Marina Bay - Singapore

Some people might think that photographers just go out there point their camera, take a couple of shots, go home, post on social media, and repeat. This travel to Singapore taught me so much about photography and planning, or lack of it.

Every now and then I plan a hike, or road trip, and who doesn’t like a road trip? staying away from the chaos of cities, jungle of concrete with rivers of people, looking down at their smartphones connected but disconnected …

Exposure Mode: Manual exposure
Exposure Program: Manual
Exposure Time: 1.6
Flash: Off, did not fire
F-Stop: 16
Focal Length: 28
Photographic Sensitivity (ISO): 100
Lens Model: EF28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM
Max Aperture Value: 3.75
Shutter Speed Value: 1.600

F-stop

Focal Length (mm)

Shutter Exposure (s)

Sunrise at Marina Bay – Singapore

by | Jul 22, 2021 | Architecture, Travel

Sunrise at Marina Bay, Singapore

Some people might think that photographers just go out there point their camera, take a couple of shots, go home, post on social media, and repeat. This travel to Singapore taught me so much about photography and planning, or lack of it.

Every now and then I plan a hike, or road trip, and who doesn’t like a road trip? staying away from the chaos of cities, jungle of concrete with rivers of people, looking down at their smartphones connected but disconnected.

All these travels allow me to find a moment to connect with nature, new people, and to capture it with my camera. My last trip overseas was the perfect opportunity to bring some of my gear and plan some photos out of my comfort zone. I packed, book a flight, and planned a vacation that included visiting three countries in less than two weeks, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand.

 

Singapore

I was exhausted!!! And how could I not be? after a full day and night of flights, two layovers, one in San Francisco, another one somewhere in China, and finally getting to my destination in Singapore.

At first, I thought I will get to my bed and will fall asleep as soon as my head touches the pillow, however, this was not the case. Probably you’ve been there, traveling around the World getting to the final destination tired and excited at the same time.

This was me, arrived around 1 am, whatever time zone Singapore is. Slept for about two hours, I was there in this strange capsule hotel, really is nothing but a hostel with some cheap lights and decoration to make it look futuristic. I was tossing and turning trying to reconcile my sleep without success.

So, I got up and started to plan my day around 3 am. Had a shower, trying to be quiet to not disturb other guests. It was still too early in the morning and I couldn’t gather my thoughts, so I just got dressed grabbed my camera and tripod, and headed to the unknown streets in Singapore.

The climate is warm at 4 am, there is a dimmed blue light before sunrise. I am wandering in the streets following google Maps in the direction of the marina. I expected to see empty streets but to my surprise the early joggers and runners were already in their morning run, perhaps avoiding the crowds and the heat of a later hour. Here is where I found my first challenge, as a photographer searching for a great location and hope for good lighting conditions, this was not the case for me. I found the perfect location overlooking the marina and across Marina Bay Sands hotel and Science museum, then the unexpected. The sky is turning grey as a big cloud covers the dimmed blue light of the sky blocking any possibility for sunrise warm colors.

I took the weather conditions as a challenge and think about my intention with my photography. As the day was getting brighter the clouds actually served as a light diffuser helping to set a calm and cold tone, perfect for a black and white photo. As I am walking around looking for a composition I noticed that the wind stopped and the reflection of the amazing architecture is reflected in the water like a mirror. I didn’t wait too long and started to look for a place to set my tripod and set up my composition before is too late.

This is the story of this photo, and if you are looking for inspiration or a piece of advice, here it is: use what you have in hand to take photos you don’t need a professional camera, use the external conditions to your advantage and take the challenge, and take your time, change locations, the position of the camera, and take several photos with different settings, this will get help to get more familiar with your camera and the settings in a particular situation. Remember photos might look different on the computer and printed so is better to have different settings for the same composition. What other considerations do you take when taking photos? 

Did you find this useful? inspiring? would you join me in my next adventure?