Matthew Durr Photography

Past Sunset
16mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/13

With the entirety of my Kansai trip chronicled for posterity on this site (Pt. 1, Pt. 2, Pt. 3), I can now move on to tying up the loose ends on my last few bits of photography in late June (hey…it’s my own personal workflow, I’m allowed to be a little behind! 🙂 ). Up for posting today is a quick collection of photographs from my limited free time while on business in Singapore and India! It always pays to bring a camera along wherever you go, as you never know what fun and interesting sights and sounds you will encounter that a cellphone camera just cannot capture!

Up first, during a late evening in Singapore, I hung out with a couple co-workers at the tasty Satay by the Bay, a hotspot for all things food near Marina Bay. Here, visitors can try out tons of local and ethnic foods from many different Asian countries, from Chinese to Thai and everything in-between. I sampled a good amount of everything, but came away loving the mutton satay, which is basically just some grilled sheep on a stick, served with chili dipping sauce. Sound simple? Good! That’s because it is, and it is all the more delicious because of it, cooked over a wood fire.

As the sun set, we headed over to the Supertree Grove (ah, were it not for an ill-timed banana split, we may have caught some of the beautiful sunset colors…) which contains massive 15-story tall structures that come alive at night with a colorful light show timed to standard classical music. Many of the trees house solar cells on top to provide some sustainable energy for the park to use.

Scale
16mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/13

Walkway
16mm, ISO 200, f/4, 1/20

Beneath
16mm, ISO 200, f/4, 1/20

Elevated Walkway
16mm, ISO 200, f/4, 1/10

After a quick walk through, it was high time to cross a bridge to get to the subway back to our hotel.

Reflection
16mm, ISO 800, f/2.8, 1/40

Partial Skyline
16mm, ISO 800, f/2.8, 1/13

Marina Bay Sands
16mm, ISO 800, f/2.8, 1/30

Only days later, we found ourselves right in the heart of India for another business trip packed full of gigs day and night. Though we had a decent amount of free time a couple of the days, most of us were too tired to ever venture out of the hotel, even without taking the intense 100 degree+ fahrenheit temperatures (plus humidity!) into consideration. However, on our first day to New Delhi, we had a pre-arranged day trip to the one and only Taj Mahal. As one of the Seven Wonders of the World, it was every bit as beautiful as I’ve heard and seen. That said, I did my best to get a few photographs of the area. I will say that photographs do little justice to the sheer size and scope of the grounds, especially the Taj Mahal itself. One quick note, all of the patterns and designs you see decorating the facades of structures are not paint, they are actually all semi-precious stone inlays!

Past the Gate
16mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/400

Royal Gate
16mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/800

Entry
16mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/250

Hallway
16mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/80

Colorful in the Shade
105mm, ISO 100, T3.2, 1/1600

Rest
16mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/320

Agile Climber
105mm, ISO 100, T5.6, 1/640

Tree Trim Collection
105mm, ISO 100, T4, 1/1000

Taj Mahal
16mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/640

In an effort to give you some sense of just how big this building is, take a look closely at the size of the people going directly inside compared to the Taj Mahal itself…

Immense
105mm, ISO 100, T5.6, 1/320

Taj Mahal Front
16mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/640

Pristine
105mm, ISO 100, T5.6, 1/640

Mosque
16mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/1600

Looking Back
16mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/640

That’s all for this quick post, guys and gals! I would have loved to capture more photos from these unique places, especially India since it will likely be at least a year before I visit there again on business. But, the combination of limited free time, sweltering temperatures, and an annoying battle-buddy system essentially prevented any spontaneous excursions into the surrounding areas. Who knows what next trips will bring, however! Always important to remain hopeful, and to bring a camera along all the time! As always, have a great day!