A couple of years ago, Canadian artist Billy Ma and I worked together on a personal photography project with our Brazilian model friend Paula.

Conceptually, our creative idea was to use Paula as a canvas for herself.  To achieve this, I photographed Paula in the nude in a variety of poses and Billy printed a selection of these images onto plastic transparencies.  Then, using a decades-old analog overhead projector, Billy projected these pictures of Paula back onto her bare skin while I photographed her again. Collectively, we wanted this series of images to show sensuality, yet vulnerability; we desired the photographs to be honest and uninhibited, like only someone very close to the subject could have made them. The result was a series we called "Raw".

Once our project was complete, my original photographs of Paula were archived and forgotten about.  At least until last year, when I stumbled upon this collection of nudes on a hard drive at work.  I perused the series of photographs and was struck by their simplicity and beauty.  I felt inspired to "do something" with these images, but at the time I didn't know exactly what that should be.

I then recalled having been introduced to British artist Nikki Farquharson's fantastic "Mixed Media Girls" series on The Cool Hunter a couple of years earlier.  I remembered how

beautiful and inspired I found Nikki's art, so I decided to visit her website and blog.

It was here that I read that she is "always interested in new work and collaborations, especially with photographers". This gave me the courage to send Nikki a message.

I wrote to her immediately, introducing myself and my photography.  I asked if she would be interested in a creative collaboration with me, merging some of my photographs of Paula together with her original ink pop art illustrations.

I was extremely excited to receive a reply from Nikki -- the very next day -- expressing her interest in working together on this project with me.  And so our online friendship and intercontinental partnership was born...

For the next couple of weeks, we got to know one another a little better via email, sharing our ideas and our individual visions for this endeavour.

Over the course of these conversations, the theme of Gaia (or Mother Earth) came to dominate our collective consciousness.  And from there, the concept of wrapping Paula in the classical Greek elements of earth, air, fire and water began to take shape.

One of the most interesting things about this creative collaboration with Nikki is that she and I have never once spoken on the telephone.  All of our communication, ideation and sharing has taken place using only modern technology and social media: email, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.  This wasn't a conscious decision that we made together, but over the months it seems to have become an unspoken agreement between us.  When this project is complete, it will certainly be a partnership for a brave new world.

The photographs here show some of Nikki's work-in-progress on each of the pieces.  To me, this is a wonderful document of -- and glimpse inside -- her vision, dedication and commitment to her craft.

One of my great pleasures as a photographer is the privilege of being able to collaborate with other artists across diverse disciplines.  This project with Nikki has only further demonstrated to me how much joy and reward can be found in sharing your ideas and your work with others.  I can't wait to share our finished product with the world soon.

The John Walker & Sons Voyager has departed Asia and sailed onto the Middle East and Europe, bringing to an end my HISTORY Channel travel and photography television series, Around The World With Voyager.

Hosting a TV show was a remarkable experience, and I am extremely grateful for the unique opportunity to step out from behind my lens and appear in front of it.  It was a challenging transition for me to make, particularly as I still had all the responsibilities of a photographer.  And although creating television is a completely different endeavour than making still photography, I definitely enjoyed the experience of bringing these two worlds together in Around The World With Voyager.

Without a doubt, the most rewarding part of the job was meeting the five icons a, learning about their lives, and documenting their personal journeys by photographing a definitive portrait of them at each of five milestone locations in their respective cities.

Across the four months of shooting Around The World With Voyager, I met with and photographed chef Sean Anson Xu (徐安昇) in Taipei, action star and movie director/producer Stephen Fung Tak-Lun (馮德倫) in Hong Kong, film director

Brillante Mendoza in Manila, fashion designer Raghavendra Rathore in Jodhpur and musical talent, Mỹ Linh in Hanoi.

Each of these individuals is a game changer in their own right, and I feel privileged to have spent time with, and got to know personally, each and every one of these remarkable people.  Exploring their cities through their eyes, and making photographs of them in each of these beautiful and meaningful locations was an experience I will always remember.

Visit my website to see these, and more, portraits from Around The World With Voyager.

Late last year, I was commissioned by The Financial Times to photograph a series of portraits of "entrepreneur, linguist, dandy dresser, petrol head, cycling fanatic, part-time soldier and thoroughly nice bloke: Wei Koh."

