My friend Peter B would be more organized. Location scouted in daylight. Parking spot etc all worked out. Gear cleaned and batteries charged the night before. Enough experience to know the right mix of lens, shutter speeds etc as well as more elaborate measures like neutral density filters at the ready.

Me? I made an educated guess as to where the eastern sun rise will be and therefore expect the most accessible best location will be beneath the Singapore Flyer, and more or less packed the gear the night before. When I woke I have a Canadian response to early mornings to dress warmly; which is of course unnecessary in Singapore. Then I enjoy the fast drive through the early morning streets, passing older men on creaking push bikes, committed joggers; even a gang of young people finagling a pre-dawn taxi ride.

I walk to previous ‘sun rises’ location. It is partly cloudy. I think sunrises are more rapid at the equator than on the Canadian Shield. The sculptural almost cathedral like conservatories of the Gardens by the Bay are oriented obliquely and so the reflections aren’t as dramatic. I try different lens combinations. Even being disciplined enough to use a tripod. I feel like I am having to be creative to make the best of a not quite there situation.

But then a lone kayaker paddles by. And I feel like I have the shot.