Stairway Connector

Stairway Connector

© 2006 Martin Liew Photography

This stairway connector is located along Kallang Bahru, just beside a bridge across Kallang River and a park connector that runs the southern perimeter of Kallang Distripark. The stairway and park connector have since been upgraded, so it looks different now compared to the above photograph which was made 14 years ago.

I came across it and found the juxtaposition of the hoarding board and barbed wire along the right side of the stairway, made this photograph appear three-dimensional. It is the result of the juxtaposition of contrasting light and shadows.

Two bracket frames were exposed for 9 minutes each, on the smallest aperture of f/22. The first bracket exposure was composed more closer to the stairway, and the second one as shown above. The shadow areas were really dark. In order to show shadow details especially the concrete textures, flashlight was fired twice at the concrete surface on the left side. After some retouching, followed by burning and dodging on the second bracket shot, this is the result.

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Trishaw & Signboard

Trishaw & Signboard

© 2006 Martin Liew Photography

It was late September 2006 when I spotted this trishaw parked in a nearby neighborhood void deck against a wall signboard with a ceiling light which is on the far top right just out of the frame. As the above photograph doesn't show night sky and street lights, it can pass on as being made in day time indoor environment. Somehow the trishaw and ambiance grabbed my attention and I was compelled to make this photograph of what once was the essential mode of public transportation in the last century.

The first trishaws were officially registered in Singapore in 1914 although they were advertised in the papers as early as 1886 in the form of the Upton Park tricycle. These early trishaws were essentially modified rickshaws attached to a bicycle and as such was known as ‘pedal rickshaws’ or ‘pedicabs’ when they were first introduced. It was not until the 1920s that trishaws became more widespread on the island when a new wave of Chinese immigrants turned to trishaw peddling as an occupation.

It started to suffer a decline in popularity from the mid-1950s onwards. The rapid modernization of Singapore after independence in 1965 hastened the decline. By the late 1970s, trishaw riders were regarded as a dying breed with most of them primarily involved in the tourism trade. Today trishaws have become part of Singapore’s cultural heritage. As trishaws are no longer a common means of travel for locals, the passengers that trishaw riders now ferry are predominantly tourists who employ their services as a means of experiencing the Singapore of yesteryear. As such, most trishaws are now found operating in tourist areas such as Chinatown and Bugis. Currently, it is mandatory for all trishaw riders to operate with a license.

There goes the brief history of trishaws. The photograph was made with an old Shanghai TLR camera on Kodak TMAX 400, exposed for 3 minutes 40 seconds. The film was sent to a photo lab for development but negatives were scanned at home on EPSON V700. Post-processed in Photoshop for essential retouching on dust and common Burn and Dodge for better contrast result.

Dragon of Whampoa (Monochrome)

Dragon Fountain

© 2006 Martin Liew Photography

Good evening fellow night dwellers. This is the Dragon of Whampoa. It used to be a water fountain with water spouted out of its mouth. I like to call it Water-Dragon. On March 22, 2014, I posted a blog of the same title in which I shared a little story of this defunct water fountain. Click here to read that blog.

In that blog, I shared an old news about the current Moulmein-Kallang Town Council had plans to refurbish the Dragon fountain, but based on the current COVID-19 pandemic situation that caused global economic downslide, I doubt the Council will ever carry out the refurbishing plans.

Anyway, tonight I want to show you this old night photograph which was made way earlier than the color version I showed 6 years ago. It was made on a quiet mid-October night in 2006. As much as I disliked those super strong powerful LED floodlights, somehow its dramatic lighting contrast added this cinematic noir effect. Those crisscrossed tree trunks and its casted shadows on the foreground attributed the atmospheric mood as well.

The scanned image sat silently in my photo archive long enough, and hence I opened it in Photoshop and started editing this late afternoon. I did record all my camera settings, locations, date, and time on a little notebook, for all my black and white film night photography. Upon checking, I found out that I made a super long exposure of 9 minutes of this Dragon fountain. Yes it was over-exposed and after some retouching and editing, I managed to retain highlight details of the Dragon and this is the result.

Photo Info:

Shanghai TLR | 75mm f/3.5 (Taking Lens) | Kodak TMAX 400

'Lurking...' No. 5 《另途之期望》 五

'Lurking...' No. 5 《另途之期望》 五

© 2006 Martin Liew Photography

Greetings fellow night dwellers! Tonight I'm going to share another black and white photograph from my photo archives. It's part of a small project titled Lurking. With a roll of Kodak TMAX 400 loaded in a Shanghai TLR camera, a long exposure of 3 minutes 40 seconds was made of this quiet pavement in Fort Canning Park. Negative was scanned on EPSON V700. Post-processed in Photoshop with Burn tool for better contrast result.

That's it for tonight. Just to keep things short and sweet and to the point. Stay safe and healthy, everyone. Do lookout for the next night photograph. Click here to subscribe for new updates.

A Night In The Park (2020 Edition)

A Night In The Park

© 2005 Martin Liew Photography

Good evening fellow night dwellers! Here's another black and white night photograph I dug from my photo archival. It is dated back to late October 2005. Like the last night photograph I shared here, it's part of my long-term photography project, Dwell In The Night.

It was seven minutes to three in the wee hours while everyone was sleeping. There I was all alone in the park enjoying the night atmosphere and tranquility. I can still "smell" it when I see this photograph. The frame was a second take and exposed for three minutes with an old Shanghai TLR camera on Kodak TMAX 400. Negative scanned on EPSON V700 and further contrast adjustments in Photoshop.

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P.S. A first 2005 edition of this night photograph was posted here. Check if out if you will. Personally, I prefer this latest edition without cropping and better tonality contrast.