Documentary Family Photography at Dihua Street in Taipei

Dihua Street is a popular place to have an outdoor family photoshoot in Taipei, and for good reason. It is just the CUTEST! There are vintage-looking shops, Japanese colonial architecture, snacks, and souvenirs with a fun Taiwanese aesthetic. I totally get why people want photography sessions with Dihua Street as the backdrop.

However, as a documentary family photographer, I look for something different when it comes to locations. Interesting or beautiful locations are nice, but they’re not enough on their own for a documentary family photography session. We need a place for people to interact with one another, to do things. In other words, the location needs to be a place where a story can unfold, not just a place where you stand there together and smile with a pretty background. I go into detail about this on the FAQ section of my website under “What is a good location for our session?”

So, I have mixed feelings about Dihua Street. I love the look and the vibe of it just like everyone else, but if you’re not careful, it can be a lot of just walking down a street and looking at things. This is fine for a few photos, but if it’s not providing enough opportunities for interaction, there probably won’t be much of a story beyond “walking and shopping.” It’s easy to see why this place is great for posed photos but less so for documentary photography.

If a family really wants to do Dihua Street, though, the walking and shopping trap can be avoided with some intention. Dihua Street is a meaningful place for the family in the photos below, so we discussed how the best way to approach Dihua Street in a documentary family photography session is to do all the things. I mean really explore it: get the shaved ice, try the stinky tofu, go in the temple, look through the stalls in the fabric market. And this beautiful, fun family took that to heart! We tasted, smelled, saw, and touched Dihua Street, followed by the Ningxia Night Market. These photos are just a small sample of the exploring we did. Feel free to reach out if you’d like me to come along on one of your family’s adventures exploring Taipei! More information can be found here, and you can always drop me a line.