No Expectations

Photo of the Day - October 17, 2008

by Kip Cole on Thursday, October 16, 2008 at 10:54 UTC

Clifford Pier Before Remodelling

Clifford Pier is a landmark of Singapore. Built from 1927 it was the first port of arrival for many immigrants and a centre of trading activity. Like many buildings of historic value in Singapore, the hectic pace of modernisation and development threatened its future, however it has been marked for conservation as part of the redevelopment of the downtown area.

As always, photographing outdoors in Singapore can be tricky. The light after dawn tends to harsh and flat with a lot of glare and few days where blue sky and clouds provide a strong background. Therefore, photography right before dawn can work well. However, being only just over one degree off the equator, sunrise is a rapid affair year round, providing only about 15 minutes of the best light at either end of the day.

I shot at Clifford Pier a couple of times in preparation for this image. Partially to get the timing right and also to settle on a composition that reflected the style of the place. With dawn at around 7:12am each morning, I arrive before 6am. Although dawn may be just after 7am, the best light for this kind of shot is before dawn, when the glow and reflections of the sun in the sky are at their best - a bit like a huge softbox moderating the light. Within 5 minutes of sunrise the light is gone. Note that camera clock was not set correctly for this shot so the exif data is incorrect.

With the timing settled, the next issue is composition. As is readily apparent, the curved roof provides a strong pattern. First instinct was to shoot from the other direction, pointing out to sea. However there was no practical way to balance the light - to get good exposure on the roof and not blow out the sky. So facing back towards the road became the choice.

To accentuate the curves I chose a wide shot and positioned the camera on the ground. Well, on a small tripod as close to the ground as possible. The combination of the low perspective and wide angle draws attention to the curves and to the tone of the image and away from the floor and other elements that do not contribute to the image.

One benefit of an early morning is that there are few people in the downtown area. But there’s always something going on. In the background of the image are a few workers coming off night shift and having their morning coffee. And a couple of people who haven’t quite finished with their evening’s entertainment.

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