It is always exciting when a client comes directly to me with a creative concept for a shoot.  In this case it was Megan Williamson, owner of Bistecca Tuscan Steakhouse in Singapore, who approached me with a unique idea for a fashion-inspired photographic series she wanted me to create.

As a broad concept, Megan wanted me to integrate wild European animals and beautiful, fashionable women into each of five photographs to be used as advertisements to promote Bistecca and as art to hang on the walls of her restaurant.

Admittedly, it was a rather uncommon brief, but I was attracted to the challenge of creating and capturing these fantastical scenes.  Megan was very flexible about which animals I could use, and she gave me the creative licence to conceptualize and art direct the five images myself. Megan's only stipulation was that each photograph needed to be set and created inside the restaurant itself.

My producers, Annette Fausboll and Maureen Audetto of Ugly Duckling Projects, brought together a team of Singapore's most creative and experienced fashion, hair and make-up stylists, and we all met late last year to conceptualize the shoot and brainstorm creative ideas.

The five executions we agreed to shoot were: "Mouflon", a woman going head-to-head into battle with an angry ram; "Pheasant", a localized interpretation of "American Gothic", the famous painting by Grant Wood; "Cows", an homage to the iconic Richard Avedon photograph, "Dovima with the Elephants", substituting giant 7-foot Chianina cows; "Boar", a wry take on a wealthy woman walking her toy poodle on a leash; and "Deer", inspired by the 19th century John Collier "Lady Godiva" painting.

Of course, once we determined and agreed on our concepts, the next puzzle that needed to be solved was how we would bring these animals -- some giant, others ferocious -- to life inside Bistecca.  It was crucial to me that every wild animal look completely lifelike.  I therefore quickly determined that compositing existing stock photographs of these animals into the scenes would not yield the faithful outcome I was seeking.  Additionally, bringing the animals to Bistecca and shooting giant Tuscan bulls or a raging wild boar inside the restaurant was clearly going to be impossible.

I reached out to Procolor, Singapore's preeminent digital imaging studio, to help me tackle the challenge.  We agreed collectively that the best course of action was to shoot the models alone and then, in post-production, photo-

realistically illustrate these animals and composite them into the frames.

Annette, Maureen and I then began searching for a concept artist who could could manage a job of this complexity.  We settled on Calvin Chua, a young graduate of Nanyang Technological University, who joined the team and worked alongside me on the shoot to layout each scene with enough consideration for the life-sized animals he would illustrate and Procolor would composite into the frame.

It took more than six long weeks of illustration and digital post-production, but this past Monday we finally completed the job.  It was the most challenging creative assignment I have ever undertaken; hundreds of hours of blood, sweat and (quite literally) tears were shed by the illustrator, digital imaging team and my entire production staff -- a true labour of love, resulting in finished artwork of which we are all very proud.

Explore "Orphan", another fantasy-styled collaborative fashion series I recently completed here.  And see more of my fashion and portrait photography on my website.

Credits

Client: Bistecca Tuscan Steakhouse

Production: Ugly Duckling Projects

Styling: Furqan Saini

Hair & Make-up: Andrea Claire

Hair & Make-up Assistant: Mag Yang

Photographer's Assistants: Zam, Simin & Jun Yang

Models: Nataliya Zapolina & Fabiana Cassol / Phantom

Illustration: Calvin Chua & Dave Phung / Procolor

Digital Imaging: Dave Phung / Procolor

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 the greatest golfer of all time, and one of the most recognizable sportsmen of our generation.

See more of my portrait photography on my website.

Since 2009 I have worked alongside the inspiring women of The Chain Reaction Project (TCRP), a non-profit philanthropic organization based in Singapore.  United by a passion for adventure and a dedication to helping others, TCRP seeks physical challenges and local organizations that can benefit from their efforts in some of the world's least-developed nations.  TCRP's mission is to be catalysts for change, pushing themselves and inspiring others to tackle a physical or mental challenge for a good cause.

