Hip Xiong Photo Studio

Wet-plate photography is a historical image-making technique that was invented some 150 years ago. Now, a Singaporean photographer wants to bring this process back to life. Hip Xiong Photo Studio, founded by Ryan Lee, is the only one in Singapore that shoots using a 19th century-style tinplate process. “It’s sort of like the Poloroid of the 1850s,” says Ryan. Even the space itself, located within a two-storey shophouse in Geylang, captures the same old-school charm. Wood-panelled walls and mid-century furniture pieces were deliberately chosen to recreate the photo studios of yesteryears. The final product, too, is nothing short of magical: a stunning keepsake that’s suspended in silver, and time.