Singapore sights and MF suggestions?

[Dante_Stella]

Ok, so the last time I was in SG was 28 years ago, and I'm sure the place looks nothing like it did in 1990. If nothing else, the Raffles Hotel was shut down for renovations. First, any must-sees? I'll be on the loose for almost a week, so there's probably not going to be any attraction that's too small.

Second, so if I am packing MF gear for b/w, do I pack the GA645 that I usually take traveling, or is there something worth making a (serious) deviation for, like:

- A Fuji GL690 (+ any lens they made)
- A Horseman SW612 (lens choices: 35, 55, 75)
- Skip MF and go for the Leica M246 with a 28mm/3.5 PC-Nikkor?

I have other things for medium format, but some of the above are pushing the limits of portabilty. The M246 and Nikkor are oddly good at doing architectural stuff (in no small part because the EVF does not black out at f/11-16 when the lens is shifted).

It's always fun to hear suggestions and ideas.

Thanks!
Dante

 

[peterm1]

This video will give you some ideas - though not focused on photography it is more about scenery etc than events and thus may be helpful on that count. I happened to have it book marked as I have been following this young woman's quirky travel blog. The older parts of Singapore (Indian, Chinese and Muslim) are more authentic (i.e. comparatively less redeveloped and gentrified - though this is still relative) and are the best for interesting street photos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqmZP0ISkfU

You mention Raffles - I just mentioned Raffles in another thread by coincidence. Go to the Long Bar and have a drink while observing the odd behaviour there and take the opportunity to make some photos. In the Long Bar (famous for once having had a tiger shot inside the bar - though not while I was there 🙂 ) they provide un husked peanuts free with drinks and the tradition is to throw the husks onto the floor. By the end of the afternoon you are wading through snow drifts of peanut shells. All very colonial, British Raj and Upper Class Public School. I found it quaint. If you enlarge the first image you will see the beginnings of this on the day I was there.

I will see if I can find a few shots when I have a moment but right now have to rush. BTW I have pretty much given up on shooting film so I cannot help you there and the photos under were all shot with a Nikon D700 as I recall.

EDIT: OK had a bit more time than I thought..... most of these images are pretty boring as on my last trip I did not have that much time to make photos and just made some touristy snaps instead. (Also the hot humid weather deterred me a bit from too much wandering in the streets and the ubiquitous underground malls which are air conditioned are also pretty boring - in fact Singapore is so neat and clean and "prissy" you do have to work at finding really interesting images I found but they are there if you try though on this trip I did not try too much).

The Raffles Long Bar as referred to - early in the days as not too much litter on the floor.

Raffles Exterior - Detail

Other Street and building shots

A typical touristy shot of Singapore - two images joined to create panoramic photo

Singapore panorama by Life in Shadows, on Flickr

 

[Out to Lunch]

My two cents:
- 'things to see', buy a multi-day pass upon arrival at Changi Airport so that you can cruise the city, hopping on and off the various means of public transportation: cheap and efficient and it's really hard to get lost. Bring good walking shoes or sandals;
- Marina Bay will be new to you...some nice skyline pics but otherwise, a giant tourist attraction...same for the Gardens by the Bay and Sentosa;
- streetwise: Bugis; Little India; Chinatown; a stroll through Orchard Road, and take the bus to the outlying areas where the majority of Singaporeans live;
- camera/lenses...be nimble. It'll be hot and humid and you don't want to carry a heavy bag around.

- If you'd like hotel recommendations, please let me know.


Cheers, Peter

 

[maigo]

Singapore sights and MF suggestions?

My family and I went to Singapore last March for three days to visit friends.
We stayed at an Airbnb in the Geylang district which has the best preserved shophouses and (some say) most authentic local restaurants.
Worth a walk through Geylang in both early morning and late night.
Stay away from No Signboard restaurant. overpriced tourist trap.
Marina Bay is nice for a cool stroll at night- try walking all the way around the Bay. There is a (nightly?) laser and music show outside the Hotel.
The botanical gardens are a pleasant stroll in the early morning - it opens at 0500h if you are jet lagged.