Over the past three years, the women of TCRP have raced in the Tour de Timor, a 5-day, 450-kilometre mountain bike race across Timor-Leste, run the Dili "City of Peace" Marathon and completed the grueling nine day KILI[Man] in Tanzania, summitting the highest peak in Africa over over six days, biking 250km around the mountain over two days and running a full marathon on the final day.  Along their journeys, TCRP has inspired many dozens of other catalysts for change and raised more than USD$100,000 for HIAM-Health, a Dili-based malnutrition rehabilitation and education centre and AmaniKids, a home for Tanzania’s street children and AIDS orphans.

TCRP recently launched their newly-designed website, www.thechainreactionproject.com, and I am very proud that a large selection of the photography I created for them on

their two trips to Timor-Leste is prominently featured there.

This collection of imagery was my personal donation to TCRP: a library of photographs that can be used for their marketing and public relations purposes, and as a way to help garner additional sponsorship and donations for their future philanthropic endeavors.

TCRP's passion, tenacity and dedication to helping others is admirable, and I am honoured to be both their partner and their friend.

See more of my imagery from the ruggedly beautiful nation of Timor-Leste captured on my TCRP documentary shoots in 2009 and 2010.

I have been fortunate enough to visit Cambodia on many occasions in recent years -- three times in the past three months alone -- and I have accumulated a large collection of stock photography while shooting these various assignments.

So, when the photo editor of Condé Nast Traveller (Russia) recently contacted me while searching for imagery to illustrate an upcoming article on the "Kingdom of Wonder", I had a large reserve of photography to share with her.

'АнГкор, еще анГкор!' -- which, literally translated, means 'Angkor, More Angkor!', but I have been told is a play on words in Russian, since it rhymes with the title of a popular film -- is published in the February 2012 issue of CNT (Russia).  Interestingly (and excitingly), this feature contains my landscape and travel photography that I captured on five separate visits to Cambodia.

To see more of my recent CNT work, browse 'Singapore Grows Up', an assignment I photographed for the August/September 2011 issue of Condé Nast Traveller (India).

See more of my lifestyle and travel photography on my website.

In September and November of last year, Mike Rogers, Meghan Shea and I spent nearly two weeks at Sala Bai Hotel & Restaurant School in Siem Reap creating documentary photography and film about the positive work the organization is doing for Cambodia's disadvantaged youth.

As outlined in one of my previous posts, for nearly ten years now Sala Bai has been offering tuition-free hospitality training to 100 impoverished young people annually.  Sala Bai's mission is to provide their students with the capabilities and experience necessary -- in one of four disciplines: restaurant service, cooking, front office and housekeeping -- to secure gainful employment in one of Siem Reap's numerous luxury hotels, guesthouses or restaurants.  These skills, and the resulting economic independence, not only improves the students' quality of life, but those of their families as well.

Like many NGO's, Sala Bai relies heavily on the generosity and support of private donations and corporate benefactors to fund it's operating expenses and help meet it's financial obligations.  In the spirit of this, the Southeast Asian edition of Travel + Leisure magazine has donated six full-page advertisements to Sala Bai over the course of 2012. The first advertisement -- featuring a portrait I made of Sala Bai student Srey Mao -- appears in the January 2012 issue of Travel+Leisure.  The ad reads as follows:

Village to Vocation.

A Victory Against Human Trafficking.

Meet Srey Mao from Kra Yatbong.  Her family lives on less that $25 per month.  In July, she will graduate earning more than three times that amount.

A good reason  to smile.

In 9 years, the non-profit Sala Bai Hotel & Restaurant School in Siem Reap, Cambodia has graduated 803 young men and women from our yearlong vocational training program.  Without fail, each has been employed within three months of graduation.  To learn more about how you can help, please email us at info@salabai.com or visit us at www.salabai.com or www.facebook.com/SalaBaiSchool.

If you would like to make a donation to Sala Bai, please click here.

For years, I've talked of visiting Sri Lanka.  Although I'd heard only wonderful things from friends who had visited, it was just one of those places that I hadn't made it to. That is, until a few weeks ago, when I spent 10 magnificent days on the island often referred to as the "teardrop of India".

