Bay East view of Singapore Skyline

Bay East is located opposite the Gardens by the Bay, over the stretch of water known as Marina Bay. The only way there is by foot or bicycle as there are neither roads nor MRT stations in the direct vicinity. Best be prepared for a long, but scenic, walk along the bay area. By MRT: - Closest MRT Station: Bayfront (Circle Line) - Take exit C or D out and head towards The Shoppes@Marina Bay Sands and walk towards the Helix Bridge. - Facing the Helix Bridge, turn right and head down the stairs. - Follow the path along the river and keep walking straight. You’ll find yourself in the Gardens by the Bay. Keep following the path, walking past the Flower Dome, the Cloud Forest and Satay by the Bay. - Here, follow the path until you arrive at the Marina Barrage. Head through the sheltered area and turn left. - Walk across the barrage – the dam separating Marina Bay from the sea – and you’ll find yourself at the outskirts of Bay East. - Keep following the path along the water’s edge. As you walk, you’ll notice the skyline fanning out across the water. - Once you have arrived close to the GPS location, look for one of the many gaps in the bushes and walk down the breakwater to get close to the edge of the bay.

The position of the sun differs across the year, but, even then, at every position, the sun still creates a stunning panorama. In any case, the sun sets closer to the center-left of the photo at the beginning of the year and with each day, sets at a position that slowly heads to the right and back to the left over the course of the year. Unfortunately, you are at the mercy of the elements (Singapore’s weather is notoriously fickle and the best shots of this place during sunset require a number of weather conditions) when it comes to having relatively clear, but not cloudless skies to get that perfect sunset as well as enough wind – not too much that the water becomes choppy and not too little that the clouds are still in the sky.

During the golden hour, you can catch the sun casting its golden rays over the skyline, glowing ever redder as it descends. As it sets behind the buildings and twilight approaches, the lights of the skyscrapers turn on one-by-one even as the sky transitions from glowing oranges to reds to faded blue-purples. Once the blue hour passes, the sky is dark with clouds and a few twinkling stars and the moon shining in the sky. Now, the skyline steals the glory, for it is awash with the bright white lights of the city, creating yet another beautiful, futuristic panorama of the glittering city. You will need about 40mins to travel from Bayfront to Bay East, assuming you make no prolonged stops on the way, make sure you head off early. Be there at 18:30 so that you can get the best location to shoot and prepare for sunset. So perhaps, if you are planning a trip here, make plans to come back a few more times so that you can get the perfect shot.

Use a wide-angle lens (17mm) to incorporate as much of the view as possible. Try composing the photo such that you catch the buildings reflected on the water.

This perspective is perfect for a long exposure so setup your tripod on some steady ground as the breakwater you are standing on is a slope.

When taking this shot the sun was just behind the horizon so I was able to take a 1 min long exposure with my neutral density filter. If the sun is still above the horizon you won’t be able to expose as long (e.g., around 30 seconds or less) and if its blue hour, you can go up to 3 to 7 mins of exposure, depending on the light conditions and your camera settings. Use a remote if you are exposing longer than 30 seconds so you don’t have to touch the camera.

By using a neutral density filter you can prolong your exposure, optimize the capture of the moving clouds (the faster they move, the better they will look) and create a silky water effect, giving it a frozen, almost surreal look. If the water is choppy it will be difficult to create the effect and impact the water’s reflective properties.

As you walked along the Bay area, undoubtedly, you would have passed by the Gardens by the Bay area. On the way back, you could pay a visit to the Supertree Grove, in the heart of the Gardens, where it seems to resemble Pandora in James Cameron’s Avatar. Additionally, you could come a bit earlier to pay a visit to the Cloud Forest and Flower Dome, both climate-controlled eco domes where temperate plants are grown. And then, as you arrive at Marina Barrage, you could head to the roof to have a picnic and enjoy the breeze. Lastly, after catching the sunset at Bay East, you could walk back to Satay by the Bay and try the local Singaporean cuisine.