Some of Singapore’s finest photographers whip out their iPhone 13 Pro Max to capture the country’s nostalgic spaces and traditions.

Like with any tradition, they are at risk of fading with time. But as Chinese New Year approaches, these photographers visit these places to capture and immortalize them digitally. Hopefully, this does not only help you look at Singapore culture fondly, but also encourage you to keep making memories and capture them beautifully.

Jason Lim — @jsnjnr

Taking a nostalgic walks through Haw Par Villa, photographer Jason Lim shares how a Buddha greets visitors halfway though the journey and notes “I remembered looking at my parents inquisitively when I was much younger, wonder how the Buddha managed to land on top of the pagoda”. Jason shot the image with the Wide Angle lens, using the surrounding leaves to frame and create a focus on the main subject, the Buddha. Found in the 10 Courts of Hell exhibit of the Hell’s Museum.

Jason share’s his “mom once told me that spirits would cross this bridge in the afterlife and their memories in earth would be erased, coming back again, I loved how Portrait mode captured the details of it”.

A familiar face found within the garden in Haw Par Villa is the Goddess of Mercy aka Guan Yin Ma.

“I made use of both the Wide Angle lens and macro function to capture it,” he said.

Jason shares it has been more than 30 years since he last visited Haw Par Villa’s Hell’s Museum exhibit. He says, “my parents would often remind me as a kid that if I misbehaved, I would land here and be punished by the Gods. It’s amazing coming back how detailed the exhibit is, especially when using Night mode”.

Taking a photo of The Pagoda, Jason notes using the Wide Angle lens while having an object nearer than the subject can create a great contrast or “bokeh” effect.

The macro photography on iPhone 13 Pro Max really captures all the details of the embroidery found on an altar.

Lauryn Ishak — @laurynishak

Commercial and editorial photographer Lauryn focused on places that brought personal nostalgia such as Beauty World Plaza at dusk, shot on Ultra Wide Angle. She shares “Beauty World is an iconic place in Singapore — most know it as a place that houses tuition centers and helper’s agencies. It’s not a place frequented by most Singaporeans unless looking for a specific store although the area is currently and slowly going through a little bit of a renaissance”

Snacks from our childhood seen at Nelly’s Retro Snacks – the assorment seen here is something I haven’t seen in many many years. It brought me back to my childhood when I used to buy some of these and I am surprised to still find then decades later.

Taking a walk through nature, an empty black and white bungalow on Malta Crescent in Sembawang shot using 3x Optical Zoom captures another era as “these iconic black and whites in this estate are currently empty.”

A close up of flora near Yishun and shot on Macro captures the ever changing greenery in Singapore.

Darren Soh — @darrensohphoto

Thomson Nature Park was formerly a Hainan Village vacated in the 1980s and then overgrown by secondary forest, so in a way, Singapore did forget about its existence until recently when it was turned into a Nature Park. Many Singaporeans are still unaware of its location or even its existence, so there is much to (re)discover there. Treks through the park early in the mornings will yield morning mist and dew which I have photographed with the iPhone 13 Pro Max”.

On the other hand, visitors to the Night Safari are almost always there for the animals, but since its opening, Darren shares the Night Safari has had an area right next to Upper Seletar Reservoir where the landscape is amazingly beautiful. “I have made three images in this area – here’s a tip, go right when the Night Safari opens at 6.30pm because you will need to trek by foot to the spot I’ve photographed near the Indian Rhino enclosure where you’d be greeted by the last light of day”. 

CR Tan — @xlbcr

Nicole Quek — @nicolequek

Ivan Kuek — @phonenomenon

While many have heard of the Green Corridor, photographer Ivan notes “what many don’t know is that it has a lesser-known sibling, the Jurong Railway Line. Leading westwards from the Bukit Timah Railway Station, the Jurong Railway Line was a 19KM-long railroad that connected Malaysia, then known as Malaya, to the Jurong industrial area’s docks, and National Iron and Steel Mills. Owned by the KTM Railway, the line, which opened way back in early 1966, was projected to generate a revenue of S$3-4 million annually. But with Singapore’s independence, its use was limited and it eventually closed down in the 1990s”.

Ivan focuses on the old Bukit Timah Railway Station and Clementi Forest taken through Macro photography and Ultra Wide Angle.