Wei Koh is the founder of Revolution Press and the editorial director of luxury horological title, Revolution and men's style and artisanal luxury publication, The Rake.

I had met Wei in passing at his Singapore office a couple of years prior -- when I photographed Oliver Stone for his magazine, The Rake -- so when I arrived at his home on the day of the shoot, we immediately had something in common.

My creative brief was to make a collection of photographs of Wei in his personal environment, and I was immediately attracted to the modern art adorning the walls of his home. I proposed integrating Wei's art collection into our portraits, and he happily obliged.

It was a relaxed and enjoyable photo shoot, with Wei's lovely wife, Jocelyn on-hand to help with his personal styling.

The result of our time together that morning spanned six pages in the FT's December 2012 horology magazine, "Watch This Space".

The Voyager's last port of call is breathtaking Halong Bay, Vietnam.

In this, the fifth and final episode of The HISTORY Channel's Around The World With Voyager, I travel to the buzzing capital city of Hanoi where I meet Mỹ Linh, one of the nation's foremost musical talents.

Mỹ Linh’s beautiful voice has captivated hearts across Vietnam and beyond.  She is one of the country's most recognizable performers, as well as a musical ambassador to the world, having performed concerts throughout Asia, Europe and the Americas.

Last year marked the 20th anniversary of Mỹ Linh’s career as a musical artist and performer.  Together we celebrate this remarkable milestone by exploring the city she has called home her entire life.

Born into a working class family at the end of the Vietnam War, Mỹ Linh brings me to meet her mother in the old Hanoi neighbourhood where she grew-up.  As she recalls her formative years, we stroll down a memory lane dotted with traditional snacks, old limestone walls and bicycles in narrow lanes.  Mỹ Linh’s late father has been a great inspiration to her, and to honour him I decide to photograph Mỹ Linh and her mother together holding a

portrait of Mỹ Linh as a little girl in the arms of her loving father.  Here, Mỹ Linh also comes face-to-face with her childhood inspiration and the revisits traditional Vietnamese music of her youth.

Mỹ Linh’s formidable musical talent was evident from her teenage years.  In 1991, she was named Best High School Student Singer and Best Singer in a Pop Band.  These awards were a sign of success to come and, when she scored first on her entrance exam, Mỹ Linh enrolled in the prestigious Hanoi Conservatory of Music.  To date, she has released more than ten albums and, in 2006, her “Chat Với Mozart”, an innovative fusion of Vietnamese and classical Western music, was named Album of the Year.  Ever grateful for her successes, Mỹ Linh brings me to the Hai Ba Trung Pagoda where she continues to keep in touch with her spiritual side.  Together we make a dramatic portrait of her in prayer inside the beautiful Buddhist temple.

Mỹ Linh then escorts me to Long Bien Bridge to introduce me to her husband, acclaimed Vietnamese composer-producer Anh Quân.  Long Bien Bridge is significant as it's where the couple -- now parents to two children, as well as Anh Quân's daughter from an earlier marriage -- shared their first date on the back of a scooter many years ago.  I capture them, perched on a vintage Vespa, as they recreate the romance of that first date.

From here, Mỹ Linh invites me to her home in the Hanoi countryside.  It is here that Mỹ Linh and Anh Quân continue to record her bestselling albums together in their state-of-the-art recording studio and where I create a series of photographs of Mỹ Linh singing one of her many hit songs.

Mỹ Linh has dedicated her entire career to the pursuit of excellence.  Her styles range from opera and classical music to R&B, soul, funk and pop.  Naming the late Whitney Houston as one of her influences, fittingly Mỹ Linh herself is renowned as one of Vietnam’s "Four Divas".  To celebrate her life in music, I decide to make my final portrait of Mỹ Linh performing on the stage at the iconic Hanoi Opera House, one of the city’s historic musical landmarks.

To experience Mỹ Linh's journey through my lens, catch the fifth and final episode of Around The World With Voyager, which premieres on Monday 4 March at 11pm on HISTORY and HISTORY HD.

Watch promotional trailers for the first, second, third and fourth episodes where I meet and photograph chef Sean Anson Xu (徐安昇) in Taipei, action star and movie director/producer Stephen Fung Tak-Lun (馮德倫) in Hong Kong, film director Brillante Mendoza in Manila and fashion designer Raghavendra Rathore in Jodhpur.

