DISCOVER SINGAPORE'S HIDDEN GEMS
You will discover more of the Lion City if you start out with a good plan. At Singapore Street Shots, our blogs will help you discover Singapore’s hidden gems. We'll give you information and tips for creating stunning photos and exploring Singapore's neighborhoods.
The 4th in a Five blog series of “Singapore in Pictures-Telling your Singapore story with photos
SINGAPORE HAWKERS,
MARKETS & RESTAURANTS
It's no secret that Singapore is known the world over as one of the top cities for both fine dining and incredible Hawker food.
Neighborhood marketplaces also offer fantastic opportunities to photograph the culture and color of everyday life in Singapore. What is available at these markets will vary widely depending on the ethnicity of the neighborhood. Hence… Chinatown, Little India, Kampong Glam (the Arab quarter) and so on…
You'll quickly discover Singapore markets are about more than just food; there are tons of great shopping opportunities. Everything is available from scarves & saris and Pramanik dresses to Baju Kurongs.
Knowing we all love to make our family and friends overwhelmed with envy by taking photos of our food and posting online, lol... I'm going to help you with some great tips to make your Singapore cuisine look even better in photos, if that's possible lol.
In this blog, we'll discuss some of your options ranging from the ultra-upscale restaurants to the awesome cuisine at Singapore's neighborhood hawkers.
Want to learn more about using the MRT & BUS system to quickly get around Singapore? See our Blog Using Singapore's MRT & BUS System to save time and money
HAWKERS
At local Hawkers stalls, you will discover an endless variety of different cuisines, featuring dishes from every corner of Asia.
So visiting some of Singapore’s neighborhood Hawkers & Food Centers is a must for every traveler.
Singapore's Hawkers have been serving up delicious food to hungry people since its Malay beginnings, offering fast affordable meals to folks as they go about their busy lives.
Starting in the early 1800s after the arrival of Sir Stamford Raffles came a flood of new immigrants from all over Asia. For some of these new arrivals, hawking food on the streets became an opportunity to support themselves in their new homeland.
Today’s Modern Hawker centers are somewhat different. Gone are the days when Hawkers set up their stalls along the bustling streets or roamed the streets with a mobile cart serving tasty meals to Singapore’s busy inhabitants.
Hawker centers today have evolved as Singapore has become a modern world-class country. Most are centrally located in every neighborhood and consist of more than just food. Nowadays, many Hawkers have Markets, Wet Markets, and local shops integrated as well, providing Singaporeans with almost everything needed for daily life. Indeed, they are the center point in the lives of almost every Singaporean.
Prices at hawkers are very affordable; usually, you can get an entire meal & drink for $6-8 SGD… Looking closely at each stall, and you will notice a sign with a letter (A, B, C) prominently displayed. This grades the Stall and shows how well the stall is maintained and operated; mostly you will see A’s and B’s with an occasional C. It takes a lot of hard work to achieve A or B status as Singapore inspectors are tough & thorough. However, it’s the long lines of locals waiting patiently which give away the quality of a stall's cuisine.
Travelers will also find some large multi-level Hawker centers located in the tourist sections; these are great places to enjoy a bite to eat, do some shopping, and explore. We want to encourage everyone to get off the beaten path and into the outlying neighborhoods, discovering the neighborhood's shops and visit the local Hawkers.
You’ll definitely want some photos of all that food, and some short videos of the stalls chefs in action preparing your delicious dishes. So below are some great tips...
Be sure to include the name and location of Hawker & Stahl in your Facebook posts. This helps the owners with advertising and lets your friends know where to get great food.
PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS
Purchase a couple of different dishes. If you’re with a large group of friends or family, encourage everyone to order different dishes and share. Be sure to get those great photos before you dive in.
Arrange your dishes, chopsticks, and drinks, and take photos before you dig in.
Get in close and fill the frame with your dish or dishes, hold your camera at a 90-degree angle… (Consider using flash)
Get lots of photos and selfies of everyone enjoying their food, have fun, be creative, and silly...
Make sure you include a nice photo of the stall or stalls, its name, location, and address along with your incredible food photos when you post online. It helps the stall owners, so make a mini advertisement out of it.
VIDEO TIP 1- Set up your smartphone for 4K video and keep videos short, 10-20 seconds. When shooting videos, slowly move your camera around your subject or slowly move in closer to the subject for a more cinematic look.
VIDEO TIP 2- Lock the exposure on your smartphone or camera before you start making videos... This will make your videos look more professional.
Check out our list of great Singapore hawkers, restaurants, and rooftop bars to fit every budget, along with links to their websites and addresses...
Book a Singapore Street Shots Photo walk and let us help you create stunning photos for your Singapore story.
LOCAL MARKETS
At the heart of every neighborhood is the Market Place, it's a place that every Singaporean, young and old, is connected to. This is basically true for people all over the world, that's why we are so fascinated and drawn to the Market Place when traveling in distant lands. We love to see the differences in how people live, what they eat, and how they go about their daily lives.
