Documentary Family Photography at Dihua Street in Taipei
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.
An Yingge Family Adventure in Photos | Taipei Family Photographer
The uphill battle of getting everyone out the door, the moments in transit on the MRT or train, even a kid melting down because they’re hangry—these all work together to tell a complete story of an adventure. More importantly, they’re the texture of family life. They’re what you’ll miss when your kids are older and things calm down (ask me how I know).
The Best Taipei Locations for Documentary Family Photography & An Outdoor Documentary Family Photoshoot in a Tienmu Park | Taipei Family Photographer
People typically imagine outdoor family photoshoots in Taipei as posed photos either in a beautiful location or in front of an interesting landmark that screams TAIWAN! As a documentary family photographer, I approach them a little differently. Yes, I do like beautiful locations or locations that help tell the story of your life in Taiwan (night markets, Dihua Street, etc.), but I’m not interested in having people just stand in these locations and look at the camera. The resulting photos would say something about where you are and what everyone currently looks like, but they wouldn’t say as much about quirky personality traits (that may change soon!), your relationships with one another, and what life currently feels like in this particular place and time. To get at these deeper parts of your family story, it’s better for everyone to spend time together in a place that’s meaningful or a place they’re curious or excited about, doing something they enjoy doing or simply exploring.