Way, way back in 2008 -- alongside popular food and travel writer Robyn Eckhardt -- I photographed a 14-page destination and luxury lifestyle feature in Langkawi for Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia.

As is the case with many of the travel pictures I make, they often have a shelf-life that extends beyond the original assignment, reappearing in other publications in the future. However, I've never had an instance where an image that was originally printed in a magazine was reprinted in that same title nearly six years later...

This happened just this month with the release of T+L's The Best of Penang + Langkawi, a free downloadable digital guide to two of Malaysia's most popular island destinations featuring my photograph from beautiful Bon Ton Resort on the cover.

Captured poolside within the grounds of Bon Ton's 100 year-old coconut plantation, this photograph reminds me of those few glorious days spent shooting on Langkawi all those years ago, as well as a subsequent visit to Langkawi and Bon Ton for a personal holiday just over two years ago.

Browse more of my luxury lifestyle photography here.

I was so excited when I learned that I'd be photographing the stunning Ukrainian supermodel Alla Kostromichova for the September 2013 cover of Condé Nast Traveller (Russia) on the remote private island of Song Saa in Southern Cambodia.

And when I arrived on the island -- a pristine tropical hideaway blanketed in virgin rainforest, fringed by white sandy beaches, and surrounded by coral reefs -- I knew it would be a special shoot.  However, I had no idea just how special it would end up being.

The entire team -- an eclectic international mix from Russia, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore and Canada whom had never met before -- quickly came together as both creative partners and friends.

From the long wooden bridges stretching out across the sea, to the friendly and colourful local fishing village, to the natural waterfall hidden deep in the jungle, every location was a true inspiration.

And Alla herself was an absolute dream to collaborate with and to photograph.

However, we were not without challenges: specifically, it was June and the monsoon season in the Gulf of Thailand was in full swing, which meant we were faced with highly unpredictable weather throughout our time at Song Saa.

The first three days on the island were mostly grey, overcast, and rainy, which caused a significant level of stress for the client, for the crew and, of course, for me.  However, on the actual morning we had scheduled to photograph the cover and fashion feature with Alla, the clouds cleared, the sky turned blue, and the sun shone brightly throughout the entire day.

On rare occasions everything comes together perfectly -- the location, the team, the talent, the weather -- and the photographs seem to almost make themselves.  For me, this CN Traveller shoot was one of those unique experiences.  I can say without equivocation that this was the most amazing fashion photography experience I have ever had.

Visit the following links to see a small collection of candid iPhone outtakes I made during the fashion shoot: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7.

Go behind-the-scenes and see the entire creative team at work here.

And bowse more of my fashion photography portfolio here.

Credits

Client: Condé Nast Traveller (Russia)

Location: Song Saa Private Island

Model: Alla Kostromichova

Art Direction: Anastasia Kostolyndina

Styling: Andrea Wong

Hair & Make-up: Joey Yap

Photographer's Assistant: Zam

Stylist's Assistant: Brenda Mak

D.I. Artist: Agnes Teo

One year ago, my friend Quentin from Qube Studio in Singapore contacted me about photographing a campaign for one of his clients, the Sheraton Towers Singapore. Together, our resepctive teams pulled together a lifestyle advertising shoot consisting of models, wardrobe, props, stylists and more.  And, although I photographed these layouts nearly 12 months ago, it was only a few weeks ago that the ads rolled-out in print media.

As a digital photographer living in the modern age, I am used to instant gratification; seeing my images appear on the screen mere seconds after pressing the shutter has become a regular and expected part of my life.  But, as a commercial photographer, it takes some getting used to when it takes many weeks or even months for my work to be approved, retouched and distributed.

However, no matter how much time passes between making the picture and seeing the final result, I am always transported back to that precise moment when everything came together, I pressed the shutter and created the image.

See more of my advertising work here.

I am extremely fortunate to have a long-standing relationship with Travel + Leisure magazine, one of the world's preeminent luxury travel and lifestyle publications. I have worked with the Southeast Asian edition a number of times over the years, contributing travel and luxury lifestyle features; however, I have never had the privilege of photographing a cover fashion spread for them.  Until now.