It’s these differences you want to capture in your photos, so look for local fruits and veggies that are not available in your country. Be sure to get some photos of what’s inside these fruits, many vendors already have them displayed that way.
PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS
Always start by cleaning your lens first.
Get selfies and portraits with the vendors & locals, as they are an important part of your Singapore story. Start a pleasant conversation with vendors, inquire about the different fruits & veggies, maybe purchase some samples before asking to take a few selfies and photos. That way, everyone benefits from the experience.
Don’t leave out the Wet Markets (Seafood and Meat sections), these locations offer many cool photo opportunities. Create some photos with the fish heads in the foreground and fishmongers in the background (TIP-Be sure your focus point is on the eyes of the fishmonger).
Never use a camera flash for these photos, as these folks are often using knives & cleavers...
Get photos of all the different fruits & veggies normally not found in your country. Buy some to taste and be sure to photograph what's inside before you eat them.
Take a lot of different photos, you can always delete what you don't like later.
SINGAPORE RESTAURANTS
Singapore's restaurants offer a wide variety of cuisines from countries not just around Asia, but from all over the world. There are great restaurants to satisfy the tastes and appetites of every traveler, from folks who have a budget to the sky is the limit.
Personally, I recommend you use your visit to the Lion City as an opportunity to discover new foods. Hence, if you're from the west, try all the wonderful Asian, Chinese, Indian, and Malay foods. If you're from the East, then visit some of the many Western, European, South American, or Middle Eastern restaurants Singapore has to offer.
In Singapore, the sky really can be the limit. Enjoy world-class wines, imported beers, or top-shelf liquor at a Marina Bay Rooftop bar while enjoying the nightly laser show, or have a toast with a few pints at a Hawker and watch a football game with the local boys.
For a more moderately priced evening of dinner and drinks, look into Chinatown, Little India, or Kampong Glam as there are many restaurants and bars that offer great cuisine at reasonable prices that won't break the bank.
Below I've listed a few great restaurants along with their websites below.
Closing Remarks
Ilonka and I hope you enjoy reading our Blogs at Singapore Street Shots, our goal is to make them informative and helpful in researching what to do in Singapore. Lastly, we hope you created some fantastic memories and photos, found some new friends, and learned something of Singapore’s fascinating history.
Cheers,
Mark Stevens & Ilonka Guenther
Business Owners, Photographers & Travelers
Singapore Street Shots Pte. Ltd.
Don't forget to LIKE & FOLLOW our Facebook Page and be sure to post some great photos of your Singapore Holiday, along with a short story about your experience on our Singapore Street Shots Facebook Page.
SEE ALL OUR BLOGS
At Singapore Street Shots, our blogs are meant to give you tips and advice for exploring Singapore and creating stunning photos. You will discover and photograph more if you do some research and create a good plan.
Singapore in Pictures - Telling your Singapore story with photos.
(A Seven blog series)
SINGAPORE SHOPHOUSES - Telling your Singapore story with photos.
Singapore Skyline Panoramas - Photograph Singapore's world-class skyline
Singapore's Chinatown - Kreta Ayer - Telok Ayer - Tanjong Pagar - Bukit Pasoh
Singapore's Little India - Culture & Colour
Kampong Glam - Singapore's Arab Quarter
Singapore Hawkers Markets & Restaurants - Flavor the Moment
Singapore - Off the Beaten Path - Discover the Singapore most tourists never see
DRESSING FOR SUCCESS - Look good and feel good on your day trip
Tips for Travelers: Capture your memories with pictures
Singapore's MRT & BUS System - Saving you time and money using: Utilizing Google Maps with the MRT
A Rainy Day Holiday in Singapore - Things to do in Singapore when it's rainy weather
MASTER YOUR CAMERA - Use your camera like a pro
EASY EDITING - Make all your photos pop
Great Singapore Shophouse locations - The best locations for photographing Singapore Shophouses
Temples-Mosques-Churches - Singapore's Places of Worship
FUTURE BLOGS
(Coming soon)
SINGAPORE'S ISLANDS-NATURE RESERVES-PARKS
A Five Blog series
"Discovering Singapore's Parks"
Parks:
1st Series: East and West Coast Parks:
2nd Series: Singapore Botanical Gardens:
3rd Series: Kent Ridge & Hort Parks:
4th Series: Fort Canning Park:
5th Series: Lakeside Gardens
A Three Blog series
"Photographing Singapore's Natural Beauty"
Nature Reserves:
1st Series: Bukit Timah Nature Reserve
2nd Series: MacRitchie Nature Reserve
3rd Series: Singapore Zoo and Singapore Bird Park
A Six Blog series
"Photographing Singapore's Islands"
Singapore’s Islands:
1st Series: Pulau Ubin
2nd Series: Coney Island
3rd Series: Sentosa Island
4th Series: St. John Island
5th Series: Kusu Island
6th Series: Lazarus Island.
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