‘I like making people do a double take': Darren Soh's best phone picture

The Guardian

24-05-2025

One morning, Darren Soh drove to the Potong Pasir housing estate in Singapore to take some photos. His initial focus was on the buildings themselves: the government-built blocks, dating from 1984, are characterised by their ski slope-style roofs.
'We only get two kinds of weather in Singapore – rainy and overcast, or sunny and warm,' Soh says. 'This day was in the latter category. The puddle wasn't made from rainwater, but a jet-wash machine. A community basketball court was being cleaned. As an architecture photographer, I usually make images with correct perspective, but on this occasion I wanted to see if I could create something more abstract.'
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Distorted by the puddle are the words 'Welcome to Potong Pasir' and the block number, 142. At the time, the building was painted in two shades of orange, with an off-white base coat, though Soh notes this is not the case any more. 'It is required by law for all public housing blocks to be repainted every seven years in Singapore.' Soh was pleased to capture a crow in the top-right corner of his frame.
He rotated the picture 180 degrees, resisting any temptation for drastic editing or filter use. 'I usually photograph with a larger, mirrorless camera, but any mobile phone camera will allow you to just focus on the composition and then point and shoot.
'I think an unusual depiction of something mundane or ordinary will always be attractive to photographers and viewers alike,' he says. 'I like the idea of making people do a double-take.'