Onsite photography
It used to be common to take advantage of wedding banquets to take family photographs, once before and once afterwards, at the family home in front of the ancestral shrine with the whole clan encircling the couple. This symbolized clan solidarity and lineage. Today's wedding photography is done at a studio with just the bride and groom; wedding banquets are held in five-star hotels which, while splendidly opulent, are detached from the spiritual core of the family, the home. As a result, the most organic setting and opportunity for family photos has vanished.
However, as long the will is there, with the right setting and a little bit of motivation, family photos needn't be too great an ordeal. The Zhang family in Taipei is an outstanding example.
Every three to five years or so the Zhang family gets together at Binjiang Park to have a family photo taken in the main hall of Lin Antai Old Homestead, a well-preserved traditional courtyard structure that evokes an air of prosperity. This little family tradition lets them record the growth of the family, and the children in particular.
In addition to the 20-person family photos taken every Chinese New Year's, there are also plenty of Zhang family photos from trips to various foreign countries. Now in his 70s, Mr. Zhang, the patriarch, presides over a family of numerous children and grandchildren. In midlife, Zhang was diagnosed with diabetes and high blood pressure, and, always aware of his mortality, he frequently prevailed upon his family to take family vacations, reasoning that each time could very well be his last. Today, the plentiful holiday photos speak to the invaluable time spent together as a family.
Because people's apartments have limited space, and also to expedite her clients' requests, she often schedules prolonged sessions at famous landmarks, like Rongxing Garden, Da'an Park, or Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei, Hsinchu High Speed Rail Station, Tunghai University in Taichung, and the Linbian Sugar Refinery in Kaohsiung. When the weather is accommodating, she's able to handle as many as 20 or 30 different family sessions per day at a given location.
Sicoke says that these family photos are a blessing that people ought to seek out. One of her most profound experiences in family photography came in July 2009, when she photographed Mr. Lin's family at the hospice wing at Mackay Memorial Hospital. When Lin's daughter, Lin Chunru, a school nurse, saw Sicoke's online advert for free photos, her father, though terminally ill with lung cancer, had yet to be transferred to hospice care. Seven days later, the morning after the photos were taken, Mr. Lin passed away peacefully. "I think he was holding on until this moment!" says Lin Chunru.
She notes that most people are loath to take pictures of the seriously ill, but her father loved family photography and always took pictures every few years. Though in this last session he couldn't be behind the camera as was his wont, he participated wholeheartedly, recording some of his last moments for his family to cherish.
On the day of the session, nine impeccably dressed family members gathered at Mr. Lin's room in the hospice. With them came a friend who works as a makeup girl for a bridal photography studio, who helped Mr. Lin put on a suit and some makeup. Everyone's heart was heavy with the strain of letting go, but they gathered around for this last photograph, smiling through their tears all the while. Yet at the same time, they were grateful to have this opportunity to bid farewell, unlike so many who refuse to see their parents off because of estrangement or unresolved grievances, or are unable to do so because of work or study overseas. This precious final photograph now provides the background image on Lin Chunru's mobile phone and computer, affording her daily remembrances, making her feel her father's presence.
From sprawling clans to small families of just a few, reuniting is a great blessing.