Macau 澳門

Macau, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of China. It lies on the western side of the Pearl River Delta, bordering Guangdong province to the north and facing the South China Sea to the east and south. Macau was a Portuguese colony and both the first and last European colony in China. Portuguese traders first settled in Macau in the 16th century and subsequently administered the region until the handover on 20 December 1999.

Looking back to Macau Island from Taipa (Canon G9, 12 shots stitched)

Sal Van Bridge on the left, Macau-Taipa Bridge on the right, and the Friendship Bridge faintly visible beyond that. Its about 2.2 kilometers from Taipa to Macau, although the Friendship Bridge is actually 4.4 kilometers long.

I'll begin by stating for the record, "I find Macau to be a butt ugly city". It has become a gambling mecca with more than 30 casinos on just under 50 square kilometers (broken down as 29.5 Macau; 6.8 Taipa; 7.6 Coloane; Cotai 5.8) and this has led to the construction of bigger and bigger and more glitzy establishments at the expense of local culture and history.

Above is Sands Casino, although its pretty reminiscent of all the larger casinos. Row after row of black jack, roulette, big & small and baccarat tables. As a caveat, I spent 10 years of my life working in casinos on the gaming floor so I come to this with an existing bad taste in my mouth. I've seen what it does to people and the Chinese seemed to be inflicted with a gambling gene which just exacerbates the problems.

So thats my small rant... I actually end up in Macau reasonably frequently - maybe once or twice a year. Work has its regional sales conference there and my sister lives there. This year (2010) back in October it was 3 days held up at the Venetian and I loathed the place from the second I stepped foot into it, which is more of an insight into me than the place itself. Its majestic, massive, pretentious and full of gamblers. I think it must have taken me all of 20 minutes to check-in, drop off my luggage and hit the streets with the camera.

From Singapore, I'd rather fly direct but its only the budget carriers that ply that route and they're notorious for canceling flights. So its usually fly into Hong Kong and take the ferry for one hour down to Macau. The ferry trip is fine but it just tends to add an additional 3 hours to any direct flight.

Residential areas tend to be masses of high density housing, much of which has seen better days. These are riddled with narrow lane ways that are often bustling with life. However, like many of their Hong Kong brethren, people here are not necessarily happy to see cameras around.

Although I've never been inside a local apartment in Macau, from the external appearance I would hazard a guess that they would be very similar to small and aging apartments that exist in many areas of Hong Kong.

Macau bases itself on tourism these days, and the primary attraction is gambling. However, when people do venture out, many head to an up market area called San Malo. this area has wide paved walking areas void of traffic with many of the shops you would find in any high street - Giordano, Body Shop, Starbucks.

Personally, Im a people photographer - call it street, documentary, travel or what ever works for you - but as such I find it almost impossible to take a straight shot of an environment without the dominant subject being people. Its the human side of Asia that fascinates me.

Continuing to wander around in the San Malo area will eventually lead to the Ruins of St Pauls. I can understand why they are a tourist attraction but is nothing more than the front facade of a once church. The first time I was ever here was back in 1979 when my Dad took me to Hong Kong for a holiday. Macau was a day trip and the only aspect I even remember is visiting the gambling halls of the original Lisboa casino during the afternoon and being amazed at its size; and a vague recollection of these ruins.

The above shot was the first time I came to San Malo with my sister. But I still  had no desire to really photograph the ruins for their own sake. Looking for something to anchor the foreground, the gardeners, largely ignored but everyone else, seemed more important to my vision on the day. On a more recent trip to Macau, I was looking to shoot a more moody version of the ruins but struggled to find any vantage point that impressed me. This was the best I came up with...

As I was standing around just watching the crowd, I was amused - as I so often am - by the way many other photograph these days, especially when it comes to using mobile phone cameras. It almost feels as if people take photos these days as a proof point to say "see, I was there!". [edit] ...funny, I only just realised weeks later that this girl is actually photographing herself and not the ruins...

This is all on Macau, the other two islands of Taipa and Coloane are very different - apart from the ubiquitous casinos. Taipa is very quiet, small and predominantly residential. Below is a view from my niece's bedroom widow of the densely populated high-rise that are common in Taipa.

Taipa is some 2.4 kilometers across from Macau across, what is called, the Bay of Pak On. Of the three connecting bridges, you can only walk on the middle one - Macau-Taipa Bridge. My wife and I lost all sanity on one visit and actually walked across. It was the middle of winter, cold and foggy which made visiting Starbucks on the far side all the more enjoyable...