The Voyager's next port of call is the dazzling 'Blue City' of Jodhpur, India.

In the fourth episode of The HISTORY Channel's Around The World With Voyager, I meet renowned fashion designer Raghavendra Rathore and explore with him this majestic city on the edge of the Thar desert.

Born in Rajasthan, India’s “State of Kings”, Raghavendra is a proud bearer of his heritage as one of the descendants of Jodhpur’s royal clan, the Rathores (he is the great-grandson of Sardar Singh, 34th Maharaja of Jodhpur). Raghavendra shares stories of a childhood spent in Rajasthan before leaving India as a young man for further studies in the United States.

Fearing that academia might stifle his pursuit of creativity, Raghavendra studied Human Anthropology and Robotics at Hampshire College in Massachusetts, then Arts and Philosophy at Marlboro College in Vermont, before enrolling at New York's acclaimed Parsons School of Design.

When acclaimed fashion designer Donna Karan visited Parsons, she handpicked Raghavendra to work for her as an assistant designer at DKNY's sportwear division. Raghavendra went on to work with other famous

Manhattan labels Oscar de la Renta and Bill Blass before returning to Jodhpur and launching his eponymous fashion label, “Rathore Jodhpur”.

Inspired by his hometown of Jodhpur, Raghavendra's personal designs integrate the heritage and charm of classic Rajasthani fashion with modern styling and aesthetics.  He is best known for reviving the traditional Jodhpurs and Bandhgalas, making them internationally fashionable, while also preserving and promoting Rajashtan culture.

In 2011, Raghavendra was honoured by Ashok Gehlot, Chief Minister of Rajasthan, for promoting the heritage and culture of Rajasthan through his fashion designs and for making his designs synonymous with Indian heritage.

I first meet Raghavendra at the regal sandstone Ajit Bhawan palace, his distinguished home filled with family photographs and other heirlooms.  It is here that I learn about his family -- and, in particular, his father, who had a significant influence in shaping Raghavendra's life -- and I make a portrait of him in his drawing room.

We take time to admire his family's remarkable vintage automobile collection, but it is one car in particular -- a beautiful 1947 MG TC -- that Raghavendra lovingly

and personally restored that catches my eye for our photo shoot.

Next, Raghavendra takes me to the historic and imposing Mehrangarh Fort.  Towering on a hill more than 400 feet above Jodhpur, this is one of the largest forts in all of India. Celebrated for its elaborate carvings and expansive courtyards, it is here that Raghavendra's cousin, His Highness The Maharaja Gaj Singh II, invited Raghavendra to host his first fashion show, changing the trajectory of Raghavendra's life.  Together we create a fashion-inspired portrait in one of the citadel's stunning courtyards.

When Raghavendra was a boy, his father would take him to the countryside, exposing him to village life and allowing him to experience indigenous Rajasthani customs and tradition.  Pukraj is a village weaver that Raghavendra and his father met many decades ago, and together we visit him at his humble home.  Although Raghavendra's designs are contemporary, here with Pukraj I witness firsthand how he continues to draw inspiration from his cultural roots.  In an enjoyable twist, I photograph both Pukraj and Raghavendra together.

Our final location is a couple of hours' drive outside Jodhpur in the vast Thar desert.  With some help from some local young men, we drag a giant seven-foot mirror up a

massive sand dune to create a more conceptual portrait of our subject.  Just as the sun sets over the Rajasthan desert, I capture Raghavendra in reflection, both literally and figuratively.

Raghavendra is an incredibly interesting person to meet and a fantastic subject to photograph.  I admire how his contemporary design principles have been strongly influenced by his cultural heritage, and I thoroughly enjoyed learning about his family history and his creative and life philosophies.

To experience Raghavendra's journey through my lens, catch the fourth episode of Around The World With Voyager,which premieres on Monday 11 February at 11pm on HISTORY and HISTORY HD.

Watch the promotional trailers for the first, second and third episodes where I met and photographed chef Sean Anson Xu (徐安昇) in Taipei, action star and movie director/producer Stephen Fung Tak-Lun (馮德倫) in Hong Kong and film director Brillante Mendoza in Manila.

The Voyager's next port of call is the frenetic Philippine port city of Manila.