Travel + Leisure SEA's Art Director contacted me, commending this fashion feature I recently shot for Dusit's Ei8ht magazine.  He mentioned that T+L SEA would soon be celebrating it's 5th anniversary, and he was interested in having me shoot a similarly-conceived cover and fashion feature at the brand new W Hotel in Singapore for the magazine's upcoming celebration issue.

In late-October, my team and I descended upon the beautiful W Hotel at Sentosa Cove for the all-day photography session.  Creatively, I love these types of assignments for the opportunity to integrate the property into my imagery, making the location a character alongside the model.  And there were so many remarkable locations to shoot around this contemporary luxury resort hotel -- avant-garde architecture, innovative furnishings and vibrant colours -- that we were spoiled for choice.

Our stylist kept the fashion and accessories luxe, chic, bold and bright: Michael Kors, Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Miu Miu, Dolce & Gabbana and Christian Louboutin are among the labels showcased in our imagery.

The result is a collection of photography that graces the cover and eight pages in the December 2012 issue, the biggest T+L SEA issue ever published.

Happy 5th Anniversary, Travel + Leisure.

Browse more of my fashion photography here.

Credits

Client: Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia

Location: W Singapore - Sentosa Cove

Art Direction: James Unkong

Model: Tanja V.

Styling: Vernon Sim

Hair & Make-up: Andrea Claire

Photographer's Assistant: Zam

Digital Imaging: Agnes Teo

"It’s the perennial, as it were, dilemma of urban landscape architects everywhere.  How to create a grand, public park, with immediate impact, when the essential star attractions, the tall trees, can take decades or even longer to mature," states Sydney-based writer and friend, Anthony Dennis, in our most recent collaboration, 'The Ultimate Tree Change' published in The Australian's July 2012 issue of WISH Magazine.

Anthony continues, "It was this problem that confronted an impatient city-state with ambitions to cement itself as the pre-eminent tourism and investment destination in southeast Asia -- not in the future, but now.  Singapore, which in recent years has embraced architecture and design as drivers of its national goals, devised a unique solution to the slow-growing tree problem for its new Gardens by the Bay development.  It has built 'Supertrees' that form a sculptural garden, an amalgam of the architectural and the organic."

I had the privilege of visiting Gardens by the Bay for an exclusive private tour and photoshoot this past May, a number of weeks prior to the park's grand opening in late-June.  In Singapore's typical fashion of 'Go Big or Go Home', it was simply awe-inspiring.  The 18 'Supertrees' towered between 25m and 50m overhead, and

their branches extended "like oversized spiderwebs", the primary focal point being a 128m-long aerial walkway, which connects the giant man-made structures in 'Supertree Grove'.

As Anthony goes on to explain, urban design "has evolved to fully embrace a multitude of disciplines, not just the horticultural but also architecture and landscape design and, in the Singapore example, structural and environmental engineering.  Gardens by the Bay -- and, indeed, Singapore's entire Marina Bay development, including Marina Bay Sands, the Esplanade, Singapore Flyer, ArtScience Museum and Marina Bay Financial Centre -- certainly exemplifies this forward-looking philosophy.

See Anthony and my other recent WISH Magazine collaboration, 'Penang's Time Capsule', published in the The Australian's May 2012 issue.  And browse more of my luxury lifestyle and travel photography on my website.

There is no Asian destination more in vogue right now than Cambodia.  "The Kingdom of Wonder" is on everyone's lips, and every major luxury travel and lifestyle magazine is bestowing the country's virtues upon their readership.

I have traveled to Cambodia on various photography assignments six times in as many months.  It is an extremely dynamic and exciting destination; an adventurer's paradise and a true photographer's delight.

And, as author Rodney Bolt writes in "A Homage to the Resurgent Phnom Penh" -- my most recent photography commission for the Summer 2012 issue of American Express' Centurion Magazine (UK) -- "[a]fter barely a decade of political stability, Cambodia's capital of cool bustles with an energy all its own; [a] heady mix of of youthful ambition, glorious architecture and bewitching cuisine."

