Yelena Yahontova, M.A., is an award-winning photography artist, costume stylist, speaker, and goddess essence awakener who is known as the “healer with a camera” by numerous happy clients. She was born in the Eastern European country of Belarus and has lived in the U.S. since 2002.
She has had her photography studio, “Yelena: Photographer of Joy,” for the last 19 years. Her breadth of services includes Headshots, Publicity/Business Branding, Family, Children, “Love Celebration” for Couples, Artistic Sensual Nudes, Online Dating Portraits, and so on.
The most popularity however the studio gained for its unique “Goddess Photo Experience” for women.
Yelena is a woman on a mission. Her mission is to heal and transform how women see themselves by portraying them as beautiful goddesses. She sees every woman as beautiful – no matter her size, shape or age!
Yelena uses her collection of over 120 Goddess gowns, various accessories and her artistic imagination to transform women into goddesses for the portraits they treasure for the rest of their lives.
After the Goddess Photo Experience with Yelena women deeply and completely fall in love with themselves and see themselves as goddesses they are.
Another big passion of Yelena is creating “Magical Fairytale Photo Experience” for little girls where she uses her costume collection to transform little girls into angels, fairies, and little goddesses for the magical portraits they love and treasure.
About Yelena Yahontova
Q: Please tell us a little bit about your family.
I have no family in the USA, all my family members are in my native country Belarus.
I’ve been divorced for some time now, and currently welcome into my life my forever man/the love of my life/my future husband. Would be delighted to meet him this year! 🙂
Q: Please tell us about your current, past, or future career. What do you love most about what you do?
Throughout my life I’ve tried many different career paths: school teacher, university teacher, poet (published), translator, interpreter, journalist, life coach (certified), love/dating/relationship coach (certified)… However, being a portrait photography artist has been my never-ending passion ever since I was a young teenager, it is a love affair lasting for over three (3) decades… And it’s been almost two (2) decades since I opened my portrait studio “YELENA: Photographer of JOY”.
What I love the most about it is the magic of creativity, the magic of transformation, the tears of joy from my clients, the “WOW” I hear when women see their portraits for the first time….
Q: What advice would you give to people?
Treasure yourself and people in your life! Be kind, gentle and loving in your communication style and the worlds you choose both with others and yourself. Be kind and tender in your self-talk.
Gentlemen, may I ask you to remind women in your life how beautiful they are more often?
And ladies, say to yourself more often “I am beautiful, I am a Goddess”. If it doesn’t come naturally to you, then please consider having your own Goddess Photo Experience with me 🙂 It will help you to fall in love with yourself once and for all – for real! Having a Goddess portrait (or a few) on canvas displayed on the walls at your home truly does the magic – every time you see this portrait (many times per day) you fall in love with yourself over and over and over again! 🙂 It is truly miraculous! I have countless happy clients who’ve shared that with me…
Q: Where do you see yourself in 5 to 10 years?
Loving and enjoying life even more with my dream man 🙂 And portraying more and more women as Goddesses and seeing them loving themselves and believing they are Goddesses.
Yelena Yahontova & Our Community
Q: What are a few of your favorite restaurants in our community?
There are so many wonderful places… My top favorites are The Marine Room, Eddie V, George’s at the Cove, Herringbone…
Q: How long have you lived or worked in our community?
Almost 10 years…
Q: What current or former local business makes you the most nostalgic about our community?
I absolutely love the “Living Room” coffee shop because it used to be my “personal office” (:)) when I was living in a different sate and was just visiting San Diego and was only dreaming about relocating here… This dream came true, clearly 🙂
Q: What is your favorite thing or something unique about our community?
I just love the feeling I get when I am in downtown La Jolla – the feeling of expansion and excitement 🙂
Q: If you could choose anyone alive today and not a relative, with whom would you love to have lunch? Why? And where locally would you meet for this lunch?
Anne Geddes. She is an icon in the photography industry. She literally took over the world with her portraits of infants. I was fascinated by her talent back in my 20-s when I was still living in Minsk, Belarus working as a university teacher teaching Polish, writing my Phd in Slavic Linguistics and only dreaming of becoming a professional photographer one day. This dream came true as well, clearly. 🙂
For Fun
Q: What is one of your favorite movies? TV shows?
“The Vow” – brilliant, deep movie based on a real story
Q: (Even for friends or family), what is something interesting that most people don’t know about you?
I used to write poetry, actually I still do sometimes, but now it is only for fun and it is usually something humorous… 🙂
Q: What would you rate a 10 out of 10?
Love
Q: Who inspires you to be better?
Myself
Q: What Neighborhood do you live in?
Bird Rock, La Jolla
Q: What I love about my Neighborhood:
Secluded beaches
Q: Finally, what three words or phrases come to mind when you think of the word HOME?
Peace, bliss, joy
