Back in late November, 2015, I went to visit my sister in Berlin over a weekend. On the Sunday, we wondered around downtown former West Berlin and for the briefest of moments, the weather was kind. Less than an hour later, whilst standing by the Brandenburg Gate, it was a very different story, with heavy, sustained snowfall for the rest of the afternoon.
As I was travelling light, I had only my Nokia 1020 with me, which I took this shot on.
This weekend, I was in Sentosa, an island just to the south of Singapore. It is a local favourite and the closest proximation to the white sandy beaches of Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia that Singapore has to offer.
Whilst relaxing in the sunshine, this beast settled in front of me. He seemed utterly unperturbed about our proximities and basked in the heat of the afternoon alongside me. With only my Nokia 1020 to hand, I was still able to grab this shot.
As they say, the best camera you have is the one with you.
Yesterday, we took a family outing to an island off the north eastern coast of Singapore called Pilau Ubin. It feels more akin to neighbouring Malaysia than the ultra-modern Singapore and as such, has a certain charm that is lost in this country’s modernity.
Unfortunately for us, being in the midst of the rainy season, the heavens opened as we were en route to the island from Changi. The shot above was from the pier we were deposited on at Pilau Ubin. Our boat was reversing out into the emerald green bay as the rain lashed the landscape.
After a very wet cycle ride around the island, we caught a boat back to the mainland in the early evening The rain had finally stopped and we were afforded a dramatic view of Pilau Ubin to the north, as the heavy rain clouds circled the seascape, in preparation for another storm.
All shots were taken on my Nokia 1020, which did a pretty decent job. However, I will definitely return on a less inclement day and take my camera kit as the views on the island are very contrasting to mainland Singapore.
Back in 2012, my team at Wieden + Kennedy created Nokia Gulp, shot solely on a Nokia N8 handset. The plot as based on a Jonah-style adventure of a fisherman getting caught in a belly of a giant fish. It was the successor to Nokia Dot, the smallest animation ever, which W+K also made with Sumo Science and Aardman, again using a Nokia N8 handset.
Here is a look behind the scenes how the world’s largest animation is shot on a Nokia phone handset. We needed an army of locals to help us prepare the beach everyday for the shoot.
The advert was release across Europe initially and then globally. It has since become a favourite on Vimeo and still enjoys good ratings years after making it.
Useful links:
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulp_(film)
Wired: http://www.wired.com/2011/08/gulp-stop-motion-animation/
Creative Review: http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2011/august/nokia-gulp-wieden-kennedy
DesignBoom: http://www.designboom.com/art/gulp-worlds-largest-stop-motion-animation/
All Terrain Photography 