Further south of Taipa is Coloane which is is now connected by land-fill called the Cotai Strip. The most prominent landmark in the Cotai Strip is the Venetian Hotel/Casino. I ended up staying here back in October for the corporate regional sales conference. Hated the layout ...they force you to walk long distances through the casino itself to get from point to point. Almost a 15 minute walk from check-in to my room.

But I must admit that the Venetian shopping malls with their replciated venice canals and painted vanilla skies are impressive. It always feels like you are there outside at dusk.

Coloane is rather different with useable beach and mountainous terrain. I've been to the beaches in both summer and winter and although the number of people is dramatically different, there are always people swimming - and winter is cold. Below, a local fishing off a beach in Coloane...

To other noteable places on Coloane are Tian Hou Palace and the statue of A-Ma on Mountain Dep Sek Tong. The statue is part of a story that represents the past history of Macau as a fishing village, heavily dependent on the sea. In front of this statue is an inscription that I photographed with my phone and later transcribed...

A-Ma patroness of seamen, fishermen and merchants is a Taoist goddess. A-Ma, literally meaning "mother" in Chinese, is also known as Tin Hou (Empress of Heaven), Ma-Chau and Neong Ma. Her name is similar to that of Macao.

A-MA was born to the Lin fishing family in Fujian province in the year AD 980. she was a gentle beautiful maiden who demonstrated admirable virtues and sacred powers from childhood. She dedicated her life to guiding the voyages of sailors and merchants, even rescuing them from stormy waters. She has been worshipped for centuries and even nowadays, her kind deeds are remembered in the provinces of Fujian and Guangdong.

Legend relates that A-Ma also protected fishermen and merchants who sailed to Macau. In gratitude for her protection from the perils of the sea, a temple was erected n her honour on Barra Hill and she was worshipped here long before the Portuguese arrived. When the Portuguese settled here, they called the land "Macau" meaning "The port of A-Ma"

Besides historical and mythical reasons, belief in A-Ma plays a very important role during Chinese New Year. Crowds of followers flock to the temple to thank A-Ma for her protection and to pray for a peaceful life. The charisma of this goddess has bolstered the confidence of those living here to introduce developments in this united community. Macau has thus served as a safe shelter for people living here since it opened as a port.

This crucial time, as Macau reverts to Chinese sovereignty is most opportune for erecting the world's highest statue of A-Ma on the summit of Coloane's highest mountain.

The statue weighs a thousand tons and stands 19.99 metres high. It is fashioned from white jade from Fangshang in Beijing. One hundred and twenty sculptors worked for eight months to produce it.

Cultural Institute of Macau, 28th of October 1998

Across Asia I tend to get a little "templed out". They can become a bit like 7-11s, meaning there seems to be a temple of some kind on every street corner. The result is that I tend not to shoot temples so much for their architecture. Below is one of the few shots I took at Tian Hou Palace. This intricate art work is on the steps leading to its entrance...

The last time I visited, which was for work, I had allowed myself an afternoon to shoot. I used Kodak Ektar 100 and was looking for a less common view of Macau. As a C41 colour film, Ektar is fantastic (and a real bitch). As a digression, the first time I used it was back in April 2010 while in Tokyo, while testing a newly acquired Voigtlander 50mm f/1.1 Nokton. As I typically do with C41 films, I rated it at half speed - ISO 50 - well I found out the with a full stop of over exposure the colour shift and cross-over is so bad that its almost impossible to correct even in post processing. This time I shot it at box speed but even then colour correction becomes a real art, although easier. 

A search of images on Flickr with the tags of "macau" and "macao" provided no more than the typical tourist shots - nothing remotely impressive as an area to investigate. So I went to my next option - Google maps! Google maps can be very revealing in satellite view in identifying place of interest to shoot. From the above image I could see ships - and docks are always interesting places - that appeared potentially accessible on the west side of Macau on the narrow water way between Macau and mainland China. Below are are few shots from getting myself onto the docks and being generally nosey...

As the day started closing I began to wander back into the city centre area happening across some more interesting opportunities along the way. This was some guy putting final touches on a Chinese casket - something both interesting and different.