I was immediately smitten with Sri Lanka: it's friendly people, brilliant beaches, beautiful scenery and gorgeous climate.  I wondered why it took me so long to come here.

After spending a few glorious days at Apa Villa Illuketia, a remarkable 200-year-old plantation estate a short distance outside Galle, I headed to Apa Villa Thalpe, their sister property consisting of three villas on the beach overlooking the Indian Ocean, for another week of rest and relaxation.

I managed to pull myself away from the seaside a couple of times during the week, when I headed into the historic town of Galle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, "one of the best examples of a fortified city built by Europeans in south and southeast Asia...and the largest remaining fortress in Asia built by European occupiers".

I relished wandering the narrow streets and lanes inside the Galle Fort, admiring the interesting blend of colonial Dutch, English, Portuguese and local Sinhalese architecture.

Having enjoyed so much shooting only with my iPhone in Goa, India just a few weeks prior, I set out to create a small body of street iPhoneography from my Galle meanderings.  The result is this small series of street photographs captured and processed using only my iPhone 4S and some of my favourite apps such as Phototreats, PicTools, Luminance and Pixlr-o-matic; I added the white borders using Lightroom 3.

I posted this series of images to Instagram and, about one of the photographs, one of my followers asked me (only half kidding) whether I ever used my DSLR's to shoot anymore.  The truth is, the iPhone is so convenient, unimposing and powerful that I find myself more and more opting to take it on holiday, or out on personal photographic walks with me rather than carry my big, heavy Nikons.

Clearly, my DSLR's will never be replaced by my mobile phone for my editorial reportage and fashion or commercial and advertising work, but for someone who is passionate about making photographs, the ease of having a camera in your pocket and with you always is second to none.

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

Earlier this month I spent nearly a week on Candolim Beach in Goa for a wedding celebration.  It was a fantastic few days on India's southwest coast, spending time with old friends and making new ones.

I arrived in India, packed to the gills with my Nikon DSLR cameras and lenses, with the goal of making a landscape or reportage photograph of Goa as a gift for the bride and groom.  I also had my brand new iPhone 4S in my pocket. No prizes for guessing which one went with me everywhere that week...

The result was not one photograph of Goa for the bride and groom, but rather a collage of 18 pictures that I made on my iPhone over the course of the week.

I presented this framed collage, created with the help of Adobe Lightroom 3, to the newlyweds last week.

My Nikons never actually left my villa, proving (once again) that the best camera really IS the one that's with you.

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

Last week Issue #7 of my SCOTT eNewsletter rolled off the virtual press and into thousands of inboxes around the world.

This issue is one of my favourites of this year.  It features a beautiful fantasy fashion project I photographed with the assistance of an incredible team of creative partners, including a behind-the-scenes/making-of video, a collection of photo reportage I made backstage at a Chinese opera and two luxury lifestyle and travel features I shot for The Telegraph's Ultratravel (UK) and American Express' Selects (Germany) magazines.

If you (or someone you know) would like to receive future issues of my quarterly SCOTT eNewsletter directly to your inbox, then please take a moment to subscribe to my mailing list.

The previous six issues of my SCOTT eNewsletter -- showcasing a variety of my travel, portrait, fashion and lifestyle photography over the past 18 months -- remain online and you can peruse them here.

Over three days this past September, I photographed a series of six fantasy-styled character portraits for Ian Hinden's "Orphan", a mystery web drama that is about to commence pre-production in Las Vegas early next year.

The photo shoot was an exciting collaboration of more than a dozen extremely creative and talented people, including Ian and his partner Chris Chiu, my producer Annette Fausboll from Ugly Duckling Projects, my assistant Zam and his team from the Stills Network and hair and make-up stylist Andrea Claire and her team.

My close friends Mike Rogers and Meghan Shea of Persistent Productions were on-location with us in Singapore to document the photo shoot; their short film goes behind-the-scenes on our set and shows how we created the "Orphan" portrait series.