In the third episode of The HISTORY Channel's Around The World With Voyager, globally acclaimed auteur Brillante Mendoza, a man who’s forged the path for Filipino filmmakers on the world stage, tours me around his nation's capital of 12 million people.

First, Brillante brings me to the University of Santo Tomas, the oldest university in all of Asia, where he majored in advertising.  It was here that Brillante launched a successful career as a production designer, working on television commercials for renowned Filipino and international brands.  However, Brillante reveals how he wanted something more from his life.

In 2005, he received a script for a movie, reworked it and with just USD$10,000, made Masahista (The Masseur).  The film would win Mendoza various awards including the Golden Leopard at the 58th Locarno International Film Festival in Switzerland.

I then follow Brillante to Mandaluyong, one of the 16 cities comprising Metropolitan Manila.  It was in these streets that Brillante filmed Masahista -- and here that he realised filmmaking was his true life's calling.

In Mandaluyong, Brillante also filmed scenes for Kinatay (Butchered), a hard-hitting 2009 effort that earned him the Prix de la mise en scène (Best Director) at the Cannes International Film Festival, making him the first Filipino to ever win this prestigious award.

From here, Brillante brings me to visit the Quiapo Church, Manila’s famous Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene, where he regularly attends mass.  Mendoza's personal life remains important, and here he explains that his greatest achievement beyond all his film awards is being a father to his adopted daughter.

I then follow and photograph Brillante in the packed streets of Quiapo, Manila's old downtown, where he filmed Tirador (Slingshot).  He explains to me that it is here, among the ordinary people living in these neighbourhoods, that he finds the inspiration for his films; he seeks people in extraordinary situations to reflect life's realities and inspiring change.

From the bustling streets, I retreat with Brillante to his personal Eden.  It is inside this lush, green hideaway -- known as the "Secret Garden" -- where Brillante continues to make films with honesty.  In this serene location, in one of Asia’s most unique cities, I conclude my time with a truly distinctive Filipino voice: Brillante Mendoza.

I found Brillante to be a remarkable subject; his passion for his craft, his country and his fellow Filipinos is both palpable and admirable.

To experience Brillante's journey through my lens, catch the third episode of Around The World With Voyager,which premieres on Monday 14 January at 11pm on HISTORY and HISTORY HD.

To learn more about my time on Voyager in Manila and with Brillante, read these articles in The Philippine Star, The Philippine Daily Inquirer and Rappler.

Watch the promotional trailers for the first and second episodes where I met and photographed Sean Anson Xu (徐安昇) in Taipei and Stephen Fung Tak-Lun (馮德倫) in Hong Kong.

The Voyager's next port of call is Hong Kong.

In this episode of The HISTORY Channel's Around The World With Voyager, I meet actor, singer, musician, model, writer and director Stephen Fung Tak-Lun (馮德倫), one of the territory's most versatile talents.

Stephen first rose to fame in the 1990s as one half of the music duo Dry, before moving into acting in and directing action movies Gen-X Cops, Enter the Phoenix and Jump! which cemented his popularity with the Hong Kong public.

Stephen is a multifaceted personality, and has continued to cross genres with his film work.

Stephen takes on the role of my tour guide, leading me to five different locations that represent significant milestones in his life in Hong Kong.  My mission is to photograph five definitive portraits of Stephen at these locations around the city, capturing and revealing his phenomenal rise through Hong Kong's competitive and acclaimed entertainment industry.

Revealing his unlikely beginnings as a star, Stephen brings me to Hong Kong's iconic Peak and the German Swiss

School he attended as a teenager.  Here we reminisce about his youth and growing-up in this bustling city.

Stephen loves heavy metal music -- bands like AC/DC, Guns 'N Roses, Metallica -- and as a youngster he dreamed of being a rock 'n roll star.  We visit the Tom Lee Music School where Stephen learned to play and we talk about his passion for music and how it influenced his life.  Stephen even rips a few chords for me on his electric guitar.

He then takes me on a tour of Happy Valley and to his first home.  Aiming to get access inside, he provides me some insight into the community and what his modest first apartment meant to him after many years of hard work.

To uncover the beginnings of Stephen's movie career, he brings me to the trendy On Lan Street in Central where he filmed the first scene of his directorial debut, Enter the Phoenix, in which he also co-starred alongside his close friend Daniel Wu.