For this specific feature I spent five wonderful days in Phnom Penh, visiting and photographing the city's most storied and luxurious hotels (Raffles Hotel Le Royal), new urban boutique resorts (The Plantation), popular eateries (Tepui), fashionable designer shops (Eric Raisina's Haute Texture) and magnetic personalities (celebrity Chef Luu Meng).

This type of editorial travel assignment is among my favourite to shoot since it allows me the time to truly experience a city, and the opportunity to creatively document whatever and whomever I encounter along the way.

Phnom Penh was a beautiful and eager subject for me -- a city steeped in colonial heritage but maturing in real time, the landscape and it's residents stylishly and visibly evolving from one day to the next.

Browse more of my recent work for American Express' luxury lifestyle and travel magazines: "Sleepless in Singapore" in Selects (Germany) and "A Tale of Two Cities" in Centurion (UK).

Last year I was commissioned by Condé Nast Traveller (India) to photograph a feature about "sexy, stylish, sophisticated Singapore".

The assignment had me criss-crossing Singapore, shooting more than two dozen locations for the story, from the tiny independent boutiques lining Haji Lane to the mega Marina Bay Sands resort and casino towering over the city's skyline.

It was a fantastic opportunity for me to explore further my own city and experience many of Singapore's best and brightest bars, restaurants and hotels.  It also gave me an opportunity to meet and photograph some of our city's more interesting finance, society, hospitality and culinary personalities.  It was a fantastic assignment, and one that I thoroughly enjoyed shooting.

The feature, titled "Singapore Grows Up", appeared in the August/September 2011 issue of CN Traveller (India).

Then a few months ago SELF (China) -- another title in the Condé Nast family of magazines -- reprinted the feature in their magazine (December 2011).

And very excitingly, just this month another Condé Nast title -- this time Vogue (China) -- reprinted the feature in their magazine (May 2012).  This is the Vogue (China) layout.

As the feature's writer, Puja Disha Bharwani, writes in the article, "Singapore is now becoming a sexy, sophisticated destination."  Clearly the Chinese agree.

It is always a pleasure to receive positive feedback on the work that I create, but none more than a situation where the client reuses my photography repeatedly across a variety of their titles.  And what bigger compliment than to have my photography appear in the prestigious Vogue magazine?

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

Sydney-based writer Anthony Dennis and I have been friends for years, often partnering on features for various luxury travel and lifestyle magazines.  'Penang's Time Capsule', published in the The Australian's May 2012 issue of WISH Magazine, is our latest collaboration.

As Anthony details, in 2008 George Town "was awarded UNESCO World Heritage listing, granting it membership to an elite South-East Asian club that includes once forgotten but now fashionable old town treasures such as Hoi An in Vietnam and Luang Prabang."  Thus, in the past few years, "George Town has been undergoing a renaissance."

Indeed, it is an exciting time to visit Penang, as this renaissance lends itself to a rapid and real-time "rise from obscurity, recognition, revival, restoration and then a kind of gentrification.  The latter is driven by the arrival of enterprising Westerners, and then locals, to establish tourism businesses."

It was this hunt for George Town's flourishing dining, retail café and art scene, as well as its "sensitively designed boutique accommodation in traditional shop-houses" -- and the enterprising individuals behind these initiatives -- that lured us to Penang for this story.

"Typically low-rise old towns...lend themselves well to small-scale, boutique-style hotel developments", and Penang is no exception.  The old town is filled with "extraordinary and distinctive colonial architecture, street after street replete with rows of dilapidated but intact shop-houses", some of which notable conservationist entrepreneurs like Christopher Ong and Narelle McMurtrie have lovingly and beautifully renovated and restored.