Visit the newly launched official "Orphan" website to learn more about this exciting project.

And see more of my fashion and portrait photography portfolio on my website.

Last year I received an email from Ian Hinden, an artist, poet, writer, musician, fashion designer and self-professed "author of culture".  He told me that he was creating a mystery web drama called "Orphan" where the puzzle would be in the hands of the Internet audience to solve.

Ian went on to explain that Internet culture and the way the Internet consumes content would be a large part of the show's design, with the primary goal of "Orphan" to reward viewers who pay close attention to the show; by doing a bit of detective work, the viewer could discover hidden communications from the show's universe and characters.

Ian had completed the script for "Orphan" and his next step in getting his web drama produced was to create fantasy-inspired character portraits of all the main "Orphan" characters.  With my curiousity piqued, I agreed to see him.

Ian arrived at our meeting and launched excitedly into the "Orphan" storyline, which tells the tale of Jason Diego, whose father dies and leaves him a mysterious document which could change the course of the world.  To solve the mystery behind the document, Jason must travel deep into Brazil, where he discovers a territory claimed by no country -- an orphan territory.  A people with a strange and tragic history populate the land and, ultimately, Jason must face a villain -- the monster of the modern age with power stretching all over the world.

Ian took the time to introduce each of his "Orphan" characters to me: Geisha, Nurse Coli, Bible Jacket, Hiroshi, Tattoo Girl and Watch Man. He explained that his inspiration for these people was born from the simple idea of human imperfection; he was fascinated by the idea of taking some form of psychological disorder and chasing it to the extreme within the universe he'd created.

Geisha is symbolic of the meeting of Eastern and Western philosophies, with the traditional Japanese kimono finished in a Brazilian carnival style.  Geisha's white face is also reminiscent of Anonymous, an online persona that many people take on when they don’t want to be identified.  To Ian, identities are fluid, borders are fluid and alignments are fluid to the degree that you can’t tell who’s good and who's evil.  "Good vs. Evil is a boring story," declared Ian.  "The only story worth telling is Good vs. Good".

Nurse Coli was inspired by 4chan, where the users say, “We are the cancer that is killing.”  She is what would be spit out if a hospital managed to get cancer.   There’s a medical aspect involved in "Orphan": many of the characters have strange quirks or disorders, and part of the experience is diagnosing the characters.  Ian explained that Nurse Coli is his favourite character because she’s a monster who doesn’t know it.

The man wearing the Bible Jacket is the personification of addiction.  He wears a jacket made of Bibles to symbolize that ideas are often the things we are addicted to most. According to Ian,  "Some ideas, even though they feel good, can be the most destructive parts of ourselves."

Hiroshi is representative of conformity.  For a group like Anonymous to function, the members must completely conform.  "Although in the West strength is often exhibited through individuality, people purposefully shed these characteristics online so that no one in particular may be culpable," remarked Ian.

Tattoo Girl is a worker in a geisha-type hotel where the girls must have certain expertise.  Her tattoo is a barcode that details her skills.  Ian explained, "In 'Orphan' tattoos aren't viewed as a source of individuality, but rather as something your owner 'puts' on you.  However, Tattoo Girl is a non-conformist looking to break the system from inside."

Watch Man comes from a scene Ian envisioned where the sound of clocks ticking out of sync permeated the room.  "The universe of Orphan spans a long time, so there is a deep history that the characters are aware of.  The creature I envision would emerge from a century-long slumber," Ian exclaimed.

Ian showed me a tattered notebook full of character sketches and costume designs to further articulate his vision for "Orphan", emphasizing that, although the broad story concept was his, there was already a small team behind him: his partner, Chris Chiu, who works as the costume designer for the Venetian and Sands in Macau, would lead the wardrobe design, assisted by Steven V. Turner, a prop builder for Cirque du Soleil in Macau and local tailor, Zhou Quan.