This post has become long enough, but needless to say when going to new places to shoot Google Maps can be a great help... But as one final image, as the daylight was closing on using a 100 speed film, I managed to achieve, what I would consider, one of my best shots of the 2010 - Leica 35 Asph Summilux v1 at f/1.4. Best for me in terms of composition, content, simplicity, colour and depth of field, but as I mentioned earlier, colour correction on Ektar can be tough work and this one was no exception...

People Photography in Singapore...

With the pending arrival of some fellow photographers passing through Singapore, I began to think a little about "what" is really here to shoot. Now when I say "shoot" its obviously a loaded comment; Im not into touristy shots - actually I can go to a tourist location that I would probably never have an opportunity to return to, and if I don't see what I would consider a worthwhile shot, Im more than likely just to leave the camera in the bag.

Ok, so over my time here I have taken one or two city scape shots but I think thats just more the nature of having lived here so long. The other side of "what" to shoot is often "what" to do, and that is something that can also be limiting. Even for visitors, I really have a problem recommending places like Sentosa or the new Integrated Resorts World. A lot of time and effort to go there and nothing of any consequence to experience.

The Singapore River; well its not really a river rather than a long-ish dead end canal, which is actually getting longer as its currently being extended into an area known as Bishan. The boat visible above is a frequent sight of the Singapore River cruises that, without the Japanese patronage, would likely not survive. A 30 minute ride up and back that maybe beats walking if all you want is a quick look and feel for the city.

The symbol of Singapore - the Merlion. This is located in... Merlion Park, which is in the CBD and is a common tourist location. I still cant understand how I ever achieved this shot without hoards of people along the steps...

In the same vicinity as the Merlion, and something you could never plan for, I came across this local team in the middle of filming a Tamil movie production. Although nothing spectacular it made for an interesting distraction given I was only there to grab a Starbucks.

Actually, when it comes to things to do in Singapore its about two things - eating and shopping. And, Orchard Road would have to be the centre of the shopping component. Singaporeans love their branded goods. Above was at the opening of "another" Louis Vuitton  shop, this time in the Ion Shopping Mall. Actually, LV bags amuse me no end... people paying in excess of S$1,000 for what just a "plastic bag".

Sort of the antithesis of these Anya Hindmarch bags emblazoned with the slogan "Im not a plastic bag".

One of the newer shopping malls on Orchard Road - Ion. Im sure Im not going to get offers to use my shot for promotional work - who wants to recognise those untidy buskers. To me the building was merely secondary and my only reason to ever enter it is to access the subway station below it. Actually, I've lived here long enough to remember when the site of this shopping mall was an open expanse of parkland. Filippinos - mostly domestic helpers - would congregate here on mass on Sundays - their one day off a week.

So back to photography... the street is much more interesting; and a lot less intimidating than a western city. These guys above were part of some paid advertising event  on Orchard Road - I forget what it was for now but I do remember their costumes were bright red.

As I'll allude to more and more as I write this, much of what's worth shooting is just random. Stuff just happens - anywhere and without warning. A Singapore Capoeira club providing an impromptu demo along Orchard - fun and interesting.

And no self respecting street shooter would seen dead without that shot of people juxtaposed against larger than life advertising murals - Singapore, once again obliges.

And before I leave the Orchard area, how can I forget the buskers. There's a range - I guess like any city - but the bad are really bad, and then others like this couple are really good. All in all they make for an interesting mix.

Accommodation for most Singaporeans is the apartment. Private apartments referred to as "condominiums" and public housing [read Government built sold and managed] referred to as "HDBs" - arising from the Government body that administers them, the Housing Development Board. 80% of Singaporeans live in HDBs which are built in clusters around amenities to form townships. These townships are often referred to as Heartland.

The style and structure of HDBs ranges from old and dilapidated to modern and impressive. These above are a couple of styles from the township area called Toa Payoh. On the lead up to National Day - Singapore's independence from Malaysia on August 9th 1966 - HDBs all over Singapore hang the National flag from their apartments.

So what happens in the heartlands? Its about people leading their lives - its quiet and primarily about food and family. Most HDBs have exercise and play areas - one for kids and one for adults to undertake "some" exercise.

People sit around and watch the day go by, often oblivious to events happening in front of them. However, the majority Chinese contingent are not usually the most obliging whenever they see a camera.

It doesn't matter where you go in Singapore, you'll always find people just whiling the time away...

Although not something I go out of my way for but local supermarkets offer an interesting window into peoples' lives. Im not consistent but I do often carry a camera with me whenever I go out.

