What you need to know about the Hanfu photoshoot in Xi’An.
Reaching out.
Reaching out to the photographer is pretty simple. As always, most communication in China happens on WeChat, so scan the QR code on the left to add him. I’ve got a lot of comments asking if this studio can be found elsewhere in China, but he’s a photographer, not a studio, and he is specific to Xi’An. If you’re not sure how to scan, hit the button below for a tutorial I made. You can also search him up on WeChat using his ID “Tcy8298”, or his number at +86 18288894172. Remember to mention me (Elliott) to get 10% off any package! When reaching out, simply let him know you’re interested in a shoot, and the date that you prefer. While communication is in Chinese, WeChat has a built-in translator (just long press the message).
Pricing.
There are multiple packages you can choose from, and they all cover the basics: a minimum of an hour of hair and make-up, the hanfu and accessories rental, the photographer and his team of 3 for 2 hours of shooting, and editing.
It does not include transportation and the entrance fee to the wall 54RMB /person (~ US$8).
The Packages.
“Experience” package: 1,099 RMB (~ US$160):
30 raws + 6 edited.
“Advanced” package: 1,499 RMB (~ US$220):
50 raws + 9 edited (what I chose).
He also has specialized packages:
Couples package: 2,799 RMB (~ US$415):
50 raws + 9 edited.
Custom photoshoot: 4,999 RMB (~ US$740):
80 raws + 15 edited. 5-to-1 service, sample director, makeup director, and a retouching director. One BTS video.
⚠️ To book, you’ll need to make an advance reservation of 200 RMB (~ US$30) deposit per person to secure a spot and date. If you need to change the date, ask him if it’s modifiable.
Before the shoot.
A few days before the agreed date, you’ll be added to a group chat with the hair and make-up studio. The photographer partners with various make-up studios, so yours may not be the same as mine. I also got some DMs asking about the quality of make-up, and my girlfriend said it was relatively good quality Chinese-branded make-up. You will be sharing it with others though, so if you’re not comfortable with that, or if you have your own that you want to use, you can ask to bring it (especially for those with darker skin complexions).
In the group chat, they’ll send you their location and the time you’d need to be there by. Day of, we took a Didi there, and got started around 9AM. The building looked a bit sketchy, but it was fine. We showed them the kind of images we wanted, and based off of that, the team selected the hanfu that would fit the look. The make-up and hair process took about ~1.5 hours, and during the process, the photographer sent a pin to meet at after the hair and make-up was done.
The shooting experience.
After the make-up and hair was done, we took a Didi to the northern section (Anyuanmen) of the ancient wall. We met the photographer at the roundabout, and he had a whole team with him. Together, we went to purchase tickets (bring your passport!) for the wall (54RMB /person (~$8 USD)). Once you get in, you’ll quickly realize this is literally a photoshoot playground, with dozens of hanfu shoots going on.
Heads up, the team doesn’t speak English, so you’ll have to rely on Google Translate. They also have their translating apps (which are better than Google Translate), and they mentioned they have a lot of foreign customers so they’re used to translating. I do also want to mention that the photographer does smoke here and there, and he/team may touch you while positioning you. We felt comfortable with it as he was very polite/professional, but just a forewarning, and some may see this as “invasive” or “aggressive”. Just remember you’re in a different country with different cultures.
The shoot started around 11AM, and we wrapped at 1PM, so about two hours of shooting. The team had all the props and poses ready, so really we were just going for spot to spot, following his lead. Afterwards, the make-up studio team came to collect the hanfu and accessories, and we paid the remainder of the payment, minus the deposit.
Selecting.
The photographer will send a number of unedited images based on your package within 12-48 hours, and from there, you can select the images for him to edit. This is done on Google Drive, which makes life a lot easier. Reminder that you’ll either need an eSIM with a built-in VPN (I find Trip.com and Holafly to work well in China), or you’ll need to download a dedicated VPN. Make sure to have this done before you get to China. I sent him the file names, and I ended up selecting a few more at an additional rate of 80RMB/ photo (US $12).
The final deliverables.
After approximately two weeks, we got the final images! Yes, two weeks to get a few photos may seem long, but keep in mind he has many clients, a LOT of Photoshopping to do, and a lot of retouching. On top of that, he has a life haha.
We were overall very happy with the experience and images, and it was really hard narrowing down the selects. As a professional photographer myself, I didn’t love the colours, as the shadows leaned green, but this is just personal taste. In hindsight, colour is something that you can perhaps mention to the photographer before he starts editing. If there’s a grade that you like that you’ve seen on his Instagram, you can ask him to replicate that look. However, the style of these images are supposed to be over-the-top, so keep that in mind.
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If you’re interseted in booking, don’t forget to mention my name Elliott to the photographer to save 10%! If you want more guide and tips for China, you can subscribe to my monthly newsletter (coming soon).