I was hooked and, over the coming months, invited my producer Annette Fausboll into the fold to assist with talent casting, securing locations and aiding with other shoot logistics.  We brought in Andrea Claire to lend her expertise with hair and make-up styling; Procolor, Singapore's preeminent digital imaging house, to lead the photography retouching; and my frequent creative collaborators Mike Rogers and Meghan Shea of Persistent Productions to help with documenting behind-the-scenes of the shoot.

Over three days in early September -- more than 15 months after my first meeting with Ian -- we shot the fantasy-styled "Orphan" character portraits at six different locations in Singapore.  It was an exciting collaboration of more than a dozen people, and the resulting photographs are a testament to the hard work and creativity of the entire team.

Ian has now left Singapore to return to the Las Vegas where "Orphan" is being produced in partnership with Phyllis Carreon-Taie of Dream Vision Studios and Shawn Lane of the Las Vegas chapter of the charitable organization Women in Film.  Ian will act as executive producer along with his co-writer, Garek Bottesch, and business partner, Levi Larkin.  "Orphan" will be scored by Ian and James Von Boldt.

Visit the newly launched official "Orphan" website to learn more about this exciting project.

And see more of my fashion and portrait photography portfolio on my website.

Chinese opera is deeply ingrained in the Chinese culture, with roots back as far as the Third Century.  The large waves of Chinese immigrants who settled in Singapore over the past 150 years have transported this traditional form of musical dramatic theatre with them, performing it on makeshift bamboo and wooden stages in car parks and open fields across Singapore's heartlands, most notably during Chinese New Year and Hungry Ghost festival celebrations.

According to the Singapore Tourism Board, "[most] story plots in traditional Chinese opera performances are based on famous Chinese classics and myths.  Reflecting Chinese culture and philosophy, almost all opera performances highlight virtues such as loyalty, love and patriotism.  Other than a form of entertainment, Chinese opera also plays an active role in dispensing important messages, especially those concerning patriotic values."

I have always been drawn to the vibrant costumes and colourful face painting of the Chinese opera performers, and have often wished for an opportunity to photograph this fading traditional art.  However, the opportunity had never presented itself, until recently when I was speaking

with a fellow photographer and he invited me to join him for a performance by the Xin Xin Rong He Teochew street opera troupe (新新荣和潮剧) in the neighbourhood of Ghim Moh, not far from my home.

I arrived early and approached the small, rickety stage with my camera, uncertain how I would be received by the performers.  But almost immediately, I was invited up the short wooden ladder and backstage as the performers hurriedly dressed in their costumes and applied their make-up for the upcoming performance.

Backstage buzzed with energy as performers and crew raced back and forth through the cramped dressing room -- lit only by glowing, naked lightbulbs dangling from wires -- as drums pounded and cymbals crashed on the small stage just beyond the thin, transparent sheet that separated fantasy from reality.  It was an amazing evening, and I am grateful for the warmth and openness of the performers for welcoming me backstage with my camera.

These photographs are a small collection of the work I created when I spent that evening with the Xin Xin Rong He troupe; more of this series can be found on my website.

I first visited Singapore in 1996, and have called the small island city my home for 14 of the past 15 years.  During this time I've witnessed the city-state grow and mature into a thriving hub of international flare and renown.  In particular, the past five years have seen dramatic changes in Singapore: giant integrated resorts and casinos, international sporting events, a burgeoning arts scene and an exploding financial services and housing market.

Sometimes I find Singapore barely recognizable from the place I first visited a decade and a half ago; apparently I am not the only one.  Recently Singapore has received a remarkable amount of press celebrating it's meteoric rise to become one of "Asia's dazzling metropolises".  This article, "Schlaflos in Singapur" (Sleepless in Singapore), published in the latest issue of American Express Selects magazine in Germany, is no exception.

Much like the other recent Singapore features I've photographed for international magazines -- "Singapore Swings" for The Telegraphs's Ultratravel and "Singapore Grows Up" for Conde Nast Traveller (India) -- this article focused on Singapore's latest and greatest shopping, dining and leisure destinations.  I photographed more than 20 locations for this feature, and enjoyed every moment of exploring and experiencing all the "new Singapore" has to offer visitors and residents alike.

