Hongdae self-photo studio for siblings' 1,000-day photos: U&I Studio

To mark our eldest's 1,000th day, we visited U&I Studio Hongdae Branch to take commemorative photos. Calling it 1,000 days made it feel a little sad to just let the day pass by. We take lots of photos of the children on our phones anyway, but this time I wanted to keep them in a slightly different way. Since we were bringing the younger one along too, we decided to take sibling photos of both children as well.

Taking children's milestone photos ourselves at U&I Studio Hongdae Branch

The place I found this time was U&I Studio Hongdae Branch. It seems to be a popular spot for self-service wedding snapshots and maternity photos, but we visited not for a wedding or maternity shoot, but to take milestone photos of the children. Still, because we could take the photos ourselves, I thought it would work well with kids.

Our eldest wore an outfit we had prepared at home, while our younger child wore a baby dress provided at U&I Studio Hongdae Branch. We did not dress the children in identical outfits, but once they were each in their own style, they actually looked quite nice together in the photos.

Making the milestone feel extra special with a 1,000-day balloon

To make our eldest's 1,000-day milestone stand out a little more, we also prepared and brought along a large balloon from home.

We tried using the balloon in different ways: having a child hold it, or standing it beside them. Having the balloon in the frame definitely made the sibling photos feel more like photos taken for a milestone than ordinary ones.

Self-service photos with two children and a live preview

When you enter, you receive a brief explanation of how to shoot, and after that you take the photos yourself. At first, I wondered whether taking self-service photos with two children would be harder than expected, but once we started, it was fine because we could shoot exactly as we wanted while watching how the children were doing.

When one child smiled, we took a photo right then; when they sat side by side, we took another; and we tried capturing the moments when they looked at each other too. Since children do not stay in the same pose just because you are taking photos, we ended up taking lots of pictures of their natural movements rather than trying to match a set pose.

With sibling photos especially, the moments when both children looked at the camera at once were much shorter than I expected. When our eldest looked at the camera, the younger one was looking elsewhere; when the younger one was looking nicely, the eldest would move. Still, we could check the shooting screen in real time, so we could immediately see the children's positions and poses as we photographed them. If one had moved too far to the side, we repositioned them, and if they were too far apart, we sat them a little closer and kept shooting. Being able to see the images right away instead of checking everything at the end was quite useful when photographing children.

Using studio props and props we brought ourselves

There were props in the studio that we could use during the shoot. Flowers and glasses were available, so we tried them one by one while taking photos, along with the large balloon we had brought. Even in the same space, changing the props seems to change the mood a little. The children were not looking only at the camera the whole time, so props also helped create natural actions.

If you are taking photos to mark a special day like our eldest's 1,000th day, I think it is nice to prepare a balloon or prop suited to that day, as we did. Our younger child wore a dress from the studio, so if you are taking photos with a baby, it would be worth looking at the outfits available too.

Not only for wedding and maternity shoots, but with children too

U&I Studio Hongdae Branch is said to be a place many people visit for self-service wedding snapshots or maternity photos, and after taking photos there myself, I could see why it would suit those shoots too. Because you photograph yourself, you can change poses as you like and use the props you prepared in whatever way you want.

There were also benefits to a self-photo studio when visiting with children like we did. Even when they suddenly moved or made an unexpected expression, we could preserve that exact moment in a photo. These may be everyday expressions that do not feel especially remarkable right now, but I think we will definitely miss them as time passesㅠ

Sibling photos taken on our eldest's 1,000th day

Because these were sibling photos we took together for our eldest's 1,000-day milestone, they felt even more meaningful. While looking for a self-photo studio around Hongdae and Yeonnam-dong in Mapo, Seoul, I first thought of places for wedding or maternity photos, but it was also possible to use one for children's milestones or sibling photos like ours. Our eldest wore clothes prepared at home, our younger child used a dress provided by the studio, and we brought a large balloon to include the 1,000-day milestone in the pictures. We also used props such as flowers and glasses, checked the live shooting screen, and took lots of photos while watching the children.

Photos with children do not always turn out perfectly as planned, but I think those photos are often the ones that stay with you more as time goes by. This time, we marked our eldest's 1,000th day by taking sibling photos too, and simply being able to record the two children together as they are now made it a meaningful time. You do not have to prepare something grand for a special day, but for moments like an eldest child's 1,000th day that will not come around again, I think it is lovely to keep them in photos like this. When the children are grown and we look at these photos together, I think they will feel different again, so I am going to keep them safe until then :)