Conversation with Singapore Photographer Russel Wong, Part 1

On his formative childhood, photographing for Nike and Singapore fashion

Born and raised in Singapore, Russel Wong is well-known for his enduring fashion and portrait images, in addition to his fine art photography practice. His works have been exhibited at Singapore Art Museum (‘Russel Wong: Photographs 1980-2005’, 2005), Valentine Willie Fine Art, Singapore (‘Russel Wong: A Different Journey’, 2009) and Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art (‘Russel Wong: The Big Picture’, 2012). Russel recently completed his second artist residency at STPI - Creative Workshop & Gallery, which produced a series of print-based works titled ‘Purple Phalaenopsis and Pink Phalaenopsis’, featuring tropical flowers in the style of portraiture. An excellent conversationalist, he started a video series during the pandemic titled ‘Russel Wong Chats’ featuring intimate, long-form interviews with guests such as actress Joan Chen and musician Greg Phillinganes.

In the first part of this interview, Russel talks about his formative childhood researching for family vacations and performing magic, his start with photographs of runner Sebastian Coe, and working with the Singapore fashion community in the 1980s.

Portrait of Russel Wong. Photograph by Justin Toh.

When did your education to become a photographer begin? 

I think it began with my childhood. My dad always told us to make our own path, to not rely on anyone and that it was up to us. He would say to us that we were special and that if we put our mind to it, we could achieve what we wanted. 

He came from an family and went from living in a garage to becoming a doctor. To him, since he was giving us the best conditions to succeed, we should perform. He gave us some degree of freedom to focus on what we were good at. Together with my mum, I think they gave us the confidence to do what we wanted. 

That sounds like a nurturing environment. I understand your father instilled some life-long habits? 

We went on annual family trips, and my father would ask us to research where we were going. If we were going to Italy, he would get us books to read about the Sistine Chapel, St. Petersburg Square, Michelangelo and the Piazza. It was never a casual vacation. I mention this because it played a big part in what I do now. To this day, I still do the research because of what my dad did.

I was interested in magic when I was a boy, which I also researched and practised. My dad thought that I should do it the proper way, and so I went to magic class every Sunday! And then I worked as a magician for four years and would earn SGD80 a show after school and on weekends at birthday parties and at hospitals. I had a whole set-up for an hour-long show, and became used to interacting with a crowd of up to 300 people at the library and on television. I became comfortable to approach people, and this was part of the training for my life as a photographer. 

Russel Wong, ‘Cymbidium Orchid’, 2020, 3-colour lithography on 320gsm Stonehenge paper, 70.8 x 70.8. x 3.8 cm, Edition of 12. Image courtesy of STPI - Creative Gallery & Workshop.

How did your photography career begin when you were studying computer science at the University of Oregon? 

I did not enjoy what I was studying, and would escape to the track to take pictures of the athletes training, so sports was my entry to photography. I subscