Arabic calligraphy is the artistic expression of handwriting and the Arabic script, and is often framed up and used to display excerpts of the Qur’an in a Muslim household.
Arabic calligraphy beautifully framed and ready to decorate the wall in the home. Photo taken with a Nikon D600 with AF-S NIKKOR 24-120mm f/4G ED VR lens. Photo credit: John Tan.
Arabic calligraphy is based on the Arabic script, which was used by Muslims around the world in their own languages.
Henna is a dye made from the henna tree, which can be used for applying intricately-patterned body skin tattoo that is temporary.
These two friendly Malay girls at the Ramadan Night Bazaar were generous enough to offer their beautifully hennaed hands to model for the photo – while waiting for the freshly applied henna to dry. Photo taken with a Nikon D600 with AF-S NIKKOR 24-120mm f/4G ED VR lens. Photo credit: John Tan.
Many cultures use henna to decorate their body and arms, as well as dye their hair and nails.
Nearer home, they are used by Indians and Malays.
One of the things I love about Hari Raya is eating the delicious cookies that Muslim friends and colleagues share when the festival approaches. They are tasty and make delectable snacks suitable for all occasions.
Rows and rows of Hari Raya cookies on sale at the Ramadan Night Bazaar. Both photos taken with a Nikon D600 with AF-S NIKKOR 24-120mm f/4G ED VR lens. Photo credit: John Tan.
You can also buy them at shops and the Ramadan Night Bazaar.
If you’re a baker or feeling adventurous, you could also try baking some yourself!
For Muslims sprucing up their homes for Hari Raya Puasa, there is a wide selection of carpets at the Ramadan Night Bazaar.
Carpets with modern designs with modern designs and abstract patterns. Both photos taken with a Nikon D600 with AF-S NIKKOR 24-120mm f/4G ED VR lens. Photo credit: John Tan.
From traditional geometric patterns to more modern designs with sceneries or abstract shapes, you’ll be spoilt for choice when choosing a carpet to decorate your home.
Apart from selling food for breaking of fast, the Ramadan Night Bazaar also sells plenty of interesting and beautiful stuff to help Muslims prepare for Hari Raya Puasa at the end of the fasting month.
Baju Kurung in many colours for the men. Both photos taken with a Nikon D600 with AF-S NIKKOR 24-120mm f/4G ED VR lens. Photo credit: John Tan.
Once the fasting month of Ramadan ends, the first day of the next month (Shawwal) is celebrated as Eid al-Fitr – the Arabic term meaning “festival of breaking of the fast”.
The day is known as Hari Raya Puasa in Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei; and is also known as Hari Raya Aidilfitri or Hari Raya Idul Fitri.
Hari Raya means “celebration day” in Malay.
Since this is the month of Ramadan, I will be featuring photos that I took during a visit to a night Bazaar in Geylang Serai in Singapore.
After sunset, Muslims who fasted all day file into the night bazaar, while food stall holders dish out freshly cooked food. The Arabic term for the evening breakfast is Iftar, while in Malaysia and Indonesia, the breaking of fast is termed “berbuka puasa” and “buka puasa” respectively.
This is the first in a series of photos that I will be posting on the Ramadan Bazaar.
The night markets bristle with activity especially around the Islamic month of Ramadan, which culminates with the Hari Raya Puasa.
Scott A. Woodward is a SanDisk Extreme Team member, a Nikon Professional Photographer and a Getty Images Global Assignments photographer. He shares his experiences and photography tips in a Q&A below.
Scott A. Woodward at one of four sessions of Nikon’s “I am a Fashionista” photography workshop in Singapore.
Woodward shared three tips for beginners who are starting out: Be inspired, Play with light, Experiment.
Do a little research about the who or what you will be shooting ahead of time. The more you know about what or who you will be shooting, the better prepared you can be.
Try to have some ideas for the types of photographs you want to create beforehand. There is no shame in looking at other photographers’ interpretations of a location or scene.
Use others’ work – there is an endless stream of imagery from photographers across the globe on Instagram and Flickr and Twitter – to be inspired and help get your creative juices flowing so you can create your own unique photography.
An island fortress, a rock church, and plenty of fun for the kids, Helsinki is a suitable family destination with long daylight hours in the summer.
Located in the central Senate Square, the Lutheran Cathedral was completed in 1852 and is a symbol of Helsinki. Taken with a Nikon D600 with 24-120mm lens.
Our first glimpse of Helsinki was gloomy and grim.
It was raining and we’d arrived at the central railway station, an imposing mostly brown building clad in granite, dragging our luggage.
The Uspenski Cathedral is a classical onion-domed Russian church that sits majestically on a hill overlooking the Market Square by the harbour. Taken with a Nikon D600 with 24-120mm lens.
Our mood improved as the weather cleared up.
Sunshine really makes a difference, although it was to rain intermittently over the next few days.
White nights, midnight sun and paying a social visit to Santa Claus at his hometown at the Arctic Circle.
Uspenski Cathedral in Helsinki. The clear blue skies was a relief from the haze back in South East Asia. Taken with Nikon D600 with 24-120mm lens.
It all started back in 1991 with the liberation of the Baltic States from the Soviet Union which was subsequently followed by the collapse and breakup of the Soviet bloc.
The old town square in Tallinn teems with tourists and artisans celebrating the city’s history and traditional crafts. Photo taken with Nikon D600 with 24-120mm lens.
Since then, my wife and I have always wondered about what these three brave Baltic States were like – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
As students then, we’d heard so little about these three newly-minted (then) countries.
So it was that – two decades after those tumultuous times – we decided to visit Estonia’s capital Tallinn during the children’s school holidays this year.
The easiest approach was via Helsinki.
We flew direct to the capital of Finland via Finnair and then made a day trip via a 2-hour ferry across the Gulf of Finland.
To all mothers out there … Happy Mother’s Day!
Flowers for all mothers on Mother’s Day. These beautiful flowers adorn a florist’s shop in Kumamoto, Japan. Taken with Nikon D800.
And to all mothers-to-be or newly-minted mothers, here’s a book to find out what not to expect when you are expecting.
Muddlehood (S$25.90). Available online, at Popular, Books Actually, Thomson Medical.
“Muddlehood” is a collection of essays by parents on life in the first year of parenting.
It was written by my wife and a few of her friends to share the trials and tribulations of motherhood, or how they “muddled” through it all.
The authors noted that when they were going through their first pregnancies and looking for advice and things to pay attention to, it was difficult to come by a book that was truly honest about the difficulties and psychological rigours the expecting mother was to encounter.
So having gone through it, they decided to pen down their own experiences as honestly as possible – to share what “expecting mothers never expected”.
However, despite the rigours of motherhood, the consensus among all the authors was that – at the end of the day – motherhood is the most rewarding thing a woman could experience, and it was worth every bit of angst or trouble they had to go through to have the baby.
This is an excellent book for the expecting mom to find what they never tell you to expect.
It’ll make a handy book to buy yourself if you’re contemplating having a baby, and an excellent present to give an expecting or newly-minted mum.
“Translucent” flowers at a greenhouse in Beppu, Japan. Taken with a Nikon D800.
