The photos were supposed to bring back sweet memories of their big day but made Ms Jaclyn Ying and Mr Kelvin Tang unhappy soon after their wedding instead.

In a post that has become the talk of social media here, Ms Ying, 25, an education executive, recounted on Facebook on Sunday the couple’s shock at how badly their wedding photos had turned out.

The 21 wedding photos she put up with her post include those taken at odd angles and processed with odd colour filters. Her post has been shared more than 17,000 times.

Ms Ying said they had signed up for an all-in-one package with a “pretty reputable bridal shop” which included photography on the wedding day.

While she was told that she could not choose her photographer, she was promised that the “standard of the talent pool was consistent” and shown sample photos.

The couple, who had their wedding dinner at The Halia in the Singapore Botanic Gardens on March 26, were shocked after getting their wedding photos last Saturday.

“I was in disbelief. I cried too. A lot,” Ms Ying told The Straits Times.

For example, one photo showed the groom posing in a bush at the edge of the photo and featured a black-and-white filter, while the background is filtered green.

Ms Ying and Mr Tang, 32, a court stenographer, paid more than $3,000 for the package, which included outfits, hair and make-up sessions, as well as 10 hours of photography on their wedding day.

“I had expected that the photos would roughly fall within what we wanted – not blurred, well lit, reasonably well edited,” said Ms Ying.

While wedding photographers The Straits Times spoke to said photography is subjective, most agreed the photos were not well taken.

Mr Melvin Lau of Multifolds Photography said: “As much as the photographer attempted to be creative in his tilted shots and colour editing, it has not been done tastefully.”

Hilarious mishaps in wedding photography

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facebook

Mr Benny Low of Colliding Luster added: “It is important to look at the actual work of the photographer to understand his eye for photography and his concept.”

Ms Ying said they met the photographer only on the morning of the wedding. She added: “He is a really nice guy and we really don’t have anything bad to say about his attitude or demeanour.”

While the photographer was not named, Mr Chung Siew Goh said yesterday on his Facebook page that he took the photos.

Calling Ms Ying’s post unfair, he said he edited more than 900 photos but the couple put up just 20 to express their dissatisfaction. Some netizens also asked if the couple had picked only the unflattering pictures.

In response, Ms Ying said: “We believe that all the photos released so far speak for themselves.”

Mr Chung later turned around and apologised to the couple on Facebook last night for the “terrible photos”.

Mr Chung, who said he received $350 for the full-day photo job, said he should have removed the 20-odd “bad” photos.

“I sincerely hope you find the remaining 800 plus photos good,” he wrote.

The couple are now talking to the bridal shop about compensation.

Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) executive director Seah Seng Choon said non-performance or unsatisfactory performance by a company could be a breach of contract and consumers can ask for compensation. From January to March, Case received 106 complaints of unsatisfactory services, with two against bridal shops.

Surprised by the outpouring of sympathy, Ms Ying said her post was not to “flame-and-shame” the shop or photographer, but to highlight the industry practice where couples on wedding packages cannot choose the photographer.

This article was first published on April 13, 2016.
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To encourage water conservation, national water agency PUB will phase out the sale of less efficient taps and mixers as well as introduce new ratings for washing machines.

A new “four-tick” rating will be introduced next year for washing machines under the Mandatory Water Efficiency Labelling Scheme.

The scheme enables consumers to make informed decisions by choosing more water-efficient water fittings and appliances such as taps and mixers, and flushing cisterns. The more ticks a product has, the more water-efficient it is.

Currently, washing machines sold have either two- or three-tick water efficiency ratings.

The sale and supply of taps and mixers with “zero ticks” will also be disallowed from early next year.

These measures are all part of the Government’s plan to manage water demand.

Speaking in Parliament yesterday, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli said that extreme weather patterns due to climate change will pose a challenge to Singapore’s water sustainability.

While the amount of water used by Singapore residents fell from 160 litres per person per day in 2003, to 150 litres in 2014, the figure rose last year – to about 151 litres of water a day.

Separately, Senior Minister of State for the Environment and Water Resources Amy Khor said that, by 2018, the manufacture, import and export of non-compliant mercury-added batteries will be prohibited.

This refers to those containing more than five parts-per-million mercury per cell.

Singapore generates more than 60,000 tonnes of e-waste each year, and this will only grow as electronic items become more common, Dr Khor added.

A study is under way to look at how feasible system designs can be developed for the collection, recycling and management of e-waste in Singapore.

This article was first published on April 13, 2016.
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Water levels in the Linggiu Reservoir in Johor, which helps to meet half of Singapore’s water needs, have fallen to a new historic low.

The reservoir is just over one-third full. Last October, water levels in the reservoir already reached a low of 41 per cent, but they have fallen some more to 36.9 per cent.

These levels are far below the 80 per cent that the reservoir in Malaysia had at the start of last year.

Environment and Water Resources Minister Masagos Zulkifli told Parliament the drop was due to dry weather: “This has impacted the reliability of imported water that supplies half our current needs.”

He added: “Fortunately, because we have diversified our water resources, we have been able to mitigate the impact of drier weather. But we cannot be complacent.”

The Linggiu Reservoir, built upstream of the Johor River in 1994, collects and releases rainwater into the river.

This pushes seawater back into the sea and ensures that the river water is not too salty to be treated by the Singapore-run water treatment plant there.

Mr Gan Thiam Poh (Ang Mo Kio GRC) and Ms Cheng Li Hui (Tampines GRC) were among those who asked about Singapore’s long-term plans to ensure water sustainability and resilience to droughts.

Mr Masagos said the Government will continue to “plan and invest ahead of demand” . A Newater factory, which can produce 50 million gallons of water a day, will be built this year and two new desalination plants will be ready by 2019.

Construction of a third desalination plant in Tuas will be completed next year, while the fourth plant in Marina East, which will supply water to the city area, will be ready in end-2019.

Water agency PUB is also exploring building a fifth desalination plant on Jurong Island.

Some 430 million gallons of water are needed here daily. Demand could more than double by 2060.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong posted on his Facebook page last night that water “has always been and will always be a strategic issue for Singapore, which is why I watch the water levels very closely”.

“We must continue to conserve and make the most of this precious resource,” he said, urging people to do their part by not wasting water.

kcarolyn@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on April 13, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

Singapore’s reservoirs

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The Straits Times, MCI, PUB, Wikimedia Commons, Simon Ong