Scenes from Singapore

Shoes are a necessity, with some having more pairs than others, and all having more pairs than they have feet to put them on! But what is interesting is the design of these foootwear across the different cultures all over the world. A culture that puts in effort to beautify a piece of clothing item that is deemed to have the lowest stature (due to its physical location and its function) is indeed interesting. And what more if it is almost like a work of art, bearing the fact that in this day and age, it is no surprise that everything is 'Made in China'.

'Shoes galore'
Serangoon, Singapore
© 2008, ID Photography

A photo A week

'Clouds over the Northern skies'
Woodlands Waterfront Park, Singapore
© 2011, ID Photography

One of those times where I almost got trapped in a thunderstorm. But the photographer in me just can't help but to capture that one more shot...of that moment where the clouds start to gather, and the light of day gives in to the grey tones of an impending storm.

Open House 2011...slideshow

A slideshow of my institution's Open House held on the 21st May 2011. Enjoy...

Connecting the Dots

'ChillaXing'
Saigon, Vietnam
© 2011, ID Photography
(Processed using Filterstorm Pro on iPad 2)

It has been a fruitful day so far in terms of their learning. And not surprisingly I am also learning too. What I realise sometimes is that teaching (and learning) in itself is a never-ending job...you just have to be ready to teach, or learn, at any time of the day. But beyond just learning about the knowledge per se, what I discover even deeper is about the need to create that connection...to sort of like link the dots. The dots here meaning the idiosyncrasies of each and every one of the charges under my care. The quiet ones, the ones with hidden talents, the ones whom would grow up to be more than just a leader...or simply those whose 'path' is yet undetermined...well you can't really tell in these sort of things.

But more importantly than just about being their teacher in the classroom, it is also about ensuring that they would continuously learn even out of it. Learning of character...learning how to connect with each other, learning about how sometimes...even their own teachers like me...do have their crazy sides. And I hope with each passing day over here, I would be able to learn and uncover them even more...to link and connect their hidden dots, and more importantly, for me to be able to see their potential, in just as much as they would have learnt in their learning trip here in Saigon.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad2

Scenes from Singapore

I have always love bags, especially so if they are functionally useful and aesthetically decent. I remember having used to have this multi-coloured cloth bag a really long time ago. It reminds me of the tribal craft works done by the indigenous people from Sarawak. So when I came across something similar in Serangoon, my mind just wonders off to those times. I did manage to snap a picture of it for posterity.

'Going tribal'
Serangoon Road, Singapore
© 2008, ID Photography

Leaving for Learning

As we waited to board the plane on our way to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, my only hope is that my students would become better persons of character when they come back. Hopefully each one of them would realise how lucky and privileged they are to be where they are right now, and I wish that they would reflect on this deeply, during, and after the trip.

'Leaving'
Terminal 2, Changi Airport, Singapore
© 2011, ID Photography

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad2

Location:Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

A photo A week

I just love the look of the simple signage, on that old-looking classic door. The peeling paint just add to the depth of the picture too.

'Confessions'
Notre Dame Cathedral,
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
© 2011, ID Photography

Emotions...

'Cooperating'
Sarimbun Camp, Singapore
© 2010, ID Photography

Taken during my institution's orientation camp for the pioneer batch, this photo captures the essence of what cooperating means, as the class, barely into their first week of knowing each other, was tasked to skip together as a team over the long rope. It was not an easy feat to achieve, as it took them quite a while to achieve something that is theoretically simple, but definitely very challenging to achieve.

Self-portrait...

Jungfraujoch (Top of Europe), Switzerland
© 2008, ID Photography

A picture that I took at the highest point of Europe, at the famous Jungfraujoch. Noticing a chrome sphere, I decided to take a picture of myself and the reflection using my trusty point-and-shoot camera. The gloves and thick jacket that I am wearing is a reflection of the temperature outside...about minus 14 degrees Celcius.

My first ID photography media production....

My first...hopefully not my last!

Slideshow: My North Bridge Road shots

Shots from North Bridge Road jaunts. Enjoy!

 

'My North Bridge Road jaunts'
North Bridge Road, Singapore (Circa May 2011)
Photos © 2011, ID Photography

Song: Sonnensche Ich Liebe Dich (Chill Out Mix) by Mikel B

(Best Of Chill Out Lounge)

A photo a week...Scenes from the classroom

Another picture that I thought was decent to be showcased here, when I was out looking for a decent demonstration on the concept of Perspective in photography to my students. The orange strips on the cones were just screaming to be photographed in all their glorious 'contrastiness'...for lack of a better term.

"Standing in line"
School of Science & Technology, Singapore
© 2011, ID Photography

Emotions...

'Fun (either way)'
La Salle College of the Arts, Singapore
© 2008, ID Photography

In this second installment, I'd like to show a picture that I took during my initial forays into photography. During my first DSLR photography course way back in 2008, one of the places of interest that we visited was the La Salle College of the Arts in Serangoon, Singapore. As it was still nearing completion and the school have not officially moved in yet, it was a great opportunity to photograph the interior without the other distractions. One of the things that caught my eye was this signage. I thought it was creative on the part of the sign-designer to do a little twist to the famous (or infamous) big 'M' symbol of a certain popular fast-food company. To enhance it, I just love to differentiate the sign from the rest of the drab-coloured interiors by saturating the reds a little.

A photo a week...Scenes from the classroom

I decided to hunt for decent possible compositions that can capture the effect of Perspective at the backyards of the school ground. Here is one of the staircase landing of the school building. I thought the small bunch of shrubbery at the end adds a more real yet antiquated effect to the picture.

"Steps to the top"
School of Science & Technology, Singapore
© 2011, ID Photography

Emotions...

'Loneliness'
Rome, Italy
© 2010, ID Photography

In this set of the 'Emotions' series of pictures, what I am trying to do here is to find that picture, or group of pictures that would best define a certain emotion, or sets of emotions. It's not going to be a perfect fit all the time, but I guess in all things subjective, there will always different opinions to what a picture really defines.

For the first installment, the above picture was taken during one of those moments where things around me was just starting to unwind. Towards the last moments of my vacation in Rome, Italy, and whilst still enjoying the last remnants of the sights and sounds of Rome, and more specifically, just outside the walls of the Vatican, I noticed a flock of pigeons swooping down and gathering around this stranger which was seated directly opposite me. Waiting for the right moment for a bunch of them to gather in front of him, I steadied my camera and compose this shot. I thought the touch of saturating the red jacket that he was wearing that day, amidst the greyness of the concrete slab seats, was a nice contrast to an otherwise great vacation.

Self-portrait...

I thought instead of capturing myself, why not others that are capturing their own self-portraits too. Happen to see this lovely couple taking their self-picture in front of me during the Chingay Festival Preview 2011, and I just snapped away.

"Celebrating couplehood"
Chingay Preview 2011,
Pit Stop Building, Singapore
© 2011, ID Photography