Hanboks. They’re gorgeous. Especially the ones that lean towards the traditional style. Of course, the tourist ones can be fun to wear, but that gold trim can be a little much at times. Renting a set of gorgeous traditionally-styled ones makes for a beautiful way to have your family photos done in Seoul. Viet, Thad, and their children did just that. Through a recommendation I provided, they were able to get clean and relatively simple hanboks that not only looked great but still allowed the family and the beautiful place they were in to come through in the images as well.
We started our session as we always like to and got a lovely shot of the whole family looking at the camera; a gorgeous representation of them at this time. It was clear right from the get-go that the children wanted to turn this into a fun exercise for themselves and that we’d need to flip-flop between something I knew I wanted to deliver and something that their creativity would bring to the table. So, that’s what we did.
Next up, I wanted to get a line-up that would show off all the hanboks and also a quick run with the kids to get some of their energy out. We moved just around the corner to another quiet spot and got those two images in rapid succession.
From there, it was portraits of the kids alone and then together. Getting them together would prove to be the exact thing that they needed to trigger a bit more of that personality that they were so dutifully keeping somewhat at bay.
With those done, it was time to move on to the parents with each of their kids. Since the girls had their hair done and Paige had the traditional ribbons in, we got a shot from the back as well. Sometimes, the sun comes through at just the right moment and helps a set of images to really stand out. This was one of those times.
Then it was on to the boys. This was bound to be fun, as I’d already gathered that Thad was the catalyst of a lot of the kids’ ideas. They had a blast together and we were done in no time! It was just a case of trying to choose the image I wanted to deliver!
We had a quick run through the main courtyard as it was empty at the end of the day. Then, to wrap up the session, I gave Harrison and Paige a moment to think up a few ideas of their own and we made all sorts of funny faces. This can often be a fun way to add a few more images to the session and bring in some of the kids’ current personalities.
On our way out, the main thoroughfare was clear so we stopped and took the session right back to where we’d started, but with a twist! By the end of an hour-long session, most kids are fairly wiped out, so adding in something fun can allow us just one more shot at a beautiful image.
Thanks so much to the Hwang family for a fun day out and thanks to you for getting this far! Please reach out if you’re interested in a hanbok photoshoot for your family. Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook and Instagram, as well!