This photoshoot took place at Changdeokgung Palace, not Gyeongbokgung.

While every royal palace in Seoul has its own charm, Changdeokgung is especially unique. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, recognized for its natural harmony between architecture and landscape.

Compared to Gyeongbokgung, which is often crowded with large tour groups, Changdeokgung offers a calmer and more relaxed atmosphere, making it an ideal location for a hanbok photoshoot. This quieter environment allows couples to move at an easier pace, focus on each other, and create more natural, intimate photographs.

There was also a very practical reason this session took place at Changdeokgung.

The client’s schedule fell on a Tuesday, and Gyeongbokgung Palace is closed every Tuesday. While many visitors naturally gravitate toward Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung is just as beautiful and equally impressive in its own way.

To be honest, when you look at the final images alone, many people can’t even tell whether the photos were taken at Gyeongbokgung or Changdeokgung. Both palaces share the same royal aesthetics—traditional architecture, stone pathways, wooden gates, and timeless symmetry. What matters more than the name of the palace is the light, the atmosphere, and how naturally the couple moves within the space.

I met three sisters and their mother dressed in beautiful hanbok just after 2 p.m.

Since it was already December, the sun sets much earlier, and from my experience, the best time to shoot is between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. During this window, the light becomes softer and warmer, creating a gentle mood that works perfectly with traditional hanbok and palace architecture.

In winter, timing matters more than location. Shooting too late means losing natural light quickly, while starting too early can result in harsher shadows. This mid-afternoon window allows enough time to move comfortably through the palace and capture a variety of natural, well-lit portraits before sunset.

Personally, I usually don’t prefer very tight compositions.

However, in this case, the background clearly conveyed the atmosphere of the palace, so I decided to use the same framing to create balanced and consistent portraits of all three sisters. Keeping the composition identical allowed each image to feel fair and cohesive, while still highlighting the unique expressions of each subject.

Sometimes, photography is about adapting rather than sticking rigidly to personal preferences. When the background, light, and structure align, even a tighter frame can tell the story effectively.

Of course, I couldn’t skip a solo portrait of their mother.

For women especially, hanbok offers beautiful opportunities for creative posing. Using the flowing skirt allows for elegant, dynamic shots that highlight both movement and grace—something many clients truly enjoy during the session.

These small moments often become some of the most memorable images, as they capture confidence, femininity, and the timeless charm of wearing hanbok in a royal palace.

I also made sure to capture moments that showed the mother and daughters genuinely enjoying their time together inside the palace.



Rather than focusing only on posed portraits, I wanted the images to reflect their shared laughter, small conversations, and the relaxed way they moved through the palace grounds. These candid moments often tell the story better than any perfectly posed shot.

A hanbok photoshoot is not just about wearing traditional clothing—it’s about spending time together, moving slowly, and creating memories in a place filled with history. Changdeokgung provides the perfect balance of beauty and calm for that experience.

If you’re considering a family or couple hanbok photoshoot in Seoul, send me a message and let’s plan something that fits your schedule and style.