helped me gain confidence in myself. I followed my clients on Instagram and ask them to tag me if they post on it for my advertisement. After those free sessions I created a pricing guide and posted to some photography groups on Facebook. I got so much advice and criticism from people because my prices were ridiculously cheap for the number of photos I was providing. Looking back, it was a lot for me but I was able to schedule eight paid sessions from that package. At the moment, I mainly use Instagram to post with hashtags, hoping to reach to my future clients. Also, I made a photography TikTok and am still trying to build a following there. Right now, I don’t have much advice to provide to someone looking to start their own social media presence because I myself am still trying to build mine. I hope to increase my social media following on my photography instagram to 1000 people this year.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

I would say word of mouth is the best source of new clients for me. I actually got one client who heard about me from her friend. What’s good about it is they know what to expect already. When I recommend someone to my friends, I can see the person’s character more than anything. That’s why I pour 100% of myself into each session and am flexible with each client’s needs. Thats just part of who I am, so I don’t feel like I’m “trying” hard to impress my clients.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://juritakeokaphoto.mypixieset.com/
• Instagram: http://instagram.com/juritakeokaphoto/
• Facebook: Juri Takeoka
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@juritakeokaphoto/

Image Credits

Liana Aispuro