Umikaji Terrace: An Okinawa Photo Shoot with Triplets

Triplets playing separately among the Christmas decorations at Umikaji Terrace

Hi, I’m author S.

Today we’re at Umikaji Terrace.
Every shoot calls for improvisation anyway.. wherever I shoot, it’s only the background that changes.

Today I’m photographing triplets.. I’ve photographed three sets of triplets in Okinawa in total. One thing’s for sure.. you need three adults. With just mom and dad.. there’s a 100% chance one child will disappear somewhere or get into trouble. Grandma helped out this time.. so we got through the shoot without any mishaps.

We’re on our way back from taking photos by the sea.
So where are the seaside photos? If I remember right, I didn’t take any because there were lots of dead fish and it really smelled.

Too cute

There’s a large lawn like this at the entrance to Umikaji Terrace.

I don’t really ask them to do anything.
The little ones aren’t going to cooperate with me anyway. So I photograph them just as they are. The closer I get to hyperrealism.. the more popular my photos seem to become..

Getting all three to hold hands is a real challenge.
We gave it a try, but.. if they play separately, I photograph them separately. It would be even more awkward if I forced them to do something and they cried until their eyes were red.

Kids are unpredictable to begin with.. but triplets are so, so, so, so much more unpredictable.

They cry when they’re together.. so we’ll put the group photo on hold for now.

We’re heading toward the shops at Umikaji Terrace.

This was early November.. in Okinawa, Christmas decorations go up the day after Halloween. What a fun place..

There’s nothing particularly extraordinary about my photos. When a baby plays, I just photograph them playing.

Well.. photos don’t have to be grand and spectacular, do they?

I also capture what’s happening on the other side of the tree.

They were really focused on something.. I think it might have been a hot dog plush toy.

We head farther into the shopping area for a change of background.

Group photo attempt number 2: failed

I can’t quite say why I took this photo. It was just a lovely moment, so I captured it.

People hang their wishes on heart-shaped decorations, and the pretty colors kept the children interested for quite a while.
I’ve noticed patterns when photographing little ones: boys tend to be interested in cars, excavators and things like that, while girls usually like brightly colored objects and round things. Understanding this makes the shoot a little easier.
Here’s a tip.. if you’re photographing just one boy.. something like driving a car in an arcade gives you a good chance of getting the best shots. If you’re photographing just one girl, flower festivals or places with vivid colors are good for capturing that look of curiosity. Child psychology.

I think they’re interested because each one is so pretty.

Well.. nothing fancy,

Umikaji Terrace is divided into levels 1, 2 and 3, and levels 2 and 3 are usually the prettiest. Cars drive along level 1, making it dangerous, so I try to avoid it whenever possible.

A pretty white pebble

Playing jail with all three: failed,

If there’d only been two of those figures.. we could’ve been in real trouble…

It seems most little ones know Pikachu these days. I thought they wouldn’t.

The little ones.. have different-colored hair ties.
They’re triplets, but there are subtle differences too. How wispy their hair is, maybe?

The steps are too high for them to walk up.. so they crawl.
They’ve spotted a cat.. and they’re following it because they want to pet it.. Now all three are of one mind..

We finally managed to get everyone in a photo together.
I do try to give everyone a fair share of the photos. It was a bit tricky playing spot the difference, but it was still a fun shoot.

Hope they all grow up healthy 😀

Okinawa photo shoots were 250,000 KRW for 1 hour during the day or 300,000 KRW for 1 hour at sunset or at night, including 20 edited photos and 300 original photos, but I’m not currently taking bookings. I may resume them someday, but I haven’t decided when. If I do, I’ll post a separate announcement. I’m currently doing shoots in Gyeongju, with Tongyeong, Geoje, Changwon and western Busan as my base. Please see the Sarangbi Snap page for booking information and contact details.