Behind the Lens

It started in late 2015 with a Nikon D3200, a birthday gift from my dad. I’d always loved aviation, so I pointed it skyward with a humble 55-300mm telephoto and started shooting planes. They came out tiny, and I loved every frame anyway.

For years I shot JPEG with zero training, learning purely by doing. Fireworks changed that. Wanting to do them justice, I taught myself to shoot RAW and edit in Lightroom and Photoshop, with YouTube as my mentor. In July 2018, I began sharing my work on Instagram.

In June 2019, I leveled up to a Nikon D7500 paired with a Sigma 150-600mm, gaining the reach my aviation shots had been crying out for.

When the world went quiet during COVID, I shot more than ever. Through Singapore’s eight-week Circuit Breaker (April to June 2020), I took my camera out daily, a touch more often than the authorities advised. (Sorry, officer. The light was too good to waste.) With NDP rehearsals roaring over the heartlands, I finally caught the jets up close.

In March 2021, I started a second account devoted to aviation and military work, keeping it distinct from my main feed. I’ve photographed the National Day Parade every year since 2020, from neighbourhood flypasts to the floating platform, the Padang, and now the National Stadium.

I added a Nikon D850 in August 2022, and in April 2025 I stepped up to the Nikon Z9, the flagship I shoot with today.

Fireworks are my favourite gamble. Shooting in burst, you never really know what you’ve caught until you’re home editing. It’s always a hit or miss, and the surprises are half the joy. Sunsets are the opposite: pure calm. Alone on a rooftop or by the beach, watching the sky slowly let go of the day.