Back then photography was a pastime of the wealthy. Chen's uncle, a camera hobbyist, often took Chen on photo outings. Chen still has a black-and-white photo, taken by his uncle, of himself aged five with his younger sister in front of the mushroom-shaped eroded rocks of the Yehliu Peninsula.
當時攝影是有錢人家的消遣，喜歡攝影的四叔，經常帶著他到處旅遊拍照，陳炳元至今仍珍藏著五歲時，四叔為他和妹妹在野柳蕈狀石前拍的的黑白照片。