Nicolas Damiens' colourful photos capture the retro ambience of sunny Singapore

Having moved from Paris to Singapore two years ago to further his visual design career, Nicolas Damiens has kept his creative juices flowing in his spare time by snapping the summery sights of the country. For just over a year now, this personal project, titled City Pop, has documented Singapore's buildings, palm trees, and oceans in a striking, pastel-hued fashion that blends nostalgic appeal with a retro atmosphere.

City Pop is well-named, too. Every image bursts with smooth, hazy colours that appear to leap off the screen or from the surface of a print. Surprisingly, seeing as they are so well composed, each photo results from a spontaneous shoot, as Nicolas has found that Singapore constantly offers surprises around every corner.

Of course, though, these colourful photos are not without some intervention. "The primary aspect of my work involves photo editing and retouching: creating a well-balanced composition to emphasise the main subject, meticulously removing unnecessary details, and finally adjusting the colours to achieve the desired retro ambience," Nicolas tells Creative Boom.

Modern Singapore building with pink vertical pipe, blue window and white tiled facade against a gradient yellow and pink sky, with green foliage visible at bottom right

Colourful building facade with pink walls, yellow door, turquoise panel, pink clay roof tiles and small window against gradient background

Colourful Singapore building façade with pink, yellow and cream painted sections, white columns, and rows of windows with orange and purple trim

Red and green traditional Chinese architecture with curved tile roofs and red doors beneath a street lamp, from Nicolas Damiens' City Pop series

When it comes to seeing his surroundings in such an eye-catching light, Nicolas admits that travel broadens both your mind and your creative outlook. "Upon relocating to a new country, everything appears exotic, providing you with the opportunity to view everything from a fresh perspective," he explains.

"Before this, I resided in Paris and New York, and I've always instinctively linked each city to a distinct colour scheme and music, likely due to my professional background."

As for how he settles on his subjects, Nicolas reveals that his approach combines three key ingredients: geometry, minimalism and colour. "While it may often involve buildings, it can also include flowers, objects, or anything else that can be transformed into a visually captivating image," he adds.

Out of all the images in the series, though, Nicolas' favourite is one that further breaks the rules and highlights patterns in the world around him. "A friend requested that I combine two photos for a print, and while working on it, I observed a clear connection between the chopsticks and the architecture of a well-known building in Chinatown.

"The images appeared to reflect each other, which wasn't the original intention, but it turned out to be quite fascinating."

Bright blue and white modern building with hot pink balconies and architectural details against a clear sky, with adjacent structures featuring pink and blue elements

Tall white residential buildings with bright yellow balconies and windows, framed by a canopy of green foliage at the base, shot from below in Singapore

White modernist building with a turquoise triangular opening against a mint-green sky with a full moon, palm fronds visible on the left

Tall pastel-coloured apartment building with a mansard roof against a vivid pink sky, with golden-hued foliage in the foreground

As with any side project, one of the biggest hurdles Nicolas has to clear when making City Pop is his professional schedule. By day, he works at Publicis Premiere, but outside of that, he is free to indulge in his role as an "image maker" in any way he sees fit.

"City Pop is a side project that runs parallel to my main job, providing me with the liberty to express myself without the restrictions associated with client feedback in the advertising field," he says. "It serves as an open playground, allowing me to enjoy the creative process wholeheartedly."

And having run for over a year already, it sounds like City Pop is only getting started. "I plan to continue posting weekly on my Instagram account, and I am aiming for an exhibition in 2024," he concludes.

"While digital platforms are wonderful for sharing my art, I deeply appreciate printed materials and can't wait to see my City Pop creations come to life in a physical format."

To see more of Nicolas' work, be sure to follow his Instagram account.