The Winter 2011/12 edition of The Daily Telegraph's Ultratravel magazine was published in the UK this past week end, including "Singapore Swings", an article exposing the new-and-improved city-state and featuring a selection of my photography made at various landmarks around my adopted home of Singapore.

Writer Michael Simkins expounds in detail on all that Singapore has to offer the overseas visitor, from "architectural show-stoppers" Marina Bay Sands Hotel & Casino, the National Library and the Esplanade Theatres on the Bay, to the "larger-than-life" Singapore Flyer, to the predominance of luxury branded retail and Michelin star dining experiences, to the annual Formula 1 Grand Prix night race that speeds through our fair city streets every September.

If you can't experience "sultry, swanky Singapore" in person, then click here, turn to Page 46, and let Ultratravel transport you here.

And if this isn't enough Singapore for you, then click here to see "Singapore Grows Up", a feature I photographed for Conde Nast Traveller (India) a few months ago.

I spent five blissful days last week at the exclusive and luxurious Amankila resort in Bali, Indonesia.  I was staying at Amankila (meaning "peaceful hill") with my wife for a short holiday -- but with such beautiful architecture and breathtaking tropical scenery surrounding us, I couldn't resist making some photographs of the property.

We stayed in a gorgeous private pool suite tucked into the side of the lush jungle hillside, and our days were spent lounging between our villa, the three-tiered main pool high above the ocean, the sea-level Beach Club pool and the privacy of a thatched balé (gazebo) hidden away in a grove of coconut palms at the top of the private black sand beach.  It was paradise.

The only thing more spectacular than the resort property was the guest service offered.  In the 15+ years I have spent living and traveling across Asia, rarely have I experienced the level of attentiveness and personal service that we were afforded at Amankila in Bali.

One evening, my wife felt like eating something that wasn't offered on the dinner menu.  We asked the restaurant manager if it would be possible to make a special meal just for her.  His reply: "At Aman, anything is possible."  Five sweeter words have never been spoken.

My wife, Stacey, is a high school English teacher at Singapore American School (SAS).  In September, Stacey's SAS colleague, Barbara Harvey -- who teaches Advanced Placement (AP) Art -- reached out to her network in search of original images that her high school students could use as a source of reference and inspiration as they began building and developing their AP Art portfolios.

Barbara explained that each student's AP Art portfolio is broken down into two sections: Breadth and Concentration. The Breadth module consists of work demonstrating a knowledge of various techniques and media and covering the Elements and Principles of Art, while the Concentration portion is an individually selected theme that the student is free to explore and experiment with more personally and in-depth.

"One of the greatest challenges for art students is finding original images," explains Barbara.  "They can conceivably use images from Creative Commons, however we have found that the same images often get used over and over again and water down the effect they have."

Thus, Barbara's request was simple: would I be willing to allow her AP Art students to use my photography as influence and reference for the personal Concentration portion of their AP Art portfolio?

SAS has been great to both Stacey and me over the years, and I am always happy to give back to the students and faculty whenever I can.  I contacted Barbara and offered my online portfolio to her students.  I had just two caveats if a student wished to use one of my photographs for their Concentration: 1) I asked that they send me a personal email seeking permission and 2) that they share with me a photograph of their finished artwork.

The response from Barbara's students has been fantastic.  I have received nearly a dozen very polite individual student requests, and already a handful of students have sent me photographs of their completed artwork.

I am extremely impressed with the student's personal artistic styles and creative interpretations of my photography, and I am very proud to feature here four of their submissions alongside my original images.

Clockwise from top left is Shane Soetaniman's "Smoke" (white charcoal on matteboard), Claudia Vesga's "Fabric in Motion" (watercolour on paper), Angeline Elopre's "Wheels" (pencil on paper) and Laken Sylvander's "Things That Come in Pairs" (pastel on matteboard).

I look forward to receiving, and sharing, more of Barbara's students' creative artwork soon.