When the leaders of the US and North Korea strode into the courtyard of the Capella Singapore for their historic first public handshake, the cameras clicked into action to capture the moment for posterity.
The Straits Times' executive photojournalist Kevin Lim, picked by the White House as the single pool photographer for Singapore, said of the moment: "It was amazing, yet surreal, and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
At the Programme Zone of the National Library Building until Friday, members of the public can view a curated exhibition of several of his photographs from the June 12 summit, including those which made their way into top news publications around the globe such as the cover of Time magazine.
Mr Lim, 35, who has been with The Straits Times for nine years, will also deliver a talk on Friday titled The Challenges Faced By Today's Photojournalists, as part of the askST@NLB talk series.
He will discuss the pressures and obstacles he faces on the job, and share how he captured that eye-catching shot of United States President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un after their first meeting, which was picked up by publications around the globe.
Mr Lim said that he hopes to give the public a better understanding of the importance of photojournalists in the changing media landscape.
He added: "Even with the rise of citizen journalism and citizen-generated images, there are certain things you can't replace, such as the quality of image, having the know-how, the equipment and the instinct honed over time to capture the different moments and events."
The talk, which is free of charge, is limited to 400 people. As of yesterday, more than half of the places have been taken up.
Madam Rose Lim, a 61-year-old housewife, viewed the exhibition yesterday and described it as "a good compilation of the signature events from that particular day".
She added: "I am also surprised at how Kevin Lim managed to get such close-up shots."
• Interested parties can register for the talk at http://str.sg/ask-Kevin
