What To Shoot in Singapore – Marina Bay – Part 2

Marina Bay, what a place to be in Singapore now.  Beautiful location for night photography in Singapore.

It has changed a lot and it has changed for the better since they started a number of constructions around the area which included the new Marina Bay Sands Hotel and Casino. Yes, the buildings in the above photo are the old ones, but the location where I stood to take the photo is new. It’s a very spacious and beautiful promenade. You can either walk along or sit to enjoy the night view of the bay.

I knew that there were constructions going on, but it wasn’t until last Thursday when I was walking around to scout for locations for a pre-wedding shoot that I did over the weekend, that I found that this place was ready. Not 100%, but a good 80% I think. So yesterday afternoon, I decided to go for a night shoot. I will certainly go back there again as I was only shooting from one location yesterday. There are still many other spots to explore to get different views of the bay. So, I’ll be back.

You can see the different mood and the change in color temperature in the photos here, starting from when the sky was still bright, getting darker (see photos below) and when it’s almost completely dark (see photo above). My camera was on tripod, mirror lock-up was activated and I used the shutter release cable too. By the way, I finally  used my new tripod, the Gitzo GT1541T which I got as a gift from my good friend. Love the tripod. Very light and sturdy.

In the photo above, you can see there are still some constructions going on in the Marina Bay Sands area on the right hand side. That lotus flower-shaped building will be the new Art & Science Museum. And slightly behind it, you can see the Singapore Flyer.

And here is that new Marina Bay Sands Hotel and Casino with the completed SkyPark at the top of the buildings.

While I was shooting, there was a construction worker who stood next to me, watching me taking one shot after another. His name is Sukanta and he came from Bangladesh 3 years ago to work as a construction worker for the contractor who built the Marina Bay Sands Hotel. He had to borrow 300,000 Taka (~S$ 6,500) from a bank in order for him to come to Singapore. He needed that big amount of money to pay the agent who would find him an employer in Singapore. But he proudly told me that he had already paid back the bank loan completely and has been saving for his future since then. He gladly posed for me with the Marina Bay Sands hotel in the background, the buildings where he had contributed his mind and energy in the past 3 years. I am sure he is very proud now knowing that he was part of the team who built it. He told me that he had taken thousands of photos over the past 3 years and hopes that one day, he can show them to his future wife and children to share with them about his achievement in helping to build the hotel.

As I was packing up my gears, I continued to talk to him. He has an aspiration to be a writer one day. He loves writing, he said. He writes poems and stories in Bengali, his native language, and he hopes to publish a book once he has enough savings and returns to Bangladesh few years from now. He also hopes to resume his university study and would like to build a house and start his own business using the money that he is saving now.

I had a good 30 minute chat with this young man who has strong determination and knows what he wants to achieve. I sincerely wish him the best for his future.

Have you heard about Singapore Blog Awards 2010? I am one of the Top 10 Finalists for the Best Photography Blog category. If you like this blog and you have a moment to spare, I would appreciate if you could vote for me.