Chinese Bridal Studio Photos

These photos were shot in May of 2002, in Chinatown of Flushing New York (NYC) USA.

We had already married at the courthouse in January that year (just a few months after September 11th, 2001) literally across the street, diagonally, from Ground Zero. There was smoke & steam still streaming from the wreckage & ruins, with posters and candles everywhere, and people crying asking if you had seen their missing loved ones.

Honestly, I generally hate weddings, and never wanted to get married, EVER. I still have no idea how I got married twice, and both times I didn't even think the person was serious, because all the men in my life scoffed at the idea of marriage, just like I did. However, since the day I turned 18, all over social media, like ICQ, AIM, and my e-mail inbox was full of marriage proposals from men all over the world, from Hong Kong, to South Korea, to Egypt, to Saudia Arabia. I sat at my mother's boyfriend's computer, after having been battered by my own father, the day before my birthday, after coming home from the doctor, and put on muscle relaxers, and read through all kinds of messages feeling completely dumbfounded, since the most of my concerns at that time was not even my birthday, nor starting my Senior Year of High School, but never wanting to see my father again, and wondering what to do at my newest job, at AMC in Marlton NJ, and worrying over not getting more hours since I was on muscle relaxers, since I barely had any hours when I was 17.

But, back to THIS photo shoot.
I'd been dieting, and so was my spouse, the whole year, and he even use one of those electric facial muscle shock thingies, to make his face look tighter. my Spouse is 10 years older than I am.Also, my spouse was very wealthy when I first knew him, and even tho' we all griped about the economy being terrible, it was FAR BETTER than today.

The qipao is not mine. It's the studio's. It was some artsy-fartsy place in Flushing Chinatown. There were several to choose from. I picked this one because I liked their whole window display better than the other ones, and when we went inside they went all out in accommodating us. We booked the photoshoot day after we actually got married that January, and booked the photoshoot for May. I have no idea WHY but photoshoot appointemnts seem to ALWAYS also end up being the day I am ovulating, or the day after, so I often bloat up.

We got there around 7:30AM, and it took about 7 hours to do my makeup, and hair the first time. After that, they would quickly change my hair and makeup quickly between studio themes.

People often comment about "how Chinese I look" meaning my gestures, poses, or postures... (because I'm clearly NOT ethnic Chinese) I had no clue what they meant for several years... but, I've realized what they mean now, after having lived in China so many times. In American, or Western, cultures there are certain cultural gestures, or poses, or demeanor that people do, such as ways they tilt their head, or express themselves, and even facial expressions. At the time I did not know this... so, how were these "very Chinese expressions" achieved? Simple. The photographers were a team, and one of them would be the director, and coach how I would pose, or facial expressions to make. THEY were Chinese. I had no clue what I was posing to "be like". Just following their directions.

I DID NOT EAT the entire day, and refused as much drink as I could, and just the small amount I DID drink, really bloated me right up.  So frustrating! Hormones! ARG!

So, by the time were were done, and it was SO HOT outside, I was starving and thirsty.

Here is the Chinese Peking Opera Bridal look. I specifically wanted THIS hat! I'd recalled this bridal hat from older portfolios. When I mentioned it, they looked for some older portfolios, and said: Ah, yes! I have it! Then went into the basement, found it, and affixed it to my head.

You know what I LOVE about this hat? It looks SO GREAT, right? Amazing!
Right?
It's made almost ENTIRELY of plastic, rubber, and metal springs. And it's spray painted! HAHAHA!

But, it looks fabulous in the shot!

The opera clothing is actually a real Opera costume, and made of silk.

We bought the deluxe, most expensive package of photography. I also own the negatives.

I have so many of these photos, I should share more.

