River Hongbao 2010 Singapore

I went to the Marina Bay site of the Chinese New Year celebration last night to take photos of the fun fair in action. As expected, it was quite crowded and still hot and humid after 8 PM. This setting provided a good opportunity to practice handheld photography in very challenging, low light conditions. Needless to say, the "keeper" ratio of useable photos to total images shot drops dramatically in such a situation, and this was no exception. Attached below are four that survived the selection process. In the last image you can get an idea of the density of people in attendance, and see the Marina Bay Sands casino complex under construction in the background.

Uncle Ringo's UK Fun Fair Singapore

It is the Lunar New Year (or Chinese New Year) here in Singapore, and I made an early morning walk today to the site of the River Hongbao 2010 at Marina Bay. Below are three images of Uncle Ringo's UK Fun Fair at this spot near the Esplanade, in the quiet off-hours before all the visitors arrive. The fun fair operates nightly through February 20.

Thian Hock Keng Temple, Singapore

I walked back to Telok Ayer Street in Singapore this morning in time to go into the Thian Hock Keng Temple before anyone else arrived. I had about 30 minutes to roam about freely and take photos in the soft, early light. The construction of this Hokkien temple lasted from 1839 until 1842, according to the information on their website. The plaque in the last image was apparently presented by the Chinese Qing dynasty Emperor Guang Xu in 1907, with the rough translation of "gentle waves over the south seas" (also helpfully mentioned on the temple's website).

I found that using a fast 50mm lens and high ISO settings allowed for reasonably crisp and acceptably-exposed interior images without a tripod and without flash.

Telok Ayer Street Singapore

On the weekend before Chinese New Year, I took a walk over to the edge of China Town and walked along Telok Ayer Street and made a few photos of the heritage shop houses and the Thian Hock Keng Temple.

Morning Walk to Boat Quay

I walked to Boat Quay this morning and found the colorful shop houses glowing in a wonderfully warm light. I also came upon a quiet scene as a maintenance boat passed underneath the Coleman Bridge headed towards Clarke Quay.

Singapore DuckTour of Marina Bay

After 18 months of living in Singapore we decided it was time we did something every tourist does in a new location, and that is take a tour--in this case, a DuckTour. These amphibious tours last one hour, and depart from Suntec City for a short road tour of the historic civic buildings followed by a water tour of Marina Bay. The water part of the tour provided an opportunity to take photos of the Marina Bay Sands complex from different angles than I have so far, albeit in very uninteresting light.

The 1st image shows one of the other DuckTour craft returning from its tour of Marina Bay. In the 2nd image, you can see the curve of the Sky Garden atop the 55-story hotel towers, which makes it look like a boomerang, from this angle (you can also see me reflected in the side mirror). The strange basket structure (3rd image) is apparently going to become a science and technology museum, in the shape of a lotus. The last image, shows the double helix bridge, also under construction.

Singapore Heritage Building

Lately I have been going for early morning walks in the Ann Siang Hill section of Singapore and enjoying making photos of the many shophouse or heritage buildings around. This past weekend I came across this fascinating, and beautifully preserved white building at the end of a dead-end street--the Chinese Weekly Entertainment Club building, built in 1891.

Marina Bay Sands Construction: Pre-Dawn

I took these images before dawn this morning from the Esplanade looking over to the Marina Bay Sands project here in Singapore. The last image is a closer view of one corner of what will become the Sky Garden on top of the complex (taken with a 200mm lens on the Canon 7D, uncropped)--the wider view can be seen in the 1st image.

Singapore 2010 Countdown Lights Practice

A big light show is being prepared for the New Year's Eve Countdown at Marina Bay in Singapore, and a crew has been out practicing for the big event around 5 AM each morning this week. I went out and made a few images this morning to show what it looks like as I think it will be too crowded on New Year's Eve to enjoy making the photos that I would like. Below are two images--one from ground level looking towards the casino construction and the other a wider view from the 44th observation floor of a nearby apartment.

Heritage Shop Houses on Amoy Street

These are some of the heritage shophouses along Amoy Street in Singapore that I photographed this morning. It was a treat to have no cars on the street obstructing the view today. These images also provided a good opportunity to try out Nik Software's Viveza 2 plug-in, which I am very impressed with--an excellent tool for making subtle, targeted adjustments.

Casino Construction Lights

The Marina Bay Sands casino complex is under construction near our apartment here in Singapore and we have been enjoying watching the progress. Below are a few images from this weekend, taken in the early morning while still dark, with a combination of wide and closer views to give a sense of context as well as detail.

Boat Quay Views: Front & Back

The colorful restaurants and pubs along Boat Quay in Singapore make enjoyable photographic subjects. The contrast between the front view and the view from the behind is interesting to note as well, with all the air conditioning units especially prominent along the backs of the buildings.

Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon 2009

The Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon 2009 was run today here and I had the opportunity to take a few photos from both ground level and a higher elevation to provide some different perspectives on the race. Fortunately, it is a relatively cool and overcast morning (considering this is the tropics), which I am sure the runners appreciated.