Happy 52nd Birthday, Singapore!

Hey everyone!

Our yearly tradition on our website is to wish our amazing country a Happy Birthday and to share about the National Day Parade and the famous fireworks display at the end! We were blessed with tickets to watch the National Day Parade (Preview), and brought along our camera gear to capture the parade and the sights that accompanied it. Furthermore, we were with many, many people as we caught and captured the impeccable fireworks display on National Day itself!

The 2017 National Day Parade!

In comparison to last year’s parade (which was held at the new National Stadium), the 2017 National Day Parade (and preview shows) was held at the Marina Bay Floating Parade, and featured many new (and former) acts and showcases (which were not possible due to the National Stadium’s enclosed structure). For instance…

DSCF6935 — We witnessed the Red Lions parachuters jump out from 5,000 feet, and landing safely on the Floating Platform!

DSCF6997 — In the midst of the Parade, a double rainbow appeared!

DSCF6978 — Unlike last year’s Parade, we were also able to witness the F-15SG fighter jets whizz over us!

DSCF6973 — The iconic Super Puma helicopters carrying the Singapore flag in tow.

We also used our Mamiya Universal Press (with the f/2.8, 100mm Mamiya-Sekor lens), utilising the Fujifilm Instax Wide film and the FP-100c packfilm:

Using the 100mm lens with the Instax wide film is not as ideal or compatible, but it sure captures some good shots!

Catching the Fireworks Display on National Day

Having committed to capturing fireworks on the day itself, we arrived in the early evening and situated ourselves at a large, open field facing the Marina Bay Floating Platform and the iconic Marina Bay Sands! We were aware that many people had gathered around the Marina Bay early in the afternoon to get the best vantage point for the nighttime fireworks display, but we were content with our location nonetheless.

Accompanied by many like-minded photographers (who had their tripods and cameras at the ready) and passers-by who had brought picnic mats, we waited patiently for the fireworks to commence! We had our Fujifilm X-T10 and the SLR 680SE (with the Impossible Project Gen 2.0 Black Frame Colour Film) to capture the long exposure shots!

Image (82)b — In our background, the CBD buildings rose tall and bright.

Image (82)c — Our vantage point! Knowing that the fireworks would rise quite high in the sky, we were fine with scores of people lining up ahead of us!

DSCF7453 — Of particular interest were the new NDP segment featuring drones! As they twinkled and zipped across the night sky, the drones formed iconic shapes and outlines (above is the Merlion, spewing water like the “real” Merlion!)

DSCF7476 — At an aperture of f/11-12, we caught these photos with long exposures of about 7-10 seconds.

DSCF7462 — It was a much longer display than last year’s, which allowed us (and all the photographers in the area) to capture more long exposure fireworks!

Image (83)b — With the SLR 680SE, we were limited to a single aperture of f/8, which reduced the overall shutter speed to 3-4 seconds.

Image (83)c — Notice that the fireworks appear thick? The smaller the aperture, the narrower the light displays become! One can see the difference with our digital long exposures versus the analog long exposures.

Image (83)d — Our favourite shot with the SLR 680SE for the night!

Fireworks are a rarity in Singapore, so it’s a must-see event for us (and Singaporeans alike); this year’s NDP certainly impressed us once again, and reminds us of how far Singapore has come, and is more than ready to face the challenges of the world in the future! Happy National Day Singapore, and we pray for peace and harmony in the coming year ahead!

Till next time,

Damianwithsandra