Over the course of three days this past January, I visited with Christopher and Narelle, documenting Christopher's Muntri Mews guesthouse, a former stable and carriageworks, and Narelle's Straits Collection and China House, an eclectic mixture of retail spaces, restaurants, galleries and guest residences.  I also photographed Clove Hall, an Edwardian Anglo-Malay bungalow converted into a beautiful boutique hotel, and the century-old Eastern & Oriental Hotel.  In my spare time, I wandered the narrow streets, capturing images of "Technicolor shop-houses with multiple shuttered-windows and weathered terracotta rooftops."

UNESCO declares that George Town is among “the most complete surviving historic city centres on the Straits of Malacca with a multicultural living heritage originating from the trade routes from Great Britain and Europe through

the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent and the Malay archipelago to China...[constituting] a unique architectural and cultural townscape without parallel anywhere in east and southeast Asia."

But don't just take UNESCO's word for it.  Visit Penang and experience this glorious and colourful time capsule for yourself.

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

Not long ago, I received an email from the editor of Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia; he was looking for a photograph to appear on the final page of his March 2012 edition, in a section called "Last Look".

The editor had seen a collection of pictures that I made at Bambu Indah, a small boutique hotel in central Bali, and he was interested in one of them as he felt the imagery would fit the March issue's "style and design" theme.

I subsequently learned that part of "Last Look" includes an interview with the photographer.  My recollection of that morning, which appears underneath my photograph, reads as follows:

I took this photograph at Bambu Indah (which means “beautiful bamboo” in Balinese) in Ubud.  The resort consists of four 150-year-old teak houses -- each, apparently, the former residence of a Javanese nobleman -- relocated to the site on the Sayan Ridge, surrounded by rice paddies that line the edge of the Ayung River.  I shot it just before 8 a.m. as the bright Balinese sun crested the horizon and burst through the palm trees behind Minangkabau (the Minang House), a common area for yoga, dining and celebration, constructed from black bamboo from the forests of Java.  The angle of the sun significantly affects

the warmth, contrast and texture in a photograph, so I am always looking to shoot in the warm ‘golden hours’ of early morning and late afternoon when the sun is low in the sky. In this case, I was waiting for the sun to rise and filter through the swaying palm trees, straight into my camera.  I like the effect of shooting directly into the sun and allowing the light to flare in my lens.

As I mentioned in a post a couple of years ago, I am drawn to the ethereal effect that is created by pointing my lens straight into the sun; it's a technique I employ often, integrating this photographic style into much of my travel and fashion editorial work.

Browse more of my luxury lifestyle photography on my website.

This past December I was commissioned by The Daily Telegraph to photograph 'Homage to the New Cambodia' , a glimpse at Indochina's newest rising star, for the Spring 2012 edition of Ultratravel magazine.

I joined Johnny Morris, Ultratravel's creative director, at the beautiful Villa Romonea in the seaside town of Kep.  As Johnny describes, "[d]esigned by Lu Ban Happ, a key figure in the Le Corbusier-inspired New Khmer Architecture movement, [Villa Romonea] is one of the few intact private mansions of Kep’s golden era in the 1960s.  Fully renovated by its current owners, it is a shining example of how to mix Sixties interior design and contemporary furnishing within a striking modernist mansion.  Its bold white zigzags and organically curved atrium help make it surprisingly optimistic architecture."

We enjoyed ice cold Kingdom Beers by the villa's saltwater infinity pool as the sun set over the Bay of Kampot and then we ventured into town, accompanied by an American couple also staying at the villa, for cocktails at The Sailing Club by Knai Bang Chatt, followed by fresh crab and green Kampot pepper at Kimly's, "a classic example of the 'keep it local, keep it simple' destination restaurant that we all crave on our travels."

The next day we traveled to Sihanoukville, the jumping-off point for Song Saa, a brand new private luxury island resort

nestled 15 miles off the coast in the Koh Rong Archipelago. Johnny and I lunched overlooking the Gulf of Thailand with the owner, Rory Hunter, and his senior team before being whisked away on a tour of the two beautiful islands and the exclusive all-villa resort.