The Heartland townships can offer a treasure of rewarding photo opportunities on live. Probably not the best hunting grounds for those merely passing through as it takes time to understand where you really are, what you're actually looking at, and what you can and cannot get away with.

The shot below is one of my favourites from Singapore. Shot in the newer heartland area of Punggol, this was a night time public celebration of the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival. This was 400 speed film pushed to 3200 with the only light being that from the candles.

Street photographers always seem to have an attraction to the subway. Unfortunately, the Singapore subway, known as MRT, is a pretty boring place for photography in general. However, hang around long enough and you'll eventually find some interesting characters.

Being majority Chinese, Singapore has a mass of temples across the nation. An easily accessible one is "Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho" Temple off Rochor Road and adjacent to Little India. Signs indicate no photography but are referencing inside. At different times of the year depending of the fesival, this temple can be over follwing with people.

Chinese New Year is one of those times. Thousands of people come both to attend and pray as well as watch the events. There are often performances and theatrics...

An interesting semi-touristy area is Arab street. A small street that runs off North Bridge Road it caters to locals and tourists looking for nik-naks of Middle Eastern origin. I personally, have a nice almost metre tall Shisha I acquired from there.

Adjacent to Arab Street is Sultan mosque. An impressive structure that is worth spending some time around and makes for some interesting and great shots. And, the locals are even friendly...

One street over from Arab Street is Haji Street. Often a hangout for young kids who sit around and gossip over a Shisha of flavoured tobacco and some nibbles.

One of my favourite areas of Singapore to shoot is Little India. I have returned time and time again and it always offers something new. In Little India, a lot happens on the street. Its a mix of tourists and the local southern Indian community who usual seem to go about their lives oblivious to the others.

Along the side of the footpath are stalls selling cheap clothing, beads and trinkets. Further along is the 24hr sell everything Mustafa complex. A basic bare-bones store with no frills or much customer service but if they sell its going to be the best price you'll find in Singapore.

Indians are the largest purchasing ethnic group for gold globally and Little India in Singapore is no exception. The main street is lined with jewelry stores with the latest intricate designs just waiting to be desired by your Indian princess...

And I'm sure that no one took my last reference of "Indian Princess" seriously. Well not everyone that buys gold bracelets and necklaces is a princess but you never know what you can meet being out and about in Little India...

Especially on weekend, its a lively place. People working, trading, shopping and young Indian kids just hangin' out.

The weekend also attracts lots of marketing from phone companies trying to offer the foreign worker Indians, and locals, the best deal in pre-paid call back to the motherland plans. Speakers continually blasting out offers in Tamil with such distorted sound you have to wonder if even they understand it; to novel approaches of rollerbladers wearing billboards and handing out flyers.

Little India also hosts a Muslim community along with a very unassuming and rudimentary mosque.

Whenever festivities occur in Singapore you frequently find large temporary marquees being erected. Armies of Indian workers can be seen across the frameworks feverishly assemble these structures in a matter of hours.

However, the part that draws me back, again and again is the Hindu Temple. Located on Serangoon Road, the heart of Little India, it open at 4 pm and is open to the public. There are always vendors selling their wares around its entrance that you almost need to step over.

The main entrance at the temple is impressive with a large wooden door covered in ornate bells that devotees ring as they enter. Often I will sit around on the steps near the door just looking for opportunities to present themselves - and many abound.

Depending on days and the events the crowds in the temples can vary. Devotees seeking blessings are always present, continually filing through. Some leave as quickly as they arrived, where others appear to sit, ponder and meditate for hours.

Other times, families or friends just use the grounds to sit around and chat. However, its always strange to witness the faithful being almost oblivious to the constant tourist crowd.

Below was a lucky chance for me. I just happened to drop down to shoot in Little India this day out of something to do. Turned out it was the Indian festival of "Holy", which is usually identified by the throwing of colourful powders on all who pass be. Singapore ensurers this practice is somewhat tamed down. However, it didn't stop the relevant temple ceremonies, which provided some interesting shots.

I've already mentioned that the public and tourists mingle with the devotees in this temple almost uninterrupted. These shots below are an example of how unperturbed people are by your presence.

And when not performing tasks, temple priests are often willing to pose for shots as well. No matter how often I return there is always something new to photograph here. This is probably the best location in Singapore for those that love people photography...