And, for his final portrait, Stephen and I visit Diversion Pictures, the production company that he recently started with Wu.  Here we talk about their acclaimed inaugural film, Tai Chi Zero, and how this complex

project has been such a huge step for him, signaling yet another new and exciting phase in his life.

It was a pleasure to meet Stephen and have an opportunity to explore Hong Kong through his eyes.

To experience Stephen's journey through my lens, catch the second episode of Around The World With Voyager, which premieres on Monday 10 December at 11pm on HISTORY and HISTORY HD.

Click here to watch the promotional trailer for the first episode where I met and photographed Sean Anson Xu 徐安昇 in Taipei.

In the words of writer Rod Mackenzie, "Singapore is undergoing a creative revolution."

I wholeheartedly agree.

Rod asserts, "This isn’t a country normally associated with sudden spontaneity or letting rip.  Efficient, safe, clean, somewhat maiden-auntish and rule-bound -- these are the words people tend to use when describing this little diamond-shaped island."

However, in the three years Rod has lived here -- and most certainly in the 15+ years I have called it home -- Singapore has "undergone some significant changes.  Glitzy Vegas-style casinos, groundbreaking modern architecture, Formula One races, cutting-edge arts festivals, pleasure gardens filled with 50-metre-tall neon-lit 'Supertrees' -- it’s all getting louder, brighter and much more interesting."

Land Rover recently commissioned Rod, myself and my friend and frequent creative collaborator, Mike Rogers, to document Singapore's transformation for their multi-award-winning travel and lifestyle magazine, OneLife.

So, for four days this past August, we traversed our tiny island home in a beautiful, brand new Range Rover Sport,

meeting a handful of entrepreneurs who are "rewriting the rulebook and fueling the economic future" of Singapore.

We interviewed and photographed a total of five independent business people who have chosen not only to make Singapore their personal home, but also the place where they chase their professional dreams: Ryan Lee, CEO of X-mini capsule speakers for mobile phones, Mp3 players, tablets and laptops; Lisa Crosswhite, founder of Gnossem, an online retailed dedicated to independent Asian fashion designers; Lawrence Koh, founder of iFly Singapore, Asia's only indoor skydiving wind tunnel; Violet Lim, chief executive of Lunch Actually, a dating agency that connects busy professionals in over lunch; and Loh Lik Peng, the hotelier behind Singapore's boutique properties New Majestic Hotel, Hotel 1929 and Wanderlust.

It was a unique way to observe Singapore -- through the windscreen of a Land Rover.  It was also an interesting way to learn more about Singapore -- through the eyes of these successful, creative entrepreneurs.

Watch Mike's short film about "Singapore's Creative Revolutionaries" here.

Browse more of my travel and lifestyle photography here.

This past August, I received a phone call from The Moving Visuals Company, a television and film production house in Singapore.  They were contacting me on behalf of The HISTORY Channel, who was searching for a photographer to host a TV series, and they wanted to know if I was interested in such a role.

I can honestly say I hadn't awoken that morning thinking I wanted to be on television.  However, as my father always says, "you never know if you never go", so I agreed to a meeting to discuss the opportunity further.

One thing led to another and a few weeks later -- following a screen test with the show's Creative Director and countless phone calls with the series' Executive Producer -- I learned that I had been selected as the program's host. And so began a three-month (and counting) adventure filming the television series Around The World With Voyager.

Sponsored by John Walker & Sons, and inspired by the rare 1920s travel guide Around the World -- a journal that documented cities and countries across the globe nearly one hundred years ago -- the TV show follows me on the 187-foot custom designed luxury yacht, Voyager, as I sail across Asia, from Shanghai to Mumbai, recreating the epic

journeys of the early 20th Century traders.  The series will comprise of five episodes, one created in each of Taiwan, Hong Kong, Philippines, India and Vietnam.

The show is one-half biography and one-half travelogue, as I disembark and meet with local icons -- a celebrity, an entrepreneur or an entertainer -- who define their cities as much as their cities have defined them.  Each personality acts as my tour guide, taking me to five different locations that represent significant milestones in his/her life and have helped shape his/her professional and personal successes.

As host and photographer, my role is to learn about the icons and their lives, while at the same time documenting their personal journeys by shooting a definitive portrait of them at each of their five milestone locations.

