The morning started with a cloudy sky, giving me a hunch that my plan to revisit Fort Canning and explore other areas might not work out. Sure enough, it began raining around lunchtime—a light, steady rain that would likely last for hours. I decided to change plans and head somewhere I could still take photos without getting soaked. Among my options, I chose the Marina Bay area, where a large shopping mall offered both shelter and some interesting photo opportunities.
When I arrived, I noticed that the walkways around the mall were shaded, making them ideal spots for reflection shots. With puddles on the ground, I saw a great chance to crouch down and capture reflections for my photography. It might have looked a bit awkward, but I didn’t mind—getting those nice angles and nearly mirror-like reflections was worth it!
Have you noticed the unique building behind the trees?
That’s the ArtScience Museum, and I remembered there’s a beautiful lotus pond beneath it. I headed over to take more photos, thinking it would be a great spot for capturing reflections.
When I reached the pond, I was thrilled to see how still the water was. Even though plenty of people were walking around, the water remained undisturbed, thanks to the space separating the pond from the pathways. I think it’s designed this way to prevent people from tampering with the pond or reaching out to pick the flowers.
The building is surrounded by the lotus pond, with plenty of space to take in the views. I crossed the walkway and headed straight to the center of the building, where I noticed fewer people and some great spots for capturing reflections of the flowers with the tall buildings in the background.
I'm using my DJI Osmo Pocket to take photos, and although it's very handy and easy to use, controlling the focus can be challenging because it’s automatic. As a result, in some shots, the subject I wanted in focus ended up blurred, lol. Still, the photos turned out well, as they produced a nice result in the end.
You might be wondering why I turned all the photos into black and white.
Well, aside from this post being my entry to the #monomad photo challenge, I feel these photos look better without color. The weather played a big part in that decision—it was rainy, and the sky was covered by heavy clouds. Everything looked dull and lifeless in color, so to make the images appear more artistic and engaging, I decided to convert them to monochrome.
One interesting angle I discovered was the reflection of the tall buildings in the background. I hadn’t realized that the view of the business district could be captured as a reflection in the pond. It got me excited, so I took a bunch of photos from different spots around the pond to compare the results.
Overall, this rainy day turned into an unexpected opportunity to experiment with reflections and monochromatic photography. Despite the cloudy weather, the pond and architecture offered some unique angles that brought the city’s scenery to life in a fresh way. Thanks for joining me on this little photo adventure—I hope you enjoyed the views as much as I did!
