Previously a photojournalist with The Straits Times, Ernest Goh is a Singaporean photographer and visual artist whose work focuses on animals and their relationship with humans.
From ‘The Fish Book’
Ernest’s animal portraits have been published in The Fish Book (2011), Cocks (2013, republished as Chickens in the US in 2015), and The Gift Book (2014) a collection of 15 gift-wrapping paper designs created with various elements from nature – including insects, butterfly chrysalises and flowers.
From ‘The Chicken Book’
His most recent work was presented in the solo exhibition ‘Breakfast at 8 Jungle at 9’ (Objectifs – Centre for Photography and Film, Singapore, 2015).
From ‘The Gift Book’
According to the artist, Ernest’s fascination with the natural world began as a boy at his grandmother’s rural kampung (‘village’) in Singapore, as he waded in streams looking for fish and jumped into bushes searching for spiders.
Singapore-based Lenne Chai has built a reputation as an extraordinary fashion photographer in record time.
First exposed to photography during a module on Photojournalism in her final year as a Mass Communication student, Lenne interned as a photojournalist for the Straits Times before launching her career as a freelance photographer.
Making a splash in locally with her pastel-powered and unconventional images, Lenne soon caught the attention of Japan’s fashion industry and has since been regularly travelling to Tokyo, where she shoots for many leading Japanese publications.
Lenne continues to expand her creative horizons by working on projects such as ‘Karaoke Party’ (a series of three fashion films presented as karaoke videos), and a collaboration with embroidery artist Teresa Lim titled ‘Sad Girls Club’.
Lenne’s work has been featured in local and international publications such as NYLON Japan, Elle Girl (Japan), Harper’s Bazaar Singapore, Designaré, and SPUR (Japan).
Being so compact, and with a great transportation system, getting around Singapore to take a couple of photos is not difficult. Most visitors will certainly take shots of Singapore’s best known icons – the Merlion, Marina Bay Sands, etc. The following are a couple of ideas for different locations.
Pedestrians strolling in Chinatown
Photo by Kevin Carmody / CC-BY
Singapore’s Chinatown with it’s low rise shop buildings and eclectic mix of ornate Chinese, Buddhist and Hindu temples and shrines, is a great place for photographing a variety of sites and subjects.
Path through Kampong Buangkok
Photo by Walter Lim / CC-BY
Kampong Buangkok is outside the city proper, but is worth visiting for photos of traditional village life. One of the only places left where you can take photos of a traditional village of wooden houses, complete with chickens scratching in the shade of jackfruit and banana trees.
Street view of Little India
Photo by Gabriel Garcia Marengo / CC-BY
Great street-style photos can be taken by visiting Little India. This market street is lined with stalls and shops selling Indian products – from piles of spices to garlands of flowers. The bustle of Indian customers and vendors will make you feel like you’re actually in India.
Singapore Night Safari
Photo by Allie Caulfield / CC-BY
If you’re interested in a challenge, visit Singapore’s Night Safari for the opportunity to shoot wild animals at night. While the low-light conditions (and prohibition against using a flash) is challenging, with a fast lens and stepped-up ISO it’s not impossible to get a truly unique photo.
Many first-time travellers to Asia, particularly those on business, have asked about easily accessible photo opportunities in the cities they visit. This post is part of an ongoing series, each on a different Asian city, introducing a few photo locations for visitors with limited time.
Kana Kukui 