BCPA Melodrama Photography 2018 Season 1
Date: March 24, 2018
Reporter: Alan Tian (田磊)
Just like everyone eagerly waiting for spring under the falling snow flakes, the very first BCPA Melodrama Photography finally came into reality. Special thanks to the enthusiastic member Lan Kai and her husband Brian for providing their beautiful home as the shooting venue for this fun and spectacular show time for all members participated.
The purposes of this session has three folds: First, as a photographer, the participant can learn to take a portrait in a low-light environment with proper lighting and reflection equipment. Second, as a portrait photographer, photographer needs to learn how to interact and collaborate with model to create the best atmosphere, and catch the best moment of the model. Third, as every participant needs to be a model in the photo shooting session, all models need to learn the proper attires and postures to fit the scene photographer created. The model should be able to come out his/her own poses and background selection to fit his/her personality.
The “BCPA brilliant three” (teachers Cary Chu, Daryl Luk and President Dongxu Shan) came up with the idea of the multiple scenes for this event, and brought lighting equipment for indoor photography. All ladies brought their most beautiful clothes and dressed up, and all gentlemen were ready in suits as well early in the show day. This is really a day for everyone to learn to be confident in front of camera and be best of him/herself.
Photographer: Cary Chu
Photographer: Cary Chu
BCPA Brilliant Three
Photographer: Yun Bian
Setting up the lights
Photographer: Nancy Chen
Photographers in Action
Photographer: Alan Tian
Group pictures were just for warming up, more elegant shows moved to the piano room. Being a model was not just simply sitting in front of the piano, and shooting picture was not just simply pressing the button; there were a lot of thinking and preparation involved in the process. We had strong sunlight from outside of the window, which made it very hard to shoot anything else other than silhouette. With black drape as the dark background, a small aperture, low ISO, and faster shutter speed, plus two strong lights one on the each side of the model, a low light environment really can be created to present a scene with elegant piano players under the spotlight.
Photographer: Daryl Luk
Title: Floating Music
Photographer: Alan Tian
Photographer: Nancy Chen
Photographer: Yun Bian
Some heartwarming moments that teacher teaching student, does anyone know what teacher said at that time?
Photographer: May Hu
Photographer: Joanna Lu
Don’t be shy, Get closer.
Photographer: Alan Tian
Photographers in Action
Photographer: Alan Tian
The other setting required to use a reflector to reflect light to model Lin who stood beside the window, and suppress the exposure to pianist Dongxu at the same time. With the music of song of Cai Qin 蔡琴 coming out of piano: “who is knocking the window, who is stirring the string….” (是誰在敲打我窗，是誰在撩動琴弦). Everyone indulged into the romantic lyrics.
Title: Your heart beats are in my music
Photographer: Daryl Luk
Photographer: Zhong Xu
Later, the piano room became a stage for relaxing and social avenue. The whole room filled with cheer and laughter.
Photographer: Nina C.
Photographer: Lan Kai
Photographer: May Hu
Photographer: Dongxu Shan
Photographer: Lin Li
Photographer: Shaowei Liao
Photographer: Alan Tian
Photographer: Yan Wang
Long narrow stair with light directly from above led the way to heaven above. But as everyone was too hungry to fly towards sky, we decided to point light at the middle section of the stair. This caused several scenes either touchy, romantic or animal-loving. We also had set up another station for professional portrait photos taken at the same time.
Photographer: Dongxu Shan
Photographer: Nancy Chen
Photographer: Alan Tian
With the hasty door bell ring, all applauded to the pizza delivery boy, who looked familiar.
Delivery Boy
Photographer: Yun Xia
Photographer: Nancy Chen
After a happy lunch together, the challenge time came. Two brothers started the confrontation with chopper and basketball bat. Pictures captured at action time and what really happened are always different, which one do you prefer?
Do you dare to stare?
Photographer: Yun Bian & Cary Chu
Funny moment: Is that blade really that sharp?
Photographer: Lin Li
Photographer: Shaowei Liao
Photographer: Zhong Xu
Then next scene was 3 men and 2 ladies showing off the art of gambling tricks. The scripts had been changed many times: original stories of gangsters fighting story became brotherhood for friendship story, and couple of ladies changed the scripts into a 45 episodes love story afterwards. Ladies really proved that the world will be a peaceful place if all political power controlled only by ladies.
Now everyone knows who is the BOSS.
Photographer: Yun Bian
Awkward moment: Come on, you cannot get light working in even three tries.
Photographer: Yun Xia
Title: Card Master 賭神
Photographer: May Hu
Funny moment.
Photographer: Nina C.
Photographer: Suyun Ding
Photographer: Suyun Ding
Time went fast, it was the time for the final masterpiece: Dark Battle. The story starts in 1945, just before Japanese surrendering. Communist, Nationalist parties, and local mafias tried to seize the power of Shanghai, and they had a power play on a gambling table inside a dark room of a famous bar.
Scene: Dark Battle 暗战
Director: Daryl
Photographer: Cary
Cast:
Communist party couple: Alan and Yan
Mafia couple: Daryl, Joanna
Nationalist party couple: Dongxu, Yu
Bar mistress: May
Mafia assistant: Yun Xia
Bar girl: Lin
Dog: MiMi
Title: Dark Battle
Photographer: Cary Chu
Photographer: Zhong Xu
Director explained the idea of the scene to the actors.
Photographer: Cary Chu
Every great dream begins with a dreamer, every excellent event begins with dedicated leaders. We really thank the “BCPA brilliant three”’s vision, experience and efforts into this project and also appreciate every participant who brought the cheers and laughter to the events, as well as passion to photography. We just can’t wait for the Melodrama Photography Season 2.
Stay tuned…