Photo of unique bike wins him $500
He was heading home after an afternoon of shooting when Mr Wong Chek Poh spotted a man on a colourfully lit bicycle riding past Marina Bay Sands.
The 53-year-old trailed the cyclist and finally captured this picture when the man gamely stopped to be photographed by the crowd he had attracted.
Last week, Mr Wong sent in this photograph for the Big Picture contest theme "Hip & Happening" on the exciting pulse of Singapore, because it was "too colourful to miss".
"This photo was very eye-catching. I don't think I've seen such a bike that is lit with colourful lights," said the owner of an education business.
It caught the judges' eye last week as it won the Big Picture contest, a year-long competition organised by The New Paper and the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth to encourage Singaporeans to document everyday life in the city.
While the judges each picked a different winner, Mr Wong's photo won the weekly $500 prize as the highest ranked photo based on their top three shortlists.
IMPACTFUL
Judge Caleb Ming picked out this image to win because it was the most visually impactful, although he felt the week's finalists were not among the strongest entries seen in the competition.
Another judge impressed by Mr Wong's photo was Mr Simon Ker, who almost picked the photo as his winner.
"The background nicely shows the lively mood of the Central Business District, and with the unusual colourful bike, it's definitely hip and happening," he said. "This would have been my winning picture if the photo showed some form of action on the colourfully lit bike."
Instead, this photo was a runner-up and Mr Ker's winning entry was by Mr Suhaimi Abdullah, which captured a pillow fight in Haji Lane.
While last week's third judge, Mr Sean Lee, also shortlisted Mr Wong's amusing photo in third place, his winner was a "beautiful cinematic image" by Mr David Ng Soon Thong.
Commenting on this photo of Chinese New Year festive lights reflected on the windscreen of a public bus, Mr Lee said: "Solitary bus driver in the midst of festivities. It's a poignant image and one that is unexpected, considering the theme. A great surprise for me. I love it."
To see the photos by Mr Suhaimi, Mr Ng and last week's other finalists, visit The Big Picture's website at www2.tnp.sg/TheBigPicture
THE JUDGES
Caleb Mingis a photographer, film-maker and artist, and is interested in visual stories. A regular contributor to international titles like Monocle and Habitus, the 35-year-old is director of photography at Surround (www.surround.sg) and also runs Together (www.togetherstudio.sg), a studio which helps clients document their lives.
Sean Lee is a freelance photographer. He won the Special Jury Prize in the Angkor Photo Festival in 2007, and was later nominated for prestigious prizes in France and Amsterdam. The 29-year-old also won the highly regarded ICON de Martell Cordon Bleu 2011 Photography award.
Simon Ker is The New Paper's chief photojournalist. He attended the Seventh Electronic Times Photojournalist course in San Francisco and had a short working stint with the Los Angeles Times and San Jose Mercury News. He has covered several major events, including the earthquake in Taiwan and the Gulf War.
WHAT'S NEXT
This fortnight, show us how Singapore is becoming the world's first "smart nation". Send us photos of how the city and its citizens are making Singapore better, safer and more sustainable through technology and stand to win $500. This week's deadline is midnight this Friday.
To find out the latest contest updates and see photos of all the finalists and winners for the Big Picture, visit our website (www2.tnp.sg/thebigpicture) or like our Facebook page (facebook.com/TheBigPictureContest) today!
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