The final stop on my adventure with Johnny was Cambodia's capital city, Phnom Penh, a few hours’ drive from Sihanoukville.  As Johnny poetically recounts in the article, "Phnom Penh is [a] full-on live show with plenty of swagger and edgy improvisation...[a] million stories and a stream of colour from tuk-tuk and scooter lights."

This December assignment with Johnny and Ultratravel was my third shoot in Cambodia in as many months.  And next week I'll be returning to Phnom Penh to shoot a feature for a German-based magazine, followed shortly thereafter by another assignment that will start in Siem Reap and take me more than 600km around Cambodia in the back of a tuk-tuk.  Indeed, it's a beautiful country whose future looks bright, and I am privileged to be able to witness and document so much of this growth and change.

Read the full 'Homage to the New Cambodia' article online, browse my earlier Ultratravel work, 'Singapore Swings' and see more of my lifestyle and travel photography 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.

Back in January, I was commissioned by Condé Nast Traveller (India) to photograph a feature about "sexy, stylish, sophisticated Singapore" for an upcoming issue. Having never had the privilege of working with Condé Nast Traveller before, I was very excited for this opportunity. Being able to shoot this in my own backyard was a bonus.

The feature's writer, Puja Disha Bharwani, and I spoke on the phone a few times to coordinate everything and then set-out together on a seven-day adventure that took us to 27 different locations across the island.

From the tiny independent boutiques of Haji Lane to the larger-than-life Marina Bay Sands resort and casino, this assignment was an fantastic chance for Puja and me to experience many of Singapore's newest and chicest bars, restaurants and hotels, as well as meet and photograph some of the city's more interesting finance, society, hospitality and culinary personalities.

The fruits of our labour, "Singapore Grows Up", appears across 12 pages in the August/September 2011 issue of Condé Nast Traveller (India), on newsstands now.  As Puja writes in the feature, "Singapore is now becoming a sexy, sophisticated destination."  I couldn't agree more.

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

In June, while on holiday in Canada, I received an email from Crystal Gentilello introducing herself as Editor-in-Chief of Rue Magazine, a San Francisco-based online luxury lifestyle and home interiors magazine.  Crystal was in the midst of producing Issue #6 of Rue, which was to be the title's first all-international issue, featuring homes from around the world.  There was a home that Crystal wanted to feature from Singapore, and her search for a Singapore-based photographer to shoot it had led her to me via a referral by a mutual friend.

Admittedly, I was not familiar with Rue, but I perused their back issues and was extremely impressed with the magazine's photography and design, not to mention it's unique value proposition of being only available online (and being free).

Interestingly, Rue -- like many other online "shelter" publications, I have since learned -- appears virtually identical to a traditional print magazine in it's format. As The Globe and Mail explains in a recent article about Rue and the thriving online "glossy" magazine business in general, "[it’s] important to note: [these] aren’t just cool websites or fancy blogs, but a convincing replication of the magazine experience.  You get a highly stylized cover, a table of contents, professional photos of striking interiors, and yes, you get to ‘turn’ the page."

Crystal had me at "hello".  I agreed to work with her, and the shoot was set for when I returned to Singapore in July.

The home I photographed is in the luxury private condominium of Draycott 8 in downtown Singapore.  It belongs to Agnes Verrier and her partner Christopher, and their story is as unique as the home they share.

As the Rue feature details, Agnes' life "took several unexpected turns once she had settled in Singapore [14 years ago].  Following her divorce, she began work with a British client [Christopher] who wanted her to decorate the flat he had just bought.  'Draycott 8 is actually a love story. I did the flat, fell in love with the owner, and ended up moving in after completion!'  And the rest, as they say, is history."

I worked together with stylist Marie Maglaque on the shoot, which was both inspiring and enjoyable; Marie did a fantastic job bringing the space to life and highlighting all the beautiful touches inside the home.

Browse more stunning homes from around the world, including Iceland, Sweden and Brazil in Issue #6 of Rue online now.  See more of my (unpublished) images from Draycott 8 are on Marie's blog.  And view more of my luxury lifestyle photography on my website.