The harsh winter cold is not the best weather for someone like myself, who prefers to shoot outdoors with natural light. When I started shooting portraits, one of the things that made it very enjoyable to me was discovering new places in the city. Shooting in a studio is not really my thing. Luckily, I was able to take a short trip to Singapore at the end of January. The long waited warmth was very much a treat.

I have never been to Singapore before, and honestly, I did not plan to explore much due to work. After doing some very tourist things, I decided to do a shoot at Gardens by the Bay. Gardens by the Bay is right next to the Marina Bay Sands Hotel. I have to say, the insane architectures in Asia are incredibly fascinating to me. The Marina Bay Sands Hotel is literally this insane alien spaceship/boat looking hotel in the middle of the city. Anyways, onto my first paid shoot.

I was able to meet up with my model/tour guide for the day Beata for the shoot. When I told her my #milliondollarportrait project, she said yes and was kind enough to come out and show me around. Gardens by the Bar was larger than I expected. I chose this location because I was fascinated by the Supertree Grove. We were able to get some shots with the Supertree as well as other spots in the garden. Overall, I had a great time visiting and doing the shoot. Beata handed me a S$5 bill at the end, which marks my first paid gig (Yeah~).

At night, I met up with my friend Laure to test out some colored LED lights I just bought. It was a learning experience setting up the lights to create a neon look, I am not 100% happy with how things turned out, but at least I learned. Laure was also kind enough to add on S$2 for the shoot, which brings my total amount made during this Singapore trip to S$7. Singapore was a good place for me to start doing shoots again after a short break. The weather back in Shanghai still won't be so kind, but I am ready to head out and do my thing.

My total after January = 5.29 USD

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