Chinese Opera (Series 2) – Masquarade
This Chinese Opera Troupe is from my journeys in Penang, Malaysia and I have had a load of pictures from my works with Insight Guides and traveling in Penang was really interesting and fun. You would meet loads of people who were just in awe of photos being taken. Perhaps it was just the friendly nature of the Penang people or in their local dialect, “Penang – Lang”. This I really do not know, but it was pleasant all the same. What I do know is that the Hawker food is really good! All this, despite horror tales from my friends detailing the very nature of how the food is prepared ……
A very distinctive makeover
What's The Latest Gossip?
Pure Concentration, very illuminating
A shy performer ... strange ....
Wanting to pick a fight....
She smiles at my jibes
Mirrored image of The Sleepy One
Getting Ready! All's a glitter!
The King of the Troupe
It’s terribly sad to know that many people these days do not really appreciate Chinese Opera, and it’s now a dying trade, soon to be forgotten … well, I hope my photos can help immortalize some of this dying culture!
For my earlier series on Journeys In Penang – Chinese Opera Troupe (Series 1) please click here.
Journeys In Penang – Chinese Opera (Series 1)
Little do people know that I have worked for Insight Guides and have been traveling in the region to capture places of interest, people and local culture. Well, it just so happened that I was traveling during the “Hungry Ghost Month”. To the local Chinese, a Month where they believe that the demons from Hell are set loose for a month to wreck havoc on this earthly plain. The locals believe that in order to minimize this effect, they have to fete the demons and the King of Hades with food and entertainment. What I find particularly interesting is that in Penang, they actually hold Chinese Operas in their wet markets, on makeshift stages and stilts, with loads of glorious street food (known locally as Hawker Stalls). And there I was, aghast at the vibrant colors, vivid smells of burning incense, food to the rhythm of Chinese cymbals, drums, strings and taking it all in. Here are some of my candid shots;
Food for The King of Hades, Demons and Humans
What you looking at?
The Musicians - A Blend of East & West
Through the looking glass - can you spot Alice?
Alice admiring herself
And the audience waits in anticipation
The most curious thing is that I managed to speak to this troupe, and they had come from Johor, some 800 kilometers down south, just to perform in Penang. They were indeed a very nice bunch, but when I dug further, they told me that this is a dying trade in Malaysia, with the newer generation prefering your TV and prime time Soaps, or even your shopping malls. Furthermore, much of the local opera troupes are vanishing, being replaced with cheaper troupes from China, and which, this troupe proclaimed, are less authentic in term of make up, songs, acting, etc.
Wai Ping & Lloyd
Wai Ping & Lloyd first came to me because they wanted something different, something thematic if possible …… and so here I was, agreeing to be their photographer for their photo shoot. I was initially skeptical at first, as I have been shooting this ‘editorial’ styled pre wedding genre for quite some time, but decided to rise up to the occasion. Why not? Not only will it be challenging, but fun! Together, I assembled some of my friends and roped in Tommy Yap, a hobbyist photographer focusing on CLS and underwater photography just for the heck of it.
On a bright early April morning in 2009 , we drove in a convoy of 2 cars, together with their appointed Make Up Artist (MUA for short) , Ally Choong, right up to Penang stopping by Ipoh for a delicious lunch of Ipoh Kway Teow. Our choice location of shoot was The Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, more commonly known as The Blue Mansion and I do believe that had actually set the mood for the entire shoot. Here are some of the results from Penang;
The Lord of the Manor - waits for his Lady
The Lady of The Manor - Hiding In The Shadows
The Lord of the Manor - Looking for Time
The Lord and Lady of the Manor - Looking Out for their Coachman
The Lord and Lady of the Manor - Sharing a quiet moment
As this was my first pre wedding shoot using my new Nikon D3X, I decided to try a new photo technique shooting Wai Ping & Lloyd…. and it was not easy. Wai Ping & Lloyd had to hold their poses for at least a few minutes as I tried to sort out the technicalities! I will definitely be looking at refining this new technique ….. look out for more pictures soon! And of course, they bribed me with another round of the famous Ipoh Kway Teow on the way back to KL! But the Ipoh Kway Teow was sure worth it ……..
