Auditor turned wedding videographer clinched the top prize in the regional CapitaLand-National Geographic Channel “Building People” Photography Competition
New duo-theme feature garnered a record of more than 3,000 creative interpretations and unique portrayals of CapitaLand’s properties
Singapore, 16 August, 2013 – An auditor turned videographer has clinched the top prize in the regional CapitaLand-National Geographic Channel “Building People” Photography Competition (Competition) from a record of over 3,000 submissions received from photography enthusiasts across the Asia Pacific including Australia, Brunei, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
Organised by CapitaLand Limited (CapitaLand) and National Geographic Channel, the highly-acclaimed Competition has seen increasing popularity and year-on-year increases in submissions from photography enthusiasts across the region. The Competition introduced a duo-themed feature – “Best Building Moment” and “Best People Moment” for the first time this year.
A Singaporean, Mr Ray Ang’s winning photo, “Clarke Quay”, won the judges over with his well-executed photographic expression of pure delight of a child playing with a bubble-spray gun, with an iridescent soap bubble framing the Clarke Quay signage sitting atop a beautiful row of shophouses.
“This year’s duo-themed competition challenged me to capture both people and buildings together in a single shot. A deviation from previous year’s photographs that captured reflections of CapitaLand properties on water surfaces, I chose instead to focus on the view through a soap bubble, reminisce of our childhood. Furthermore, there is no better person to fulfill the ‘people’ theme other than my five-year old nephew.” said Mr Ang.
Mr Ang won for himself a three-day National Geographic assignment trip to China under the mentorship of renowned National Geographic Photographer Mr Michael Yamashita. His other prizes includee SGD2,000 worth of CapitaVouchers, two consecutive nights’ stay in an Ascott serviced residence in Asia Pacific, and a Sony α99 camera with a Carl Zeiss 24-70mm F2.8 lens worth SGD6,998.
The prize presentation took place in conjunction with the opening ceremony of the “Building People” Photography Exhibition (Exhibition). The Exhibition will be held at ION Orchard (B4, ION Station) from 7pm on 16 August to 20 August. Open to the public, the Exhibition will be a showcase of close to 400 entries including the winning entries and a selection of other entries from the Competition. Each photograph will capture the symbiotic interaction between people and CapitaLand properties as well as the best characteristics of CapitaLand’s homes, offices, shopping malls, serviced residences and mixed developments. The entries can also be viewed online at http://www.capitaland.com/inside/gallery/buildingpeople-photo-competition-2013.
Among the numerous stunning photographic submissions received include Mr James Wong’s “The Star Vista” and Mr Tan Hock Siong’s “Clarke Quay”, which won the second and third prizes, respectively. Mr Wong’s “The Star Vista” also won the “Best CapitaMall Photo” special prize. Their works captured the innovative portrayals of the synergetic interactions between CapitaLand buildings and people.
In addition, the Voters’ Choice Award was accorded to Mr Edward Tian Wen Yaw, whose photographic entry framed the Ascott Raffles Place Singapore, a heritage building with an Art Deco architectural façade, and juxtaposed against the daily hustle and bustle of Singapore’s modern Central Business District. The entry garnered the most number of votes when the top 30 entries were released for online public voting from 17 July to 4 August 2013 (Please refer to Annex A for more information on the winning entries and Annex B for details on prizes).
Mr Michael Yamashita, one of the judges for the Competition, said: “I have always been enchanted by Asia, with its years of history and multitude of cultures. It’s also another way for me to take stock of my Asian roots. Having worked for National Geographic for the past 30 years, I’ve learnt that the best photographs are the ones which are able to tell stories to any viewer so that he/she can retrace the paths of the photographer through the photographs. In all my years of photography, I have never quite had the chance to capture architecture within urban cities and this experience has allowed me to view Asia from another perspective. It has been both a pleasure and a challenge selecting the best visual narratives from a trove of urban stories told through these submissions. I am very impressed by the talents showcased in this region.”
Please refer to Annex C for Michael Yamashita’s biography.
Mr Tan Seng Chai, Group Chief Corporate Officer, CapitaLand Limited, said: “We are pleased to see that the new duo-theme feature resulted in more creative interpretations of CapitaLand’s properties and a record of more than 3,000 submissions from photography talents from Asia Pacific. In line with its credo of ‘Building People’, CapitaLand is committed to nurturing talent.”
He added: “Buildings often serve as a backdrop for many of our lives’ memorable moments. This year’s photograph entries aptly portray the extraordinary relationship between people and buildings by capturing the human connection through delightful experiences. This resonates with our belief that a good building must possess both quality and the ability to enhance and enrich the lives of its surrounding communities.”
Mr Simeon Dawes, Senior Vice President of Advertising Sales (Pan Regional) at FOX One Stop Media, said: “National Geographic Channel has been synonymous with producing quality programming, and we’ve had a long tradition of obtaining unique access into hidden worlds, giving our viewers a rare look at some remarkable people, places and institutions. Through the guidance of National Geographic photographers and Asia Pacific’s vast array of urban built-up, we are glad to have evoked so many new perspectives representing the beauty in the environment we live in. It is evident from this year’s entries that the benchmark has been raised once more and we look forward to further collaborations with CapitaLand in future
All four winners will have won for themselves an opportunity to join Mr Yamashita on a photography trail in Singapore on 17 August 2013, CapitaVouchers, Sony cameras & lenses and complimentary stays at Ascott serviced residences in Asia Pacific.
“Building People” Photography Seminar
Participants of the Competition attended an exclusive “Building People” Photography Seminar conducted by Mr Yamashita this morning. At the seminar, the National Geographic icon provided an overview of the competitive world of photojournalism and shared tips on how to excel as a photographer through photography angles, camera features and many examples of his thought processes. Drawing from his vast experience as a National Geographic photographer, Mr Yamashita also used examples from his portfolio to demonstrate how National Geographic photographers never seem to miss the moment by repeatedly capturing unique photographs that are able to tell stories in various perspectives.
For more information, please visit www.capitaland.com/ngcphoto.
ANNEX B
CapitaLand-National Geographic Channel “Building People” Photography Competition Prizes
1st Prize Winner
o A 3D2N trip to a city in China* for an overseas National Geographic assignment under the mentorship of Michael Yamashita
o CapitaVouchers worth SGD2,000 o Two consecutive nights’ stay in an Ascott serviced residence in Asia Pacific*
o Sony α99 camera and Carl Zeiss 24-70mm F2.8 lens worth SGD6,998
2nd Prize Winner
o CapitaVouchers worth SGD1,200
o Two consecutive nights’ stay in an Ascott serviced residence in Asia Pacific* o
Sony NEX-6 camera worth SGD1,699 3rd Prize Winner o CapitaVouchers worth SGD800
o Two consecutive nights’ stay in an Ascott serviced residence in Asia Pacific*
o Sony α58 camera worth SGD749
Voters’ Choice Winner
(Photo entry with the most number of public votes will emerge as Voters’ Choice Winner)
o CapitaVouchers worth SGD500
o Two consecutive nights’ stay in an Ascott serviced residence in Asia Pacific*
Best CapitaMall Photo Special Prize
(Chosen from the Top 3 winning photos and Voters’ Choice Winner)
o Photo entry that captures the best of shoppers engaging in activities within CapitaMalls will stand a chance to vie for the “Best CapitaMall Photo” special prize
oCapitaVouchers worth SGD500 All four winners will also join National Geographic Photographer Michael Yamashita on an exclusive CapitaLand photography trail in Singapore
*Terms and conditions apply. Please visit www.capitaland.com/ngcphoto for more information.