Our Traditional Photoshoot in Taiwan
The experience, outfits, pricing, and overall review
Back in January 2024, Juan and I had a 4 day layover in Taipei, Taiwan on our way to a friend’s wedding in the Philippines. Our own wedding was less than 4 months away, so part of our trip included shopping for tea ceremony decorations and traditional Chinese outfits for the bride and groom. While researching where to buy traditional Han Fu’s for Juan or classy and modern Qi Pao’s for myself, we came across a photography studio called 台北法國巴黎婚紗, or Taipei Paris France Photography that offers wedding photoshoots.
We were hesitant about committing to a full photoshoot with only a few days in the country, but we spoke with their team in person (shoutout to Maggie who helped navigate my broken Mandarin) and confirmed our photoshoot for the next day!
Photography Packages & Locations
The studio offers both modern wedding photoshoots (imagine ballroom white wedding dresses & tuxedos) along with traditional Chinese photoshoots. Most local couples choose the mixed option that includes an entire day of outfit changes, hair and makeup, multiple shooting locations, etc.). Because Juan and I already took engagement photos and have our upcoming wedding, we chose to do only the Traditional Chinese Photoshoot right inside the studio). Couples do have the option to take all photos in nearby parks, temples, or even schedule a trip to a nearby city like JiuFen. You would have to cover the transportation costs.
The Outfits
Immediately after confirming our appointment for the next day, Maggie brought us to a costume/outfit studio next door to select and try on potential outfits! This part was quite entertaining as they had rows and rows of outfits to choose from of all different colors and styles! One thing to call out is that they do have limited sizing options. With how tall Juan is, they had a bit of trouble finding options for him that were long enough for his arms. For me, I was able to fit in their standard options and ended choosing their most flamboyant option for the pics. This process took about an hour.
The Photoshoot Experience
We arrived the next day at the studio around 1PM for hair and makeup. The studio did a good job of matching my makeup with the style and vibe of my outfit and respected my wishes of not shaving or tweaking my eyebrows. I had limited hair styling done because they needed to fit a heavy hair piece on my head. Juan’s ‘makeup’ consisted of some concealer and spray painting of his grey hairs (which the studio insisted but we were OK without). Hair and Makeup took around 2 hours to complete.
Once hair and makeup were done, we changed into the pre-selected outfits and walked around the block to the actual photography studio, where the photographers were already waiting. The actual photoshoot itself took less than an hour, as the photographers were very efficient in moving us around for different poses. Because we opted to do the photoshoot in-house, we cut down on the time needed to travel to other locations. We wrapped up the photoshoot and headed back to the main office to change into our normal clothes. We were told to return to the studio the next afternoon to select our photos!
The Photos & Pricing
The turnaround time was quite impressive, as we promptly returned the next day to review the photos! Overall, the photographers took over 100 photos across different poses and styles. You can decide at that point if you want to purchase all photos or only a subset of photos. After reviewing our favorites, we decided to go with the package of 10 photos, and spent the next 30 minutes choosing our top choices from all the options. They weren’t too pushy but did upsell us on adding one additional photo. In the end we spent a total around $600 for the entire experience PLUS the photos.
Additionally, the studio offers to edit and photoshop your selected photos based on personal preference. This was quite funny as they were adamant about editing out our wrinkles, grey hairs and imperfections, but we opted out of any editing. This way we have the original copy and can edit it at a later time if needed.
Overall Review
We both had a blast spending half a day playing dress up and taking professional photos. The entire experience was very smooth and the studio was very communicative via WhatsApp and flexible with our preference in outfits, styles, and editing. The turnaround time for our photos was around 4 days, and we received the digital copies via email. For $600, I believe it was a fair price for including outfits, hair and makeup, the shooting session, and 11 digital copies.
Language might be a barrier when communicating with the studio, but I was able to navigate the entire experience with my limited Chinese & Google translate.
If you do get a chance to travel to Taipei and want to take couples photos, I highly recommend giving Taipei Paris France studio a visit and ask for Maggie! If you want to shop around, there are a ton of other options as well in Taipei. You definitely won’t have a similar experience at the equivalent prices in the US so take advantage of the local offers when travelling!
Would love to see and hear about your experience! Write a comment below or send me a note!