Gerantion X Bohemian: Peonies, Platforms, and Cola Raver

This photos was shot by my father with an SLR CANON QL FTB analog vintage 1972 Made in Japan camera, on film.
This was shot the day after one of my proms. Either 1996-1998. Frankly I can't specifically remember because I went to 3 proms in high school. I LOVE this camera. And, I actually own it now because my father gave it to me. :)

My parents are the "Baby Boomers" generation, and I am Generation X, near the end, but not the actual end. It was common that maybe of the kids my age in high school were either smokers, stoners, or shroom eaters. Even tho' I had smoked some weed, cigarettes and tobacco were not my thing. I hate them! I wasn't really big on smoking weed, even tho' I had smoked it from about age 16-17 here and there because it was so common. It was so common that visiting a friend often involved smoking a joint with their mom, aunt, grandmother, or neighbors. And, even one of my bosses was a stoner. But, you could get into big trouble if you were 18 or older, and it bothered my work performance, so I just stayed away from it in general, unless I was in pain.

However, my POISON OF CHOICE as a teenager was COCA-COLA.
You might laugh, or find it laughable that Coca-Cola was a major issue for me, but I'm very serious about how much it was. I was addicted to Coca-Cola. And, I emphasize that, because it really was an addiction... Many hard drug addicts laugh in my face about it. 

But, to this day, if I am around sodas, whether they are sugared, or sugar-free, and I cannot stop myself from consuming it, greedily. 

Colas contain phosphates, and types of preservatives which can ONLY be digested with the molecule of calcium in your body, so if you haven't consumed any calcium, which I often didn't, your body must remove the molecules from your bones, and will cause you to have acidosis, and many other degenerative diseases. So, I have limited my intake of this beverage to holidays, or special circumstances only. And, if I knowingly consume some, I make sure it doesn't contain High Fructose Corn Syrup which also contains mercury, and also try to avoid Aspartame which is an excito toxin, and causes nerve damage, and brain damage which will show in old age.

The Platform shoes I had were purchased at ROSS, in Moorsetown New Jersey in the mid-late 1990s. I was VERY MUCH into Eurodance Rave/Ravers like in the Dance-club & European scenes at the time. I LOVE techno still to this day!

The upper arm bracelet I purchased at Virgina Beach on some board walk place (mid 90s). 
And, I believe I got the anklet at a Board Walk in New Jersey... maybe Cape May, or Wild Wood (mid 90s).

The satin blouse I am wearing was 1 of many which I had, which were VERY POPULAR at the time, and semi-resembled clothing from the 1970s. This one had buttons carved out of seashells. Eco-fashion was very "in".

This style of portraits/photography was something my father taught me. I also use it in my artwork. My love & interest in technology is from my father. (Electrician, inventor, handyman)  My father ALSO loves gardening, plants, and had several large ones which could put anyone else's gardens to shame in just one glance even on his worst amount of effort...

If you can tell, I'm NOT WEARING ANY MAKEUP. Even tho' I had, easily about at least TWO BOXES full of makeup, often stuff given to me by relatives, my mom, my mom's friends, and stuff I also bought, I often HATED wearing it. It would bother me, bother my face, bother my eyes, bother my skin, and make me break-out. I didn't know I was allergic to many of the ingredients... I just thought that's what makeup does to you... at the time, anyway.

When I was a teenager, I HATED skirts or dresses, and preferred pants. Tho' I wore gowns to Prom, and was picky about it. Even tho' I recall shooting these photos the day after Prom, I can tell that I've obviously had a shower, because I wore makeup & did my hair (with hairspray *yuck*) for Prom.

These Peonies (the flowers) are a VERY OLD heirloom variety in my Neighbors' yard (Mr. & Mrs. Blue) whom where in their 80s or 90s, and very old. To the right (my left) was actually a large section of this yard that was given to my father for use as his own garden. And, from the vantage point of where my father is shooting this frame, if you were to turn around was another yard, owned by another neighbor where my father ALSO gardened jointly with another neighbor, Peggy.

Behind me, which you can barely see, is the chicken coop, yes with chickens. And, behind that was more gardens by my father (our yard), and pour pool, and probably at the time this was shot, we also had a beautiful pig named Dot.

Even tho' our pigs & chickens were "free range" & "organic", we just called it "homesteading" or "home gardening". We did, however, feed the animals "feed" such as types of corn from sacks.

