Chan
Founder & CEO
Chan is the founder and CEO of NIUJU, an AI-powered headshot platform based in Germany. With a passion for making professional photography accessible, Chan built NIUJU to solve a simple problem: getting a great headshot shouldn't require expensive studio sessions or weeks of waiting. NIUJU generates studio-quality professional headshots from selfies in minutes, serving professionals across the globe.
12 articles
The Imperfect Photo Trend: Why Raw Beats Polished in 2026
Polished profile photos are losing in 2026. The look that wins now is technically excellent but emotionally relaxed — five rules for the imperfect-but-excellent register.
6 min readCinematic AI Photos: How to Look Like the Main Character
Cinematic AI photos work because they apply film grammar — directional light, negative space, mid-thought expression — to a regular face. Here's the grammar, and how to get the look.
6 min readThe Scrapbook Collage Aesthetic: Viral AI Photo Mood Boards
Scrapbook collages win because they feel handmade. Six visual cues — overlapping photos, tape, handwritten notes, paper texture — and how to source the photos with AI generation.
6 min readThe Quiet Luxury Photo: Looking Expensive Without Trying
The quiet luxury photo signals taste without signalling price — restrained palette, soft directional light, calm expression, no logos. Six rules, and how to get the look.
6 min readThe Digicam Aesthetic: How to Get the Y2K Photo Look
The digicam aesthetic strips out modern phone polish — flat flash, soft focus, slight grain, washed colour. Why it works on profiles in 2026, and how to get the look without buying a point-and-shoot.
6 min readThe AI Action Figure Trend: Turn Yourself Into a Collectible (Without Looking Like Everyone Else)
The AI action figure trend turns your photo into a collectible toy. Here is how to make yours stand out instead of blending into the other 890,000 boxes on your feed.
6 min readYour Substack Author Photo Is Costing You Subscribers
Substack readers subscribe to a person, not a topic. The author photo is the trust handshake that gets them in. Six rules for the author-portrait register, and how to get one.
6 min readThe Candid AI Photo: How to Look Authentic When It's AI
AI photos can look candid if you understand the visual cues: off-camera glance, soft natural light, an in-between expression. Here's why the candid look outperforms polished, and how to get it.
5 min readAnime Profile Pictures in 2026: How to Get the Look
AI anime profile pictures from your own photos: what makes a good one (your face, not a template), what makes a bad one, and how the niuju flow handles the look without losing your features.
6 min readFestival Photos: The Golden-Hour Look Without the Festival
Festival photos are 80% light and 20% wardrobe — golden-hour sun, denim, glitter, mid-laugh expression. Here's the breakdown, and how to get the look without the wristband.
5 min readThe Euro Summer Photo Look — Without Booking the Flight
The Euro summer photo look is a recipe — warm low light, terracotta palette, linen, mid-sip body language — not a location. Here's the recipe, and how to get it without booking the flight.
6 min readSummer Photo Dumps That Get Saves (Not Just Likes)
What separates a summer photo dump that gets saved from one that gets scrolled past: deliberate visual contrast across 8-10 slides, and AI portraits used as accent pieces in a carousel of real photos.
6 min read