About

Photographer in Singapore

Alvin photographs people, the animals they love, and the places he has been lucky enough to stand in.

Light held still

Alvin Chan photographs people, animals and places, mostly in Singapore and occasionally a long way from it. Portraits, pets, events, travel.

Selected work

Five galleries, and only a fraction of the work.

These are examples rather than an inventory. There is a great deal more behind them, and the fastest way to find out whether Alvin has photographed something like yours is to ask.

© Alvin ChanPortraits

© Alvin ChanPets

© Alvin ChanEvents

© Alvin ChanTravel

© Alvin ChanBoudoir

He would rather wait for the light than argue with it.

What Alvin is usually asked for.

PortraitsTwo hours, one location, and no rush. Alvin will not ask you to say cheese; he waits until you forget the camera is there, which is usually about twenty minutes in. Thirty edited frames, and the one you end up using is rarely the one you expected.

EventsHalf or full day, documentary, and rarely in anyone’s way. Alvin works the edges of a room rather than the middle of it. He has photographed a Papal visit, so a product launch is unlikely to unsettle him.

WeddingsA few each year, taken selectively. Alvin will say no more often than yes, and he will say it early rather than leave you hanging. If he says yes, it is because he thinks he can do the day justice.

TravelCommissions further afield, and licensing from the archive. Alvin is honest about how much of a place a week can actually hold, which is less than the brochures suggest.

PetsNinety minutes, wherever the animal is least suspicious. Dogs perform for about four minutes and then get bored, which is precisely when the good frames start. Cats are a negotiation. Alvin will come to the sofa they refuse to leave.

BoudoirHandled quietly and entirely on your terms. You see the frames first, you decide what happens to them, and nothing leaves the room without your say-so. Alvin has done enough of these to know the nerves fade faster than anyone believes.

Portrait by William Chua

About

Alvin has been photographing for long enough to have stopped collecting equipment. He shoots mostly in medium format, on a Fujifilm GFX100S II, because it holds detail that nothing smaller will; an X‑H2S comes along when the subject will not wait. Available light, almost always, and he edits his own frames.

Travelling is what shaped the way he sees. From markets in Asia to cathedrals in Europe, what he brings back is rarely the landmark — it is whoever happened to be standing beside it.

He is a volunteer photographer for the Church of St Mary of the Angels and for the Archdiocese of Singapore, and has photographed the visits of Pope Francis to both Mongolia and Singapore.

Away from the camera, Alvin works in artificial intelligence, in which he holds a PhD. The motion on this site is his own doing — generated from his stills, and directed frame by frame.

Do ask.

Tell Alvin roughly what, roughly when, and roughly where. He will tell you whether he is the right person for it, which is not always yes.

Write to Alvin