Taiwan engagement photos from Sosi Studio

Yes it’s been a while since I posted, but I just returned from a 2 week trip to Taiwan and am still getting over the ridiculous jet lag. On a brighter note, we got the files from our engagement photo session! There were close to 1000 photos, so my fiance and I are still struggling to pick just 60 for our album. Ready for a sneak peak?

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Taiwan is known for its wedding/engagement photo industry, so I knew that was where I wanted to take my engagement photos. The studio I ended up choosing was Sosi Studio because I loved their photography style: natural and romantic. I’ve been getting a lot of emails asking for more details on Sosi, the package we chose, and the overall experience of working with them, so I figured I should share all the details here on the post!

Sosi Engagement Photo Package (available here)

I chose was the 63800 one, which includes the following:

• 9 hour photoshoot, including hair/makeup and travel time to location shoots
• rental car/driver to take you to the locations
• stylist available during the entire shoot
• 2 outdoors styles – the number of locations depends on the distance, I was able to fit in 3
• 2 indoor styles shot in their super cute studio, they have different rooms and backdrops
• a selection of flower crowns to pick from (as seen in the above photos)
• a selection of bouquets to pick from
• a selection of accessories – earrings, hair pieces, necklaces, but you can bring your own!
• rental gowns/tux for shoot – you get one tux, one wedding gown, and two evening gowns to wear on the day of the shoot. They work with several boutiques that specialize in these rentals, so you’ll need to visit each of these boutiques individually to try on the dresses and decide which boutique you want to work with.
• rental gowns for the wedding day for 1 wedding dress + 2 evening gowns – I knew I didn’t want to buy my wedding dress so I chose this package specifically for this option. I was fitted when I chose the gown, and I get to try it on again until 2 days before the wedding…super risky, but I know my weight doesn’t fluctuate much so I wasn’t too worried. However they did have a limit of 5 days max for the rental, otherwise you incur a late fee.
• all the photos!
• 60 edited photos for the album – you get to choose 3 styles for the album, leather, wood, or marble
• 200 polaroid photo cards + 200 business sized photo cards – you get to pick which photos go on these

If you want the evening shots, it’s extra, but I don’t remember how much it was (maybe $6000 NT extra?). Also if you now want to specify stylists or photographers, it’ll be $3000 NT extra.

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Sosi Studio Photographers + Stylists

My photographer was DT and my stylist was Moloko, both assigned to me based on the date I chose for the shoot. I couldn’t be happier with both as they delivered exactly what I was looking for in terms of the makeup/hair look and photography style.

DT was laid back and easy going, and I really liked that he told us exactly how and where to pose. I’m not terribly creative when it comes to pose ideas, so his instructions made the process pain-free. He’s also extremely efficient, so don’t be alarmed if you’re done with a spot after 10 minutes. While at Tatung University I saw another couple taking their engagement pictures, and while their photographer was frou-frouing non-stop with the camera and reflectors, DT was snapping away and we were done before the other couple even started.

Moloko was really fun to work with, and she’s incredibly talented. I showed her hairstyles on Pinterest and she took one glance and was like, yep, got it! Her makeup skills are on point as well, I don’t think I’ve ever looked so good, or will ever look as good as I did in these pictures. I seriously regret not flying her over to DC to do my actual wedding makeup *cries*

With that said, I don’t think you can go wrong with any of Sosi’s photographers or stylists, they’re all excellent. However it would help immensely if at least one of you knew how to speak Mandarin, as their English is extremely limited.

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Taiwan engagement photo locations

Sosi Studio has locations in Taipei and in Taichung, but I chose the one in Taipei since that’s where my family is. So obviously when it came to selecting outdoor locations, I chose areas in or around Taipei. There are a ton of great spots to pick from, and Sosi has a compiled list here, though it’s in Chinese. Here are the places I picked:

• 大同大學/Tatung University – I chose this for their main building and its Roman-inspired (or is it Greek?) architecture. There’s also this other area that has interesting architectural details that DT took me to, but those are about the 2 only photo-worthy spots. We saw at least 2 other couples shooting the same day!
• 華山藝文中心/Huashan 1914 Creative Park – There are a lot of interesting architectures and cute cafes here. This wasn’t my first pick, but it’s close to Tatung University and has a lot more photo spots. You’ll notice that we wore the same outfits for both locations.

• 沙崙海水浴場/Shalun Beach –  This beach is technically “deserted”, but that actually makes it great for photos because it’ll most likely just be you guys there! I chose this because I knew I wanted beach photos, but there’s also this grassy area before the beach (DT knew all the spots!) that’s quite scenic. If you want to there’s also a ranch nearby so you could possibly pull off a horse-riding-on-the-beach photo!

• 美麗華/Miramar – This was my other must have: the merry-go-round photos at night! This is located in the Miramar plaza and I can’t remember if we needed to pay for the actual merry-go-round or not. There are also some pretty buildings near by so we took photos there, but the general location of Miramar is excellent for evening photos.

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Things to keep in mind

• The photographer and stylist’s English is limited, so you probably want someone there that can speak Chinese, whether that’s a friend or family member.
• Sosi Studio partners with other boutiques for gown rentals, so you’ll need to visit those locations to get your gowns. They need to be fitted before the shoot, picked up the night before, and returned afterwards. Same with the tux.
• If you’re renting make sure to bring at least one outfit of your own. You can also opt out of renting any gowns and go with the first package 39800.
• Keep in mind that guys only get one tux (if renting), so they’ll need to bring extra outfits. It’s up to you guys if he should switch 4 times or if repeat some of the outfits.
• Guys do get hair and makeup done as well, but just once ;)
• Bring photos of hairstyles you want for your stylist! It helps if you plan out which style you want with which dress at which location, so that your stylist can prepare accordingly.
• It’s going to be a looooong day, especially if you add in the evening shoots (which I highly recommend). Make sure you get a good night sleep before, and don’t eat anything too salty or drink too much water as to avoid bloat. Sheet masking the night before can also help with makeup application the day of!
• They’ll order lunch for you, so make sure to bring money to pay for it! I offered to pay for everyone’s lunch since it was super cheap (like $50 NT per person – that’s less than $2!!).

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Overall I’m super happy with how everything turned out. Judging by the fact that we struggled to pick just 60 photos out of 1000+, I’d say that Sosi Studio did a damn good job. Two thumbs up! If you’re looking to take your engagement photos in Taiwan, I can’t recommend Sosi Studio enough. The prices are reasonable and the photos are just phenomenal, if I do say so myself ;)

Jenny Wu

Passionate about science-based skincare. Tested hundreds if not thousands of products since my 20's. Working regularly with brands like iHerb, Ulta, CurrentBody, and MedStar Health to share my knowledge and experience in all things beauty. Learn more.

Skin profile: 35+, dry/combination, focused on well-aging, hydration, and a healthy glow ✨