 

[maigo]

Singapore sights and MF suggestions?

In Singapore I took both my GA645i and Portra 400 and BESSA-R4M with CV 25/4, Ultron-M 35/1.7 and HP5+.
Even though I carried both around with me I ended up using my iPhone the most due to the complications of minding our two young children (3.5yr, 8.5yr) and being cordial with our hosts.
I alternated between an Osprey daypack and Tenba Messenger DNA 8. Those two film cameras fit comfortably with accessories in the DNA8.
We were also in Malaysia visiting family and Japan for sightseeing and I found more opportunities there for relaxed photography.

 

[LKSC]

Dante,

Would be pleased to meet you here, but IMHO there are no "must-sees".

The Raffles has been renovated twice, once in the 90s and just recently (it is still closed, though the hoarding has been removed). The orgininal hotel is actually quite small, most of what people experience is actually the annex they built in the 90s in complimentary style (which itself is being renovated). When it was last open the then, new owners (a Qatari investment group) barred non-residents from entering the lobby (where most of the historical interest is) unless one was going to dine there. Not sure what the new policy will be.

Two buildings of architectural interest that are not often photographed, which may interest you, are the Pearl Bank Apartments and Golden Mile Complex. They will likely be torn down soon. See this NYT article about their impending fate:

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/27/world/asia/singapore-brutalist-buildings.html

IMHO the most architecturally significant building is The Colonnade, an apartment block
designed by Paul Rudolph in the 80s. It's like his Modulightor building in NYC in large scale.

The Chesed-El synagogue, one of the oldest buildings here, is also beautiful, but I believe you have make a special arrangement to pay a visit.

Singapore in general isn't ripe for street photography because the light in peopled areas is often lousy. You're either in intense sun or veiled in flat shadows because it is so built up.

 

[peterm1]

Dante,

Would be pleased to meet you here, but IMHO there are no "must-sees".

The Raffles has been renovated twice, once in the 90s and just recently (it is still closed, though the hoarding has been removed). The original hotel is actually quite small, most of what people experience is actually the annex they built in the 90s in complimentary style (which itself is being renovated). When it was last open the then, new owners (a Qatari investment group) barred non-residents from entering the lobby (where most of the historical interest is) unless one was going to dine there. Not sure what the new policy will be.

Two buildings of architectural interest that are not often photographed, which may interest you, are the Pearl Bank Apartments and Golden Mile Complex. They will likely be torn down soon. See this NYT article about their impending fate:

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/27/world/asia/singapore-brutalist-buildings.html

IMHO the most architecturally significant building is The Colonnade, an apartment block
designed by Paul Rudolph in the 80s. It's like his Modulightor building in NYC in large scale.

The Chesed-El synagogue, one of the oldest buildings here, is also beautiful, but I believe you have make a special arrangement to pay a visit.

Singapore in general isn't ripe for street photography because the light in peopled areas is often lousy. You're either in intense sun or veiled in flat shadows because it is so built up.

I found Singapore to be an interesting place though not, as you say, all that conducive to street photography. I think it's the kind of place where you do have to work at it to find subjects and opportunities. It is so, almost universally so neat and orderly. It is unlike, say, Hong Kong in the respect that in HK images seem to be popping up out of nowhere all the time and it is a mixture of high rise and first world streets and streets that seem to be out of the Blade Runner set. Though as I noted in my other post I think that in Singapore for me at least subjects turned up more often in places like China Town, the Indian Quarter etc. In the end though on my last trip I just ended up spending time making a lot of holiday snaps - partly due to the hot weather at that time of year.

 

[craygc]

I lived in Singapore for 20 yrs until a couple of years ago and still go back regularly...
I wasn't really interested in the "must sees" or scenic photography but there is a lot of interesting life going on Singapore Images

 

[maigo]

Hi Dante,

Any updates on final choices and some sample pictures?

Thanks,

Michael.



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