Getting the perfect shot
Full-time photographer Gary Ang has covered many events in the past three years.
But at the Miss Universe Singapore 2016 press conference at Singapore Turf Club last Wednesday, where the 15 finalists were unveiled, the 29-year-old had to jostle with other shutterbugs to get the perfect shot.
He is part of the Canon EOS Community, a group of photography enthusiasts who cover events.
Canon is the official imaging partner for this year's pageant and it deployed six photographers - Mr Ang, Mr S. T. Wong, Ms Ignacia Sandra, Mr Jose Viven, Mr Daniel Lim and Mr Raymond Aloba - for the press conference.
Mr Ang told The New Paper: "I'm thankful for the opportunity to see the photographers from the media in action. It was a real eye-opener.
"This is the first time I squeezed myself among them to get the perfect shot."
He has been a member of the Canon EOS Community for the past year and has been providing photography services via his own website, APX Gary, for the past three years. He has covered mostly weddings and ad hoc events like this year's Chingay, so this is his first brush with beauty queens.
Mr Ang said: "It was exciting because I saw first hand how media photographers worked and how they would interact with the finalists and guide them to get the shot they wanted. I'm thankful to Canon for the exposure."
The Canon EOS Community was set up in 2012 and has about 10,000 members.
Mr Edwin Teoh, head of marketing (Singapore operations) at Canon Singapore, said: "We foster cross-sharing of knowledge and experiences to inspire members to advance their photography.
"We have educational content from photo tips and gear reviews, shares by professionals, and competitions and events for members to participate in."
THE FINAL
The 15 finalists of Miss Universe Singapore 2016 will be vying for the coveted crown at the grand final on Oct 16.
Co-organised by The New Paper and Miss Universe Singapore Organisation, this year's pageant is presented by Singapore Turf Club.
It is supported by official imaging partner Canon Singapore, official car BMW, official wellness partner Beaute Hub, venue partner The Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel, official resort partner Bintan Lagoon Resorts, official make-up Cosmoprof Academy and other sponsors like BodyBurn Fitness, Indiba Technologies, Orchard Scotts Dental and Amber Lounge.
Miss Universe S'pore finalists to appear at The Festival Of Photography
Canon Singapore's ongoing The Festival Of Photography will end on Sunday.
Held at Raffles City levels 1 and 3, from noon to 8pm, it is free and open to the public.
It features a special exhibition, Festival Of Speed, and talks by award-winning photographers like Alvin Foo.
The 15 Miss Universe Singapore finalists will make a special appearance at the event on Saturday at 3.30pm.
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