10 of Singapore's best young photographers

Many big name photographers started shooting as kids. 

Ansel Adams began taking pictures at 14 with a Kodak Brownie Camera. Larry Burrows was already working for "Life" magazine by the time he was 16.

In Singapore, Objectifs - Centre for Photography and Filmmaking, has chosen to nurture the city-state's young photography talent through its Junior Shooting Home program.

Tailored to photographers age 15 to 19, the program judges candidates on their existing portfolios. From there, 10 are chosen to take part in an intensive workshop/exhibition under the tutelege of five mentors: documentary photographers Yin Huang, Terence Teo and Jean Qingwen Loo, photographer and educator Deanna Ng and freelance photographer Jospeh Nair.

The result? An array of photo essays showcasing an animal shelter and touching slices of home life to Singapore's (now closed) Tanjong Pagar Railway Station.

But it was 18-year-old Allen Sng Kiat Peng's self-portrait composed to "understand more about myself" that clinched the top prize, and also won him the opportunity to be mentored for the rest of the year.

Here are the 10 best entries from Objectifs Junior Shooting Home programme 2011 with the phtographer's own explanation of their work.

S7191995T, by Allen Sng Kiat Peng

"A camera is as good as a mirror for self-reflection. Through my self-portraits, I seek to understand more about myself."

Allen Sng is a student at River Valley High School. He was one of the youth photographers involved in the Youth Olympic Games 2010 and his works have been exhibited in the Noise Exhibition by National Arts Council.

Sync, by Nur Hanis Binte Husin

"I wanted to explore and observe the relationship of my parents through their workplace, a chicken rice stall. These are the actions and movements that go unnoticed despite knowing them all her life."

Eighteen-year-old Hanis Husin is currently studying at Millennia Institute.

Tanjong Pagar Railway Station, by Aidan Mock Yong-Jie

"Transience is inherent to a train station, including the closure of this one after almost 80 years of faithful service and the development of the nation. I wanted to document and remember this essential aspect of the station before it pulls out on the last train on June 30."

Sixteen-year-old student Aidan Mock first picked up a camera at the end of 2009 and has not stopped shooting since. He is a student at Raffles Institution.

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Looking for the best satay in town, by Syazwan Bin Zainudin

"This is the story of a tourist who was looking for the best satay in town. Standing in front of ten different satay stalls at Lau Pa Sat, it was impossible for him to make up his mind. Until he notices the bustle at stalls seven and eight and the constant stream of customers.

"He takes a closer look at their satay on the grill, the harmony of peanut gravy, rice cakes, cucumber and onion on a plate together, ready to be served. He makes his mind up to enjoy the satay from stall seven and eight."

Syazwan Zainudin is 16 and a student at Junyuan Secondary School.

Sengkang Space, by Dion Lim

"I don't set out to produce art about one subject or another; my ideas are developed when I see things. My current project tends to focus on the environment, the evolution of man and his material wealth, the development of bigger and bigger cities on Earth and the consequences this has on nature."

Dion Lim is 17 and currently studying in Pei Hwa Secondary School. He picked up his first camera when he was 14. His photos have been published in the Straits Times.