Looking back at my Canon PhotoMarathon participation, I have participated in eight Canon PhotoMarathons over the years starting from 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018! Personally for me, I had seen Canon PhotoMarathon Singapore transformed and grew over the years from being a local Canon Singapore event to regional Canon countries in Southeast Asia and beyond! My photography also grew along with my years of Canon PhotoMarathon participation since my maiden participation in year 2008. Over the years, this had been a networking and catch up event day with fellow photographers as well, besides concentrating and participating in the Canon PhotoMarathon Singapore competition proper.

Some might ask about Canon PhotoMarathon, what is it all about? I hope that through my stories, photographs and competition themes over the years that I participated and shared my stories, you would also sign up with your fellow photographer friends to join in Canon PhotoMarathon XVII 2019 Singapore, have fun yet you can have the opportunity to win exciting photography prizes!

As I reflect back on my Canon PhotoMarathon adventures from 2018 to 2008, there were so many memories! From crappy and lousy photographs in my early days (Remember this quote “Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst – Henri Cartier-Bresson”), the fun adventures and journeys in Canon PhotoMarathon Singapore had been a good learning experience for me and still would be today.

Year 2018

Year 2017

Year 2016

Year 2015

Year 2013

Year 2012

Year 2011

Year 2008

For this year, Canon PhotoMarathon XVII 2019 Singapore is heading into the heartlands, something different over the years as it was usually held in the downtown area of Singapore. This year 2019 is Singapore Bicentennial year, celebrating Singapore’s national heritage in the heartlands with Canon PhotoMarathon 2019, where the heart and art of photography meets in the HE(ART)LANDS of Our Tampines Hub, Singapore’s first and largest integrated community and lifestyle hub. Photography in the heartlands is something that I can relate to, something close to me, because I am a heartlander!

Do share with your family, relatives, photographer friends on the upcoming Canon PhotoMarathon XVII 2019 Singapore taking place on 12th October! Sign up and come on down for a full day of fun and exciting photography themes challenge with your fellow photographer friends, or with your family and friends!

Sign up here -> http://bit.ly/CanonSGCPM2019

This would be the 9th year that I would be participating in Canon PhotoMarathon XVII Singapore 2019, however, first and foremost, I still need to head over to the website and sign up!

The post Canon PhotoMarathon 2019 Singapore taking place on 12th October appeared first on TGH Photography and Travel Portal/Blog.

The theme for Chinatown Mid-Autumn Festival is “Bicentennial Mid-Autumn Festival 2019” (欢庆开埠两百年 花好月圆庆中秋). This year’s line-up has new bicentennial elements, the lanterns over two kilometres lining up New Bridge Road and Eu Tong Sen Street, giving visitors a visual tour from 200 years back – from the founding of modern Singapore in 1819, to the future of Singapore.

What are the key events and highlights of Chinatown Mid-Autumn Festival 2019? Let me bring you through a quick journey below:

Official Light-Up and Opening Ceremony (开幕典礼与亮灯仪式）

Date: 31st August 2019

Time: 6:30pm to 10:00pm

Location: New Bridge Road and Eu Tong Sen Street

The curtain raiser to Chinatown Mid-Autumn Festival 2019, the Opening Ceremony will take audience on a trip down memory lane from 1819 to 2019 and beyond. This will be a storytelling performance, a total of 248 performers putting up a multicultural theatre, song and dance performances, LED dragon dance and xinyao music medleys.

The Opening Ceremony will end with a big bang with the official light up grand finale!

Street Light Up (牛车水庆中秋亮灯）

Date: 31st August to 28th September 2019

Time: 7:00pm to 12:00am (Sunday to Thursday) ; 7:00pm to 2:00am (Friday and Saturday)

Location: Eu Tong Sen Street, New Bridge Road and South Bridge Road

A convergence of Singapore Bicentennial celebrations and Mid-Autumn festivities is being displayed on the streets of Chinatown in the from of handcrafted lanterns, showcasing the story and history of Singapore’s progress from the founding years, to present and into the future. A total of 168 handcrafted lanterns are displayed along New Bridge Road, Eu Tong Sen Street and South Bridge Road.

