Non UK Singapore

[jpgreenwood]

I'm en route to Indonesia on saturday for 3 weeks work and staging through Singapore. I'm lucky to hit it on a bank holiday so have to hang around for 2 days for my visa. I will only have one night and one day in Singapore to go out with my camera though. I'm travelling light with only my DSLR and a 17-70, and a Panasonic LX100. I have no idea where to go or what to see so can anyone advise.? I would love some street photography and some city scapes at night. I don't want to upset the locals by taking candid portraits and I don't want to stumble into bad areas. I don't want to miss this chance of a lifetime as I'll probably never go back. Can anyone advise on what to see and do and how to stay safe. Thanks.

 

[justa1972]

Its a fantastic City and is very safe (and clean - even chewing gum is banned) We had no issues walking around even at night and with my camera. I didnt really see any 'bad' areas !!

You will be spoilt for choice but the obvious attraction is Marina Bay Sands including the stunning hotel. There is a bar at the top and if you buy a ticket to go up in the evening the views are just incredible - you get a drink included in the ticket price.

The Trees are also superb - again go in the evening and walk around the boardwalk - wait for the light and music show - well worth waiting for.

There are also some great old Colonial buildings and ethnic centres like Little India and a very interesting Arab and Chinese Quarter.

One bit of advice, everything is very expensive including eating out, so do what the locals do and eat in the Hawker Centres - you can get a great plate of authentic food for around a fiver although alcohol is expensive !

I would love to go back !

Here is a quick shot i took from the top of Marina Bay Sands


And one overlooking the Skyline from the bay with the Trees in the foreground - give yourself plenty of time around this area !

And finally a street scene in the Little India district

 

[jpgreenwood]

Do you think I'll manage with a little pocket manfrotto tripod? It's just a table top thing. Will I regret not taking my carbon travel tripod?

 

[zaytsev]

Singapore is a great place to walk around with your camera. If you want to take some night cityscapes then you may want to take your larger tripod, but if you are set closer to street level looking up at the old buildings with the new skyscrapers behind them and the rage of colourful lights zipping past then you may be ok with something much smaller. If it were me I would take your travel tripod, and then there are no regrets.

With a lot of the Singaporeans you will not have any issues taking candid photography, with Chinatown, Tiong Bahru and Little India (the Arab quarter is a short walk from here) great places to have a mooch and cool off with a cold beer. Some of the busiest places are the hawker food areas for street photography however sometimes they are so busy taking pictures is difficult and the food is so good that pictures come second best! There are no real bad areas to speak of with a visible police presence in many locations and as with a lot of south east Asia most of the public do not bat an eyelid in what you're doing, wearing or what camera you have.

If you are heading to Indonesia then this is a highly underrated place for street photography and is a world away from Singapore in almost every sense, and well worth making the effort and getting out on the back of a gojek with your camera.

Enjoy.

 

[jpgreenwood]

Thanks for that. I've made a list which consists of 8 must -do's.
Tiong Bahru, Marina Bay/Supertrees, Marina Barrage, Buddha Tooth Temple, Chinatown, Little India, Merlion park and Helix Bridge.
I'm not sure of the logistics of this and how to get about but in such a short timeframe, its going to be a busy one. Im thinking Marina Bay, Helix Bridge and Marina Barrage for the night time cityscapes. I'm staying Orchard Road area.

 

[jpgreenwood]

Just to update this thread. I spent a wonderful 3 days in Singapore and managed to get to Marina Bay, Marina Barrage, Supertrees, Merlion, Chinatown and Little India. Ive got some great shots and cant wait to edit them and post. Indonesia is a lovely place and the stark difference of wealth is apparent. Locals are really friendly and love having their photos taken. The landscape isn't very scenic, but the villages are really interesting. Its amazing to see wild monkeys and some of the huge moths and spiders.