Having a ball of a time

On the way to his weekly swim two Wednesday evenings ago, Mr Chan Wai Meng saw something that was a blast from the past.

A group playing basketball at the Sengkang Sports and Recreation Centre reminded the 43-year-old of how he used to play the sport regularly after school and on weekends.

The engineer stopped to photograph the players to re-capture the memories and also the distinct glow of the "blue hour," the time of day when the light takes on a predominantly blue hue.

"When I reached the place, it was about 7.15pm, when it was the nicest sky in Singapore," he said. "It was a beautiful sunset, and seeing youngsters playing basketball reminded me of my childhood days."

Mr Chan captured this photo within 20 minutes of the sun setting and sent it in for last week's Big Picture contest theme, Our Commons, which called for photos of common places and spaces in Singapore. He appreciated how recreational spaces like these are still available for residents of public housing estates to share.

WINNER

The photo received the most votes from last week's three judges to win the weekly $500 prize for this year-long contest organised by The New Paper and the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth to encourage Singaporeans to document everyday life in the city.

Judge Nguan selected it as his winner and praised it as an all-round impressive shot.

"The photographer has taken excellent care with every aspect in framing this image. Its technical qualities are beyond reproach, and the details of Singaporean life in the mise-en-scene give the picture a strong sense of context," he said.

Also impressed was judge Zinkie Aw, who liked how the subjects' gazes guided viewers to the basketball game. It was her third choice.

She picked Mr Christian Lam's black and white photo of passengers in a bus as her winner because of its "authentic" perspective.

Third judge, Mr Francis Lee, also had a different winner as he picked Miss Foong Yoke Fun's photo of people exercising at the Singapore Botanic Gardens.

Visit The Big Picture's website at http://www2.tnp.sg/TheBigPicture to see photos by Miss Foong and Mr Lam, as well as last week's other finalists.

It was a beautiful sunset, and seeing youngsters playing basketball reminded me of my childhood days.

- Mr Chan Wai Meng