The main centrepiece lantern display is at the junction of Eu Tong Sen Street and Upper Cross Street, measuring 11m in height x 7m x 7m, celestial Chang’e is holding the Jade Rabbit, standing alongside seven time “stamps”, reflecting scenes of Singapore and future worlds with a full moon in the background. This centrepiece is a conglomeration of Singapore’s culture and heritage, showcasing the Chinatown Mid-Autumn Festival 2019 theme “Bicentennial Mid-Autumn Festival 2019”, welcoming all visitors to join in Mid-Autumn Festival 2019 celebrations at Chinatown.

Looking Back 1819 – 1965

Spot Sir Stamford Raffles, marking his arrival and Singapore’s beginnings as a free port, check out the attap hut, wooden sampan and fishermen.

Standing On One’s Feet 1965 – 2000 and 2000 – 2019

Two eras that reflects toil in Singapore’s nation building and flourishing of a global cosmopolitan city. Reminisce the nostalgic memories of old-school red and white buses, travel through time to the modern era, spot present day cultural and tourist icons such as Gardens by the Bay and Changi Airport.

Prospects 2019 – future

What does the future hold for Singapore? Check out the abstract buildings and futuristic designs.

Festive Bazaar and Trade Fair (中秋街头市集）

Date: 30th August to 13th September 2019

Time: 6:30pm to 1030:pm

Location: Pagoda Street, Trengganu Street, Sago Street and Smith Street

Come on down for some Mid-Autumn festive shopping and fun at Chinatown Mid-Autumn Festival 2019.

Nightly Stage Shows (中秋综艺晚会）

Date: 31st August to 13th September 2019

Time: 8:00 pm to 10:30pm

Location: Kreta Ayer Square

Gather at Kreta Ayer Square for a nightly dose of fun and entertainment!

Heritage + Food Trail (美食与文化之旅)

Date: 1st, 7th and 8th September 2019

Time: 3:00pm to 5:00pm

Location: Information booth in front of the stage at Kreta Ayer Square

Food lovers alert! Sign up for a heritage + food trail to savour local cuisine located in Chinatown, home to some of the most famous and historical hawker centres in town. There are 22 heritage stalls inside this food trail, all of them have decades of history, heritage and culture within them.

Notes:

Tickets are priced at $10 each (inclusive of food tasting), registration required, slots are allocated on a first-come-first serve basis.

Mass Lantern Walk （中秋大型游灯会）

Date: 8th September 2019

Time: 7:00 pm to 10:00pm

Location:

Start point – Kreta Ayer Square

End point – Along New Bridge Road (main stage in front of Lucky Chinatown)

A highly anticipated and time-honoured practice of Mid-Autumn Festival, carrying a lantern with the extended family under the moonlit sky. This would be a great and fun family bonding time!

Mid-Autumn Festival 2019 is coming soon, it’s also a time for families reunion and fun. Come on down to Chinatown during Mid-Autumn Festival and celebrate with your family, relatives, loved ones, friends and colleagues. Do Pay It Forward and Pass It On, the events, colourful lanterns and programmes taking place during Chinatown Mid-Autumn Festival 2019!

For more information, visit them at:

Website: www.chinatownfestivals.sg

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Chinatown.Festivals

Instagram: www.instagram.com/chinatown_festivals

Official hashtag for Chinatown Festivals: #chinatownfestivalSG

Official hashtag for Chinatown Mid-Autumn Festival 2019: #chinatownbicentennialMAF

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Singapore celebrated her 54th Birthday on 9th August 2019, this was also Singapore’s Bicentennial celebration too! Today, I won’t be writing too many words, if you would like to read my thoughts and well wishes for Singapore’s 54th birthday, I wrote and published an article on my technology, business and personal portal/blog.

I would just like to share my photography stories from the various National Day Parade (NDP) 2019 rehearsals that I attended below! More photographs can be viewed from my Flickr photo album!

A TGH Photography x Canon EOS RP Explorer Series Production

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During my recent videography assignment with Hpility SG, we were covering  Singapore Maritime Week (SMW) 2019. During the assignment that took place over the festival period, I got the opportunity to learn a lot more about Singapore’s shipping industry, not just from my videography shoot, also from my visits to Singapore Maritime Gallery and SMW 2019 Exhibition.

This was also a major assignment for me, using the Canon EOS R (review unit) in an earlier preparation shoot before SMW 2019 started and the Canon EOS RP (personal set) during SMW 2019 itself. Both the Canon EOS R and EOS RP did well, delivered the goods and it was mission accomplished! More of the videography (and photography) reviews from the Canon EOS R and EOS RP would be published in my upcoming review articles.

The key highlight for me, from our various videography shoots that we did during the SMW 2019, was the MPA Learning Journeys 2019 (SMW Edition) – Lighthouse tour. A visit to Raffles Lighthouse, the second oldest lighthouse among the five lighthouses still in use today in Singapore. Raffles Lighthouse was bulit on a rocky island called Pulau Satumu, overlooking the busy shipping route in the Singapore Strait.

On the boat ride to Raffles Lighthouse, participants were able to view the busy Singapore Strait shipping route and learned more about Singapore’s shipping history and importance. At Raffles Lighthouse, it totally blew us off, the bird’s eye view from the top of the Raffles Lighthouse, her history, overlooking the vast and busy Singapore Strait, with many different ships sailing in the channel.

As a heritage and history enthusiast myself, while I do know a bit of knowledge of Singapore’s shipping industry, during my videography coverage of SMW 2019, I realised that the shipping industry sector has a lot more for us Singaporeans to learn, know and understand on its history, significance, importance. I strongly encourage you to visit Singapore Maritime Gallery at Marina South Pier whereby visitors can learn so much more from our very own Maritime museum!

Do check out the YouTube Videos of SMW 2019, covered and produced by Hpility SG, Victorl0 and myself:

AMC 2019 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9TkeqWf2tE

Singapore Maritime Trail 3 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_VfpnQiKLg

Maritime Innovation Lab opening – https://youtu.be/fIni4S1mY64

Lighthouse Tour + Sea Tour – https://youtu.be/W1HN4z-5vfU

SMW 2019 Exhibition – https://youtu.be/jPYCJeDHKzg

I hope that through the videos produced by Hpility SG, Victorl0 and myself would inspire you to learn and know more about Singapore’s shipping industry and Singapore’s history in our Singapore Bicentennial Celebrations during this year 2019.

Links to Singapore Maritime Week

Singapore Maritime Week

https://www.smw.sg

Singapore Maritime Gallery

https://www.maritimegallery.sg/web/portal/home

MPA Learning Journeys

https://www.mpa.gov.sg/web/portal/home/maritime-singapore/public-outreach/mpalj

The post MPA Learning Journeys 2019 (SMW Edition)  – Lighthouse Tour appeared first on TGH Photography and Travel Portal/Blog.

This artwork is Time Rhythm at the Andersen Bridge in Singapore, part of the I Light Singapore 2019 – Bicentennial edition taking place right now till 24^th February 2019. Keep a lookout for my photographs on my Instagram , as I start to explore all of the artworks at i Light Singapore 2019.

Just having a number of thoughts inside my mind, wrote it down and published it on my personal, business and technology website/blog, titled “personal thoughts and updates – 30^th January 2019” Do drop by and visit my article!

I just want to go back to where I started my love for photography and story telling, inspired by National Geographic Magazines when I first started learning photography in the late 80s.

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