In recent years, more residents have become aware of the beauty of our CCK Town through the CCK Town Council’s annual calendar, which feature beautiful photographs taken by fellow residents.
We speak to our top 3 winners about what inspired them.
A challenge to make things different
First prize winner Bryan Goh has captured alluring Little Guilin at sunrise more than 10 times and the CCK estate resident was surprised but gratified to have won this year.
He said: “Living near Bukit Batok Town Park, I love heading there to capture the picturesque Little Guilin over and over again.
“I never get bored because as a photographer, I enjoy the challenge of finding a way to make my photographs of the same place look different. By shooting from different angles or at different times of the day, I’ll get a variety of photos which do not look the same. “
Bryan added it is probably common for photographers to return to the same location. “It is a “necessary dedication” to get a better shot.”
He said he is lucky his job as a real estate agent offers him the freedom to indulge in his hobby. On mornings when he does not have to start work early, and if the weather promises to be good, he would be up at the crack of dawn to traipse to some picturesque spot to shoot.
Always bring your camera!
Photography, for second-prize winner Yong Kuo Hoong, is a reminder that life is unpredictable.
The Hong Kah North resident said he visited Kranji Marshes at least four times, and he’s never managed to encounter the same lighting conditions as on his first visit (pictured below).
Sadly, all he had with him then was his mobile phone. He said: “The view was breath-taking and refreshing. It was something I had never seen before. The sun was bright, and the sky was blue.”
But the weather thwarted him on his subsequent visits, though he felt he couldn’t just blame Mother Nature. As a photographer, he needed to find ways around it.
At last, on his final visit, he managed to capture his winning shot with a gentle sunrise.
“Was I satisfied? Yes. But I felt that the weather could have been better. From then on, my motto was: Always bring a camera with you!” said the teacher with a laugh.
For residents, by residents
Even though a photo of Eagle Point at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve had won the top prize in the 2022 CCK Town Council calendar, Hong Kah North resident See Chin Foo was determined to capture the picturesque spot through his lens.
The beauty of photography, said the IT sales manager, is that “no two photos are the same”.
Every photographer has his angle or technique.
Many people have been to Eagle Point, but few would have seen the place in the way he had captured it.
He said winning the third prize and having his photograph seen in every home in CCK Town was a great way of getting his effort recognised.
Besides participating in competitions, he also shares his photographs on his Facebook page.
He said the annual calendar is a particularly lovely initiative by the Town Council because it is a project by residents, for the benefit of fellow residents.
“I have had neighbours tell me that they look forward to receiving the calendar every year because they never realised that CCK Town can have such beautiful scenery. And it is extra nice that these photos are taken not by outsiders but by residents who live in the town,” he said.