The live stock were treated very well, got sunlight, a night-light, fresh water, and a wide variety of food. Everything from grass, to grubs in the soil, and all of our leftovers which they LOVED! They also ate whatever we couldn't eat, or give away (because we always had so much) from the gardens. And, if you let the animals out, to run free, the neighbors loved it because they would fertilize the soil. When the sun went down, the animals all knew to go back into their home, and we would close the gates, and lock the doors to keep out foxes, coyotes, owls, and hawks.

Kandice Cola Color Aura by BlackUniGryphon on DeviantArt

 

Late 1990s Eurodance Techno from BlackUniGryphon on 8tracks Radio.

Bohemian Wuxia Inspired Makeup

February 19th is Chinese New Year, which is called "Spring Festival". 

Why? I have no idea, because it takes place during the dead of winter.

I did a photo shoot inspired by the weird, whimsical, and extravagant world of Wuxia. Wuxia stories are incredibly weird, strange, and off-the-wall. 

This is my Wuxia Fusion of some Wuxia characters, like Dong Fang Bu Bai, if you are familiar with the Hong Kong films or TV shows like "The Swordsman".

If I were in China right now, like I was several times before, it would be all out crazy rackets, rows, and dins of noise, and pyromania. In China, during festivals, especially Spring Festival/New Year it's crazy! they call it "renao". It's not like anywhere else, where you can just go home, then you go somewhere to party, or relax, or celebrate... no. It's renao!
It's in the hallways, on the sidewalks, in the streets. If you go home, you can hear the incredibly loud voices of people, people singing opera EVERYWHERE. wild drinking parties, several banquets a day. And there is so much smoke from firecrackers, and fireworks, and you will NEVER see anything as spectacular in the sky like the fireworks in just the local towns.

You cannot exit the celebrations, because the festival is EVERYWHERE. The firecrackers only die down, and stop around 2-3:30 AM.... but, they will start back up whenever the first pyromaniac rouses from his sleep, anywhere from 4AM-5:30AM, and he will get up and set off more firecrackers. THEN, the other pyromaniacs will hear the first Pyro, and feel jealous, then they will get up, and try to be louder than the first guy. Then, they will all become a full-on insanely loud competition in the entire city over whom has the most, and the loudest firecrackers, and who is the MOST extreme pyromaniac! No sleep for YOU!

They NEVER run out out fire crackers, and often have stacks of large boxes to play with all month long. It will continue on like that all day, and all night, and goes on the entire month, and if it's a Festival period (lunar calender) where it stretches through from January and through Feb, you will have almost 2 full months of noise.

You will also have SO MUCH FOOD! Nuts, fruits, candies, etc. NO, not like Christmas. this is so extravagant that and so excessive that you will HATE FOOD, and HATE EATING! Everywhere you go, people peel apples, and oranges and give them to you. Bags & bags of nuts, and sunflower seeds. and, bags of chocolates imported from the West. Loads of fruit by the boxes from the Danwei.

And, so many dumplings, and handmade noodles, you will be sick of it...

Then, there's the banquets. Banquet, after banquet... and several per day.
HOW DO THEY EAT SO MUCH??? THEY ARE SO SKINNY!

You will get so fed up with banquets also... so much good food, THE BEST because it's New Year... but, just TOO MUCH that you can't take it anymore...

I recall becoming so fed up with banquets, that we went to Korean restaurants, or fast food, which is way Ritzier & far more expensive in China... and even that got old.
I love to eat meat... but, by the end of Spring Festival/New Year I would crave every kind of salad I could think of... and day dream about lettuce.

Preview: Wuxia Inspired Chinese New Year Photoshoot

I already posted a small preview of the Pirate cosplay character on my Pirate Wench Blog: HERE.

I am utterly exhausted from this shoot because I also sat through 3 conference calls on my speakerphone since I got up this morning. After my kid left for her bus, around 7:45 I was listening in on several calls, trying to keep track of the fast paced stuff happening.

 I like Wuxia stories, movies, comics, novels, etc. Wuxia is incredibly extravagantly weird. The characters are off the wall strange, and have crazy personality quirks, and a twisted or corrupted sense of morality. The whole point of Wuxia is to be as unrealistic and unlike reality as possible, which is why the characters are so weird. In Wuxia Gungfu is like magic, and people can fly, and do unbelievable feats of amazing, impossibility.
 
Here is a preview of some new stuff I did:

Generation X Free Spirit Hippie Wedding Ensemble

I believe this was taken around 1997 or 1998.

My not-yet step-stister (whom was the daughter of my mother's boyfriend whom is now Mom's spouse) got herself knocked up by her boyfriend, so she married her boyfriend about a year or so after she had her son.

So this is what I wore. I was about 17 or 18.

Virtually EVERYTHING I'm wearing was either from a thrift shop, or re-gifted to me, and/or borrowed.

The shoes were from a thrift shop, and were my Mom's. I think she gave them to me.

The dress was also my Mom's, and she got it at a thrift shop, like the Salvation Army, and maybe paid $1-3 for it. So, I borrowed it, and she later on gave it to me.

The peacock feather I think was a purple dipped feather from the Philadelphia Zoo I got in 5th or 6th grade.

my mom gave me the watch, and the cuff bracelet was given to me by my Aunt, I think. the gold necklace was given to me by my BF in Germany.

The upper arm bracelet was given to me as a re-gifted item that was re-gifted multiple times from the bride's sister.

My hair style was loosly based on a hairstyle by German Rave Princess and pop star Blümchen (Jasmin Wagner) of whom I was a BIG FAN. The hairdo was based on her hairdoo she wore in a live concert in Berlin sometime in 1995 or 1996, in which she wore 3 braids in front, and the rest of her hair down, wearing what looked (i think) like the same dress she wore in the "Boomerang" music video where she's rollerblading around in Florida wearing a short white prom dress that laces up the back.

So, something like this, but down in the back.

I tried to find the photos online, but failed. I am sure I have it saved on CD-ROMs somewhere by my CD/DVD-ROM drive/player is busted on my computer. So, I can't even see what;s on my disks.


And, the after party was so drab, dull, and boring.
The only food I recall being there, to my memory, was some kind or silver or metal plates with rolled up delicatessen slices rolled in mayo or mustard, left out in the heat.

So, I starved the whole day, until I was allowed to have a bread roll.

And, the cans of cheap soda were warm because all the ice melted in the heat.

Anyways, I recall the wedding to be very boring, in a church, and the people in charge seems to not really care about doing their job. It was also an awkward wedding.


Even tho' I was best friends with the bride in Middle school & high school, and even went to the same high school, I wasn't allowed to participate in the wedding as a bride's made (even tho' I was the only actual "maiden" by which I mean I was the ONLY Virgin). The reason was because I was a Protestant. I was, but I was also New Age, and the bride dabbled A LOT in the occult & WICCA. At the time I still considered myself Protestant, just nondenominational, and altho' I was very socially liberal, I was actually rather religious, and so my my boyfriend.... but, I was also interested in New Age EVERYTHING, as well as ESP, and the paranormal.

As far as I know, the person the bride considered her best friend... might've actually also been a Protestant also... so, I have no idea what to think about that, because that chick was a bride's maid, and I wasn't, and both she, and her sister also called me their sister.

I don't know what it is with brides, but around the wedding time, they all get this attitude... don't know what to call it. It's like this uppity, power-pushing thing... I think it's a real thing. ALL OF THEM.

And, i recall being annoyed with the bride that whole week, and her just ignoring me like I didn't exist, unless she has some smart-ass quips...

Then, after all the party stuff was done, she cried, and hugged me, and thanked me for coming to her wedding, and wailed up a storm all over me...

...um.... whatever... people are weird.

What was that Bill Murray film back in the day where he was a motivational speaker, and he kept saying "OK, I'm over it"?

well...

OK, I'm over it....

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