Historic yet contemporary, Around The World With Voyager strives to uniquely document the evolving history of modern Asia.

This is the promotional trailer for the premiere episode, where my first port of call is Taipei.  Here I meet Sean Anson Xu 徐安昇, one of Taiwan's most admired and ambitious entrepreneurs.

Candidly, stepping out from behind my lens to host a television series has been quite a journey in its own right for me personally.  It has been a challenging transition, but it has certainly been a rewarding opportunity.  And although making television is a completely different endeavour from my world of still photography, I have absolutely enjoyed the experience of bringing these two worlds together in Around The World With Voyager.

Around The World With Voyager premieres on Monday 26 November at 11pm on HISTORY and HISTORY HD.

I have been extremely privileged to meet and photograph a number of notable and high-profile personalities over the course of my career.  Photographing people like Oscar-winning film director Oliver Stone and PGA golfer Tiger Woods have been among my most memorable assignments.

And over the past year, while on assignment for various editorial clients, I have had the opportunity to make portraits of three interesting and engaging individuals: fiction author Alexander McCall Smith; scholar, columnist and television personality Niall Ferguson; and art historian Charles Saumarez Smith.

I spent a couple of hours with Alexander McCall Smith, author of the best-selling The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, at Singapore's iconic Raffles Hotel last year while shooting a profile about him for Reader's Digest.  Mr. McCall Smith was a patient and thoughtful subject and, as it was the first (and only) time I've been permitted to shoot inside Raffles Hotel, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of integrating the historical Victorian-era property and decor into my photographs.

Earlier this year I met Niall Ferguson very briefly when I was commissioned by the Financial Times to photograph him at

a finance conference at Singapore's Mandarin Oriental Hotel.  My assistant and I were set up and waiting for Mr. Ferguson, who was delayed, for more than ninety minutes. So when he arrived, we had just a few minutes to shoot his portrait, which gave me time to make only a handful of photographs.  But he was a fantastic subject -- he was extremely comfortable in front of my lens, required little direction and was full of expression -- so a few moments was all that we needed to get the shot.

Finally, I was hired by Billionaire to photograph portraits of Charles Saumarez Smith, former Director of the National Portrait Gallery (UK) and the National Gallery (UK), and the current Secretary and Chief Executive of the Royal Academy of Arts (UK).  Our shoot took place this past March at the historic Eden Hall, the private residence of the British High Commissioner to Singapore.  I had about one hour with Mr. Saumarez Smith, and although my idea of photographing him on the grounds outside was scuttled by an afternoon thunder shower, I feel I was still able to make some compelling pictures of him.  It was an honour to photograph a subject whose image, captured by the great Mario Testino, currently resides in his former place of employment, London's National Portrait Gallery.

See more of my portraiture on my website.

On my annual visit home to Fonthill, Ontario last summer my dad gave me a wonderful gift: my grandfather, Gordon Woodward's 1930s Kodak Six-16 folding camera.  My uncle had the camera sitting in a closet in Florida, and on a recent visit he passed it to my dad to give to me.  The camera was in mint condition and came in it's original leather case which still contained it's old tattered paper manuals.

Immediately I wanted to see if I could use the camera, but after doing a little research online I learned that Kodak stopped making 616 film in the mid-1980s.

Determined, I dug a little deeper and learned that 120 film, which Kodak still manufactures today, is only slightly narrower and, theoretically, can be used inside the camera.

However, since 120 film spools are shorter, I would need to use spacers on either end of the film in order for it to fit inside the camera.  Through more Internet research I found a gentleman in Italy named Claudio Bettio who manufactures CNC aluminum spacers designed specifically to do this.  I emailed him and purchased the spacers, which he posted to me in Singapore.

With Claudio's guidance, and using thin cardboard strips I cut from my business cards which I held in place with

sturdy black tape, I was able to slightly decrease the size of the film chamber inside the camera to prevent light leak.

Finally, with the assistance of my father-in-law, his power drill and a sanding disc, we were able to shave down the plastic tops of each roll of 120 film, slightly narrowing their circumference so the film could unwind/wind properly inside the camera.

Getting my grandfather's camera to work was a challenge, but it was also a labour of love.  And, in the end, it was a success.

I made a total of 18 photographs on three rolls of film this past summer, all of which exposed properly.

