Making combat rations picture perfect
He never expected a passion project on Singapore Armed Forces combat rations to get so much attention.
It started with a mention by Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen, who talked about it on his Facebook page on Thursday. Media requests for interviews kept photographer John Heng up all night.
In a post on Instagram and Facebook yesterday about his series of eight photographs, titled Atas My Ration, Mr Heng said it was to pay homage to NS50.
He was inspired by a Daily Mail article that showed army rations from all over the world turned into "Michelin" dishes.
Together with Miss Soh Quiling, Mr Gin Khoo and Mr Jimmy Sng, the team took two days to shoot the photos, transforming rations such as the fragrant chicken rice with mushroom from the non-halal pack 6 into a ball of chicken rice on a stick surrounded by a lush bed of moss on a plate.
An air defence officer during national service, Mr Heng, 38, told The New Paper: "It is more of a romantic notion that your own countrymen photograph their own food rations in their own way."
The commercial photographer had taken to Facebook to ask if anyone could help him get a packet of the combat rations. He was then connected to the Army Information Centre from the Ministry of Defence. "The whole experience has been an unexpected surprise," he said.
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now