Drawing Reality

Enter into a land of mystery, where human perception meets imagination, where the world of fantasy meets reality...

Through 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 involved 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

lens a 70-200mm. Shedding insight into the editing method, he says, “I use photoshop to edit my images; usually, I will start in-camera with raw to tune the colour temperature, make sure the shadow and highlights have got detail, curve the overall contrast, enhance the colour saturation, then I open it in photoshop for extra detailing and fine-tuning.”

Up to now, his primary focus has been wedding photography. However, he has begun exploring new avenues within the industry, “I work with photography lighting and accessories brands by giving lectures and running demo shoots. I’ve also started doing shoots with artists and actors for TV posters and magazines - I’m actually transitioning into commercial.”

A believer in expanding horizons, he states, “As a photographer, I am most excited and inspired by shooting subjects never before photographed, creating something new, crossing borders, and mixing sectors together like commercial, fashion and 3d, etc. I see all new challenges within photography as a chance to improve and grow my skills.”

As Roger’s reputation has built, requests to teach and a judge have emerged; sharing his perspective on judging, he says, “I think basic skills are very important. Usually, I look at facial expressions, lighting, details, and poses. These four basic skills are essential. Next comes creativity and narrative, as even if the photo feels special - but the basic skills are not handled well I wouldn’t score it highly.

Although he takes a more conceptual approach when teaching students, “I think technology is monotonous - ideas and understanding are the roots of creation. I help students understand why they should use this approach; if they don’t understand, they will live in the shadow of others.”

“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.”