And my primary goal, which was to capture a family portrait of three generations of Woodwards -- all of my grandfather's children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren -- turned out beautifully.

Here are the results: the first is a picture of my father that I made on my iPhone as he helped me set-up the camera for the family photograph; the second is the actual family portrait that I made using my grandfather's 80 year-old Kodak Six-16 camera.  Two great memories of a wonderful summer day spent with family.

Late last year the world's most famous golfer, Tiger Woods, touched down in Singapore for a special appearance at Laguna National Golf and Country Club.

Hosted by Marina Bay Sands, Tiger's appearance was an invitation-only event featuring a private golf clinic followed by an opportunity for VIP's to play a couple of holes with the former world number one at Laguna's brand new World Classic course.

This exclusive event was closed to the media; however, I was commissioned by Laguna National to photograph Tiger and document his appearance.  Unfortunately, I wasn't afforded any private time with Tiger, so all my portraiture had to be made candidly and on-the-fly.

I faced various external challenges: Tiger was backlit during most of his golf clinic; no flashes were permitted (understandably); it was an overcast day filled with intermittent rain; and he was wearing a white hat and white shirt.  Furthermore, I am not an experienced golf photographer, so I was rather anxious making photographs of Tiger Woods.

I knew I wanted to create a collection of close-up, high contrast black and white portraits, so for this series

I decided to blow-out the background and the highlights (and, in the process, lose most of the texture in his clothing) in order to properly expose for Tiger's face, show the sweat beading on his skin and capture a range of his expressions during the event.

Although this series certainly cannot be considered true golf photography, this is my favourite collection of images from the day I spent shooting Tiger Woods.  I feel extremely fortunate to have had the opportunity to photograph one of the greatest golfers of all time, and one of the most recognizable sportsmen of our generation.

See more of my portrait photography on my website.

I spent most of last week in Cambodia with my filmmaker friends and frequent creative partners, Mike Rogers and Meghan Shea of Persistent Productions.

The three of us were there to visit Sala Bai, a hospitality school for underprivileged youth in Siem Reap, as part of location scouting and pre-production meetings for an upcoming film and photographic collaboration.

In November, we will return to Siem Reap for 10 days to create photographic reportage and a short documentary film about Sala Bai and the positive work they are doing for Cambodia's disadvantaged youth.

For nearly a decade, Sala Bai has been training, free-of-charge, approximately 100 young people annually in the hospitality industry.  The school's goal is to provide the students with the skills and experience necessary to secure gainful employment in one of Siem Reap's numerous hotels, guesthouses or restaurants, helping them achieve economic independence and improving their quality of life, and those of their families.

Sala Bai offers students four specific training programs: restaurant service, cooking, front office and housekeeping. The 11-month curriculum includes theory classes,

practical training and internships at partner hotels in Siem Reap.  The students are supported by social workers who mentor them throughout their tenure at Sala Bai, as well as assist them in finding a full-time job after graduation. Remarkably, 100% of Sala Bai's students secure gainful employment in the Cambodian hospitality industry within three months of their graduation.

When we return to Cambodia for our shoot in November, we intend to focus on Khatna, a young woman who recently graduated from Sala Bai and now works on the front desk at the boutique Heritage Suites Hotel in Siem Reap.  We intend to tell the story of Khatna and her journey, in less than one year, from Mechrey Village -- a rural floating community located on Tonle Sap Lake, where she lived with her pig farming parents and four sisters -- to working the front desk of a luxury hotel in the city.

As part of our pre-shoot interviews and location scouting, we traveled with Khatna, by tuk-tuk and small motorboat, to Mechrey Village to meet her family and see their humble home.

I opted to leave my Nikon DSLR's at the hotel, instead brining only my iPhone to document this informal family visit.  This series of Hipstamatic images (which I tweaked a

little in post-production using Noir) are of Sovern Sorn, Khatna's father, who welcomed us warmly into his small wooden home, and then sat silently by the window throughout our hour-long visit, smoking cigarettes and gazing out at the passing boats.

At first Sovern was reluctant to let me photograph him, but after showing him a few of the processed images as they popped-up on the screen of my iPhone, he opened-up and permitted me to quietly snap away.

