I visited a friend in Singapore late Summer 2024. One of the first days after a day trip he said: “I knew that taking pictures of Marina Bay Sands is a thing. But so many?” Well let’s just say that I am passionate about taking pictures and when I do I am in the zone. Caring little for such things as no trespassing signs or the fact that my companions might be ready to move on. (That’s a lie. I care about no trespassing signs if they would make a good picture.)
I ended up with more than 300 photos tagged as favourites. That’s almost 40 per day. About half of them with people I know which I usually don’t share on my blog. Not all hold up over time. My guideline for taking a photo is that it should either tell a story or make a great composition. In rare cases, I get both.
Let me share the best six pictures from my trip to Singapore 2024. And tell a little about what I like about them and how I took them.
The contenders
Three photos are runners up for the best picture of my trip to Singapore. All are good pictures with their own merit. Just a tad short of the oomph needed to make the top three.
The Merlion
The Singapore Merlion is the number one photo opportunity for tourists in downtown Singapore. Near where the Singapore River runs into the bay with a steel and concrete backdrop skyline. It's actually not easy to take a decent picture of. It's facing the sea and while there is a nearby peer you are still limited in what angle you can get. Plus you have the crowds.
While I was working my way to the composition below I did take another decent shot. Two young men also hunting for that mandatory Singapore shot caught a glimpse of it on my phone and was so excited that they asked me to share a copy. While I had preferred teaching them a thing or two about smartphone photography, our shared vocabulary was reduced to what their translate app could do so I airdropped them my shot and moved on.
I do like how the city lights make the clouds stand out. "The sky above the city was the colour of a television tuned to a dead channel" as William Gibson started his cyberpunk novel Neuromancer. Purple, blue, yellow reflected in the dark green water.
When taking pictures of famous views, check out Google Maps or the local post card stand for what others have done. What is a good time of day and where is the best place to take the picture from?
Marina Bay Sands by night
We had visited the Marina Bay Barrage on our first day where the sky was an overcast grey. Not satisfied with my first pictures of this iconic Singapore building, I returned. Our walk back from the merlion around the harbour offered plenty of views of the casino and I decided upon this as the best shot. It's good. But too boring and classic to be great.
Place the main object in one of the four corners 1/3 from the edge (your smartphone shows you these when you edit).
Singapore River
We walked up the Singapore River on a day with white fluffy clouds on a blue sky. The river is dark green and the residential towers are white and blue. The single arc of the pedestrian bridge caught my attention and I jumped off the path down into the bushes next to the water. After getting the composition I wanted, I asked my companions to pose on the bridge and by magic they stopped exactly in front of two white towers for perfect silhouettes.
Move around high and low to get that perfect composition. In this case I had to jump a fence and get closer to the water.
The best
I have three pictures on my shortlist for the best of my trip to Singapore in 2024. I can't decide which of them is best, they are all great. All of them chance encounters. Life is what happens while we are busy doing other things. So keep your eyes open and your smartphone ready.
The pencil towers
I don't know what they are called but I call them the pencil towers. They are residential buildings and my friend took us to this area as he needed to pick up stuff. I'm taking the picture from a lawn in a park and I'm eyeing for a good view as we walk by. They are so tall that there is no point in getting a straight shot. So I'm leaning into the distorted perspective and have the towers reach for a point in the sky somewhere top right. The lush green trees add depth and frame the concrete and the open blue sky.
In its simplicity it captures the essence of Singapore: Trees and tall rises.
Look up. Look behind you. Look. There is always something that could make for an excellent shot.
Upper Bukit Timah Truss Bridge
Overcast and rainy, we were heading for the Former Ford Museum. As we were about to pass under the bridge, I took a detour to check out the Rail Connection and came upon this view. My first shot had people crossing but as the rain got heavier, we continued to the museum. This is then a couple of hours after the rain cleared. While the sky is a somewhat boring blueish grey, the bridge and the tracks come out with a pale glow from the rain.
The steel overhead forms an inward spiral. It's simple and it works.
When you found a good composition but didn't quite get everything right, return. A different time of day with different light and fewer people will lift an ok picture to something great.
Tropical rain
We had visited the market hall in Little India for spices to bring home. As we came out it poured. The green and orange wall and the pavement reflect the pale grey sky. A guy checks is phone. The heavy droplets blurs the right side of the building. I took three shots and picked this one without cars passing by on the road. I like it. It's calm and busy at the same time.
For a composition like this with a smartphone, hold the camera as close to perfect vertical/horizontal as you can. All these straight lines will crash on you otherwise.
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