Diamond trader by day, photographer of temples by night

Born in Singapore in 1950 to British parents of Romanian descent, Mr Ronni Pinsler grew up in Orchard Road, in a flat opposite the old Amber Mansions in Dhoby Ghaut.

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As a young boy, he would accompany the Cantonese majie (domestic helper), whom his parents hired to look after him, to her village in Changi for festivals. It sparked a lifelong interest in Taoism.

"My parents travelled a lot for work, so she (Ah Toh) often took me back to her kampung to attend festivals and temple celebrations. My interest in things Chinese was probably due to her," says the 74-year-old retired diamond trader.

Till this day, he researches and records legends about deities on his website Book of Xian Shen, which roughly translates to Book of Chinese Deities.

He also runs a Facebook group, Local Gods & Their Legends, which records locally created and lesser-known divinities.

At the age of nine, Mr Pinsler was sent to boarding school in England, returning as a 21-year-old in 1971 to work in his family's diamond trading business.

Back in Singapore, he befriended German travel guide writer and photographer Hans Hoefer, who was updating his travel guide Insight Guides Singapore.

From Mr Hoefer, he learnt the basics of creative photography. Mr Pinsler then bought himself a Leica camera and started taking photographs as a hobby.

"I always kept the camera in my bag with the diamonds and cash I collected from my day job. I would stop by temples and just kaypoh," he says, joking that his father is not around any more to disapprove.

He started spending more time at Chinese temples across the island. Besides taking photos, he also took notes on customs, festivals and the birthdays of various gods.

He became friends with devotees, priests and caretakers, who gave him the nickname "Bip Po"meaning bat in Hokkien - owing to his energetic night jaunts to temples.