Our visit to Mechrey Village with Khatna was a highlight of our time in Cambodia, and Mike, Meghan and I are very excited to return to Siem Reap in November to get to know Khatna and her family better, as well as begin our creative project alongside the students and administrators at Sala Bai.

See more of my iPhoneography elsewhere on this blog or on Flickr.

I recently returned home to Singapore after a wonderful three-week holiday with my family in Ontario and Alberta, Canada.  As anyone who has taken a flight literally half-way around the world will attest, Singapore to Toronto is a long way to go.  However, it is the special times I get to share in Canada with my family -- and in particular, with my three young nieces, Carissa (4), Brooke (5) and Paige (7) -- that makes the mind-numbing drudgery of the >24-hour flight worth it.

Every summer holiday I endeavour to strike a balance between spending quality time with the girls and simply enjoying our (fleeting) moments together, with wanting to indulge in my photography passion and document and preserve those special times forever (for me, as well as for their parents and grandparents).  It is often difficult for me to find this equilibrium, as throughout our time together I am constantly witnessing wonderful scenes and catching glimpses of beautiful light and longing to capture these moments with my camera.

However, this summer was a little different for me.

As always, I lugged my Nikon D3x and an assortment of lenses all the way back to Canada.  Only this time, not once did I take my DSLR out of it's bag.  Instead, I used my

iPhone, which was always in my pocket, to document at least one thing that we did together every day.

This collection of images is the result of my iPhoneography experiment with the girls: our time together playing on the swings, blowing bubbles in the backyard, sliding into the blow-up pool, going on twilight walks, visiting with Grandma & Grandpa, exploring the museum, wandering alongside the train tracks...

Like all little girls, Carissa, Brooke and Paige share similar interests: all things princesses, tirelessly singing and dancing and devouring story book after story book.  But, like all people, they have so many differences.  And it is their intense individuality that I think I love the most about them.

These little girls literally steal my heart for those few days I am in Canada every year.  And then it breaks a little whenever it's time for me to leave.

See more of my iPhoneography elsewhere on this blog or on Flickr.

In 2006, I met portrait photographer Tan Ngiap Heng at a week end photo workshop being conducted in Singapore. Ngiap Heng and I stayed in touch afterwards, and shortly following the workshop he asked whether I would sit for a portrait session at his studio one day.

When I agreed, Ngiap Heng asked me to bring a few JPEG's of my own photography to the shoot -- some of my favourite personal work -- and although I wasn't exactly sure why, I obliged.

I soon learned that Ngiap Heng was experimenting with using a digital projector to cast images against a backdrop, and then having his subjects pose within the projected image while he photographed his portrait.  I had never seen this before, and was intrigued when he projected one of my own photographs on me and then made my portrait.

It is five years later, and I still remember my portrait session with Ngiap Heng.  So, when model Paula asked me if I'd be interested in doing a personal test shoot with her, I was inspired to borrow from my projection experience with Ngiap Heng, but take it a little further...

I came up with the idea of shooting Paula once, and then projecting those images of her back onto her own skin while photographing her again; I wanted to use Paula as a canvas for herself.

I met with an artist friend and frequent collaborator of mine, fellow Canadian Billy Ma, and together we wrestled with exactly how to execute this idea, and what style and tone the photography should take.  We wanted the series of images to show sensuality, yet vulnerability; we wanted the photographs to be raw and honest, like only someone very close to the subject (a lover?) could have made them.

With Billy art directing, and wonderful hair and make-up artist Dewi Mahoney assisting us, I lit and photographed Paula in a variety of poses in my Chinatown studio.  Billy took these images away, printed them on plastic transparencies, and then we came back together again with Paula a week later for the second part of the project.

Billy owns a decades-old analog overhead projector, complete with dirt and scratches, that was perfect for the job.  Together with the help of another hair and make-up artist Winnie Chow, Billy projected images of Paula back

onto her body while I photographed this series; these are the results.

This was an exciting and rewarding project to undertake with my creative friends, and we are all proud of the results.  However, like many collaborations, this shoot was not without its frustrations -- we encountered technical and creative challenges along the way -- but we persevered, and in the end we got where we wanted to be, together.

I don't believe the creative process is supposed to be easy: for me , it's about push and pull, give and take, partnership and compromise.  I am glad that I have a group of friends and colleagues who believe this too.

See more of my fashion and portrait photography on my website.