The weather is really crazy these days, it was so humid for the past weeks, that it had caused ''Sleepless in Sg'' :( I was browsing a mag one nite and noticed this tuck-away café named The Book Café. A check on the streetdirectory pointed me to a place which sounded like an industrial building...hmm, but it's also near Mohamed Sultan area. This sounds like the perfect place to spend a hot afternoon.
Coincidentally, juz awhile ago, I chanced upon some random pics of Alkaff Bridge & had made a mental note to visit it for a photography jaunt. Since these 2 places are located in the same vicinity, I took a bet on the unpredictable weather today (past 3days had afternoon thunderstorm) and tot to myself, shall do a quick one & then laze at The Book Café, should it rain also ok!
So off i went on my direct bus & brought along my tripod, which i rarely will use for day photography...but u will see in the pics below why i need, haha! When i arrived at my destination, i started hand-held shoots, then set up my tripod... my project aims to shoot from different angles, as interesting as possible.... As you know this is not a new bridge, while most shutterbugs flock to Helix Bridge, i decided on this quiet spot...where i can focus better. I'm surprised to observe that quite a number of people utilise this 55 metres long pedestrian bridge which connects one to The Quayside (Robertson Quay). In Jan 2004, this bridge was transformed into Singapore's first Art Bridge.
I played with the various White Balance mode, used 'Shade' mode for above shot & 'Daylight' mode for below shot. As it was nearly impossible to review the shots on my LCD under the glaring sun, I could only preview them on my lappie... Now, i learnt that 'Shade' actually 'brightens' the shoot, while 'Daylight' will help 'diffuse' the sun's intensity & make the appearance more soothing to view.
+-+Ed.jpg)
Ahha! The above reveals why i brought my tripod LoL!
Behind the scene: took quite a few act cool shots, despite noticing stares from afar! But then, i later realised i switched to wrong mode on my dial, as i couldn't see clearly on the LCD, luckily i NG myself & re-shot!
This above shot is abit tricky as I wanted to frame the river-view using the bridge... tested on the other side but failed, then decided on using this yellow portion to create a bold frame.
Behind the scene: need to bend backwards abit as the width of the bridge is insufficient.
After close to an hour of shooting, i decided to hunt down The Book Café for a drink! With the map in my brain, I crossed the bridge & instinctively walked in-between the alleys. Then decided to turn left & spotted The Book Café, juz when I was wondering where is it? It's located directly across Studio M Hotel. When I stepped in, I like the cosy ambience... There's some alfresco tables for smokers, while inside lies tables & chairs, and a sofa section which resembles someone's living room, wif bookshelves stockful of magazines, travel guides and books.
I found a corner right at the far end, wif a flourescent lampshade next to the velvety sofa! There were quite alot of people despite a mid-week afternoon, some surfing the Net wif their lappies. I ordered a Iced Honey Lemon & a slice of New York Cheescake (been craving for cheesecake for sometime lah!). Total damage: $12. I was overjoyed to discover my favourite 'Popular Photography' april issue on the racks! Now, i finally noe where i can read it, besides borrowing from the library. It's always so 'hot' at the library that i couldn't get hold of it :(
My New York cheesecake was pretty huge slice vs TCC's...it's creamy & abit sourish but nice! One worthy point to mention, the crust of the cheesecake is nice...I rarely come across such! Even the accompanying strawberry is sweet! I like how the cake is presented, wif some random choc design, hehe! The honey lemon is refreshing wif generous slices of lemons.
Woo! This issue of the mag contained my favourite topic ~ Travel Photography... i spent an hour devouring the information in the whole issue. Also, managed to read another photography mag which happens to be lastest May issue! Really worth my $$, since both mags amounted more than my total damage!!!
I highly recommend you to spend an idyllic afternoon here, be it wif frens for a chat or some quiet times reading, it's indeed a nice chill-out place! Suddenly, i recalled it's time to head home... With sunset at 6+pm, this is one of the best times to shoot, wif no intense rays. In the below pic, I utilised the bollards along the river bank to create a symmetrical line to bring viewers 'into' the photo.
Lastly, i discovered this angle by chance...which i like alot after reviewing, cos it gives a 3-D vantage point & forms a nice pyramid. The trip today was rewarding as i had a hard time deciding to shortlist which photos to post, keke! Glad that i achieved my goal.
