Triple Sands and Double Helix

Singapore is an incredibly photogenic city, with so many interesting sites to see and capture. One great area to spend time is around the Marina Bay area. The architecture here is spectacular, with some of the more interesting examples including the Marina Bay Sands complex (the three buildings 'connected' by a 'ship' on the roof, and the famous Double Helix pedestrian bridge. Marina Bay itself is fascinating, with the entire bay having been dammed and converted into a freshwater reservoir, providing an important alternative freshwater source for the city-state. As a key part of the Singapore 'downtown core' area, Marina Bay is an area worth exploring for the travelling photographer. This image was taken in the late afternoon, as I was scouting around for angles for sunset. With the use of a polariser and ND filters, and some minor retouching in Luminar, I am very happy with the image.

Downtown Core by Night

Singapore's Downtown Core is the CBD of the city, built around the visually spectacular Marine Bay.

The Bay is a freshwater reservoir, ensuring generally smooth surfaces for reflections from the picturesque city at night.

As usual, blue hour is very much my favourite time to shoot, and this image was created from a single RAW file, and processed using a couple of quick steps in Luminar.

Singapore is certainly one of the most spectacular destinations for cityscape photography.

Marina Bay Three

In my opinion, Singapore is one of the most incredible places for city scape photography, with the magnificent Marina Bay Sands hotel complex being one of the most incredible features in this stunning city. The whole Singapore Downtown Core area, including Marina Bay contains a plethora of sights and photography sites and I could (and have) spent many hours exploring the area by day and night, and of course during the golden and blue hours. While much of my photography is in the golden and blue hours, unusually this one is taken during the mid-afternoon sun. A circular polarising filter and some colour correction in post have helped in attaining an image that has pop. As with most images shot with standard lenses, this one had some quite noticeable distortion, which I corrected using the built in tools in Lightroom CC - on the iPad Pro using an Apple Pencil. This has to be the easiest way of correcting distortion I've experienced. Of course it is important to leave plenty of space around structures that are going to be straightened as there will be some loss as you adjust distorted images.

Marina Bay Three

In my opinion, Singapore is one of the most incredible places for city scape photography, with the magnificent Marina Bay Sands hotel complex being one of the most incredible features in this stunning city. The whole Singapore Downtown Core area, including Marina Bay contains a plethora of sights and photography sites and I could (and have) spent many hours exploring the area by day and night, and of course during the golden and blue hours. While much of my photography is in the golden and blue hours, unusually this one is taken during the mid-afternoon sun. A circular polarising filter and some colour correction in post have helped in attaining an image that has pop. As with most images shot with standard lenses, this one had some quite noticeable distortion, which I corrected using the built in tools in Lightroom CC - on the iPad Pro using an Apple Pencil. This has to be the easiest way of correcting distortion I've experienced. Of course it is important to leave plenty of space around structures that are going to be straightened as there will be some loss as you adjust distorted images.

The Flyer and the Flower

Made during our recent trip to Singapore, this image shows two of the iconic sights around the Downtown Core of this beautiful city.

On the left is the Singapore Flyer, the second largest ferris wheel in the world.

On the right is the fabulous ArtScience Museum, which was built to resemble the shape of a lotus flower. While we were there we particularly enjoyed the 'NASA: A Human Journey' exhibition.

The ArtScience Museum is part of the beautiful Marina Bay Sands area. In many ways the ArtScience Museum visually and functionally represents Singapore itself - a unique blend of modern science and traditional culture.

This image was made in the mid-afternoon, and a circular polariser was a key part of creating it.

Marina Bay Sands

I love spending time around the Downtown Core area of Singapore whenever I visit the exotic Asian city. The island nation has developed a unique combination of the old and the new, of Asian and western and of formal and casual. Photographically, the Downtown Core is a dream. There are many buildings, bridges, and other structures to make images of and the waters of Marina Bay provide a delicate balance to the formations and the sky. This image was made mid-afternoon, so a polarizing filter helped to reduce the glare. Singapore is a great destination in its own right and is a comfortable stopover for travellers flying between other Asia-Pacific destinations and Europe. Well worth a visit, and for photographers, there are some great camera stores to be found with reasonable prices.

The Colours of Clarke Quay

Singapore is a colourful city. I didn't tropical business-hub to be so vibrant and vivid, so as a photographer I was delighted to experience not just the modern architecture mixed with Asian heritage, but also the colourful expression of city's colonial past. We explored the city mostly by foot, but a boat tour from Marina Bay to Clarke Quay was a great way to explore a variety of locations, and to scout things out. Along the river several colourful areas were quite photogenic. With the sun direction on the day, Clarke Quay proved particularly attractive. I created this photo in the middle of a bright, sunny day. With the sky and the water, my polarising filter was critical to getting a good base image. I did some colour correction in Lightroom, and a little bit in Luminar and the resulting image represents the picture I saw on the day quite nicely.

Colours of Old Hill Street

Whatever way you look at it, Singapore is a colourful city. It boasts a colourful mix of cultures, cuisines and language, and it boasts a rich array of colourful architecture. With 927 windows in a variety of colours, Singapore’s Old Hill Street Police Station is a striking landmark as you cruise up the Singapore River from the Marina Bay towards Clarke Quay. The building no longer functions as a police station, but its presence, colour and architecture tell a story – a story that is rich with the history of a building that has served as a colonial era police station, a Japanese wartime kempeitai and into the modern era as a government building.