Drawing Reality Enter into a land of mystery, where human perception meets imagination, where the world of fantasy meets reality...
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hrough digital illustration, camera techniques, and an artistic vision, Malaysian based photographer Roger Tan transforms the everyday into otherworldly cinematic scenes that leave you astonished, curious and wanting to see more. Starting out with Canon 400D back in 2015, Roger has become an accomplished name within his sector - even with minimal photographic experience compared to most leading figures within the industry - he’s won over 400 awards and achieved numerous accolades worldwide, including a reciprocated BIPP Fellowship in 2018. For Roger, picking up a camera was an evolution in an artistic journey. He first pursued a Major in Fine Art and Illustration in art college and credits this to his rapid success, “Through the previous study of art, it made it is easier for me to learn and understand the composition, sensitivity of tones, style, taste and the conceptions in48 the PHOTOGRAPHER / 2021 / Issue Three
volved in photography.” As an artist, he would use paint and pencil to shape scenes from scratch; today, he uses a similar approach to etch his visual epics. He says, “I usually use the idea of drawing to process a photo, to guide the viewer’s eyes to pay attention to the subject, and use painting techniques to apply a sense of meaning into the image.” He derives inspiration from the dramatic fashion & portrait photography of Vincent Peters and the intimate portraiture of Annie Leibovitz, “Regardless of their guiding gestures, emotions, colours, and editing skills, their work is the place I have always yearned to reach.” Now a full-time photographer, Roger uses a Nikon z7, a Sony a73 and an EOS system, with his go-to All Images © Roger Tan
