Marina Bay in Singapore has become home to a number of five star hotels, and is a popular destination in the evenings to enjoy the fine dining whilst watching the light display on the nearby Marina Bay Sands Hotel. I always enjoy night photography in big cities, so took the opportunity to visit the area with my tripod, camera, and a cable release, and try to get some long exposures.
The Merlion Statue at Marina Bay. This statue is the symbol of the Singapore Tourist Board and relates back to Singapore’s origin as a fishing village. The lion head represents Singapore’s original name – Singapura – meaning “lion city” or “kota singa”
As well as the hotels, Marina Bay is also home to many of the large financial organisations based in Singapore. The lights in the offices were still on when I was taking these photos at around 9pm, suggesting either office workers working late, or the companies don’t care about their energy bills or the environment. Sadly I fear the latter…..
My main reason for visiting Marina Bay was to see the Gardens by the Bay. I had seen a number of good photos online before my trip, and wanted to try and capture some myself. It’s a fair walk from the Merlion statue around the bay to the other side and the Gardens, especially in the Singapore evening heat, but I was glad I made the effort. The Gardens are behind the Marina Bay Sands Hotel, which is an impressive structure boasting three towers, and an infinity swimming pool on the top.
The Supertrees in the Supertrees Grove are tree-like structures that dominate the Gardens’ landscape with heights between 25 and 50 metres. The Supertrees are home to many garden environments, and are open to visitors during the day. At night, they are lit up, and are spectacular to walk amongst.
All shots in this post taken with the Leica M-E and Super-Elmar 21mm lens. Exposures ranged from 2 to 16 seconds.