Singapore’s Esplanade Theatres on the Bay, and the Helix Bridge spanning Marina Bay, are two iconic structures with many photographic possibilities

By Rick’s Café Noir – 8 November 2025

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There are two iconic structures in Singapore, quite close to each other on Marina Bay, that you should try not to miss if you have a stopover there. They are the Esplanade Theatres on the Bay – also known as Esplanade Theatres, or The Esplanade– and The Helix, formerly known as The Double Helix Bridge. Both of these structures are very unusual and offer many compositional possibilities to photographers, so, highly recommended.

The Esplanade Theatres and Helix Bridge are located on the north side of Marina Bay, not far apart – you can walk between them – so are easy to visit and photograph in the same trip.

Get off the MRT at the Esplanade (Yellow line) or City Hall (Red or Green lines) stations and follow the signage. From the Esplanade Theatres you can see the Helix Bridge, so after visiting the theatres walk along the waterfront to the bridge.

Note that to get the best photos of the Esplanade Theatres you need to shoot from the Esplanade Bridge, and from Merlion Park on the south side of Marina Bay, so there is considerable walking involved in the humid tropical heat of Singapore. It is well worth making the effort, though.

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Click on the links below to jump to:

• Esplanade Theatres Daytime Views
• Esplanade Theatres Roof-line
• Esplanade Theatres Nighttime Views
• The Helix Bridge
• Last Thoughts
• Camera Gear

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Esplanade Theatres Daytime Views

The Esplanade Theatres on the Bay are built on reclaimed land near the mouth of the Singapore River, on the north shore of Marina Bay. They were finished in 2002, and the building was initially criticised for its expense, and its resemblance to two halves of a durian fruit, or flies eyes.

Originally designed with a flower-shaped layout, the building design went through a few iterations before ending up resembling the durian fruit we see today. This has resulted in the building being colloquially known as The Durians.

One of the classic views of the Esplanade Theatres is from the south side of Marina Bay on the riverfront Merlion Park, home of the Merlion statue. Tourist bumboats regularly cruise the Singapore River and Marina Bay so it is worth waiting for one to pass.

The spikes on the two domed roofs consist of over 7000 triangular aluminium panels forming passive solar sunshades fixed to the double-glazed space-framed roofs of the two main performance venues, a concert hall and a theatre. They are designed to maximise natural light and to block out the tropical heat by stopping the sun’s rays hitting the glass. Without the sunshading devices the two domes would have performed like giant greenhouses in Singapore’s tropical climate.

The building was not designed to look like two half durians, it just evolved that way. That confluence of unique design and passive thermal performance results in a building with many photographic possibilities. It looks good from just about any angle, and the spiky sunshades offer many geometric patterns.

The Y-shaped structural supports on the perimeter of the domed roofs, besides being part of the structure, also channel rainfall runoff from the roof to underground water storage tanks. This water is used both for cleaning the sunshades and glass, and for irrigating the extensive planting around the theatres.

Further away, the riverside Queen Elizabeth Walk gives a view of the spiky domes rising above colourful bougainvillea plants.

Shooting from the Boat Quay, you can get a shot of the spiky domes rising above the white-painted steelwork of the Cavenagh Bridge.

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Esplanade Theatres Roof-line

If you have a long lens you can shoot some interesting symmetrical geometric patterns from the Esplanade Bridge and the Merlion Park, as well as cityscape skyline photos.

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Esplanade Theatres Nighttime Views

At night, the internal lighting causes the spiky domes to softly glow. Shooting across Marina Bay to the Esplanade Theatres from the Esplanade Bridge with a wide-angle lens, you can also capture the Singapore Flyer ferris wheel. Nighttime close-ups of the building also look good.

The Marina Bay north shore promenade is one of the best locations to view the lights of Singapore’s central business district, and in front of the Esplanade Theatres on the promenade is an outdoor amphitheatre, the DBS Foundation Outdoor Theatre, a venue for free evening performances.

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The Helix Bridge

Nearby, and spanning Marina Bay, is the Helix Bridge, formerly known as the Double Helix Bridge. This pedestrian footbridge arches up slightly in mid-span and also curves horizontally as it crosses Marina Bay. As if that is not complicated enough, the structural framework of the bridge is in the form of a left-handed DNA-like double helix.

Some sections of the bridge are open to the sky, and other areas are covered with blue-tinted fritted-glass, or white powder-coated perforated steel mesh panels, all connected to the inner spiral of the helix structure, providing some shade for pedestrians. These roof elements are complex and allow for some interesting compositions.

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Last Thoughts

It is very easy to spend a few hours photographing the Esplanade Theatres and the Helix Bridge. A considerable amount of walking is required, because some of the best shots are from the Esplanade Bridge and Merlion Park, and even as far away as Queen Elizabeth Walk and the Boat Quay. That can be exhausting in the humid tropical heat of Singapore, so be sure to keep hydrated, and wear a hat.

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Camera Gear

All images in this post were shot in RAW using Nikon cameras bodies, with Nikkor Pro f2.8 lenses, and then processed in Lightroom and Photoshop.

Most of the shots above were taken with Nikkor 24-70mm f2.8 and 70-200mm f2.8 zoom lenses. I also used a Nikkor 14-24mm f2.8 zoom lens and a Nikkor 105mm f2.8 Micro lens. As this is heavy camera gear, all shots were taken using a tripod and remote trigger.

All images Copyright ©2025 Rick Piper Photography (unless noted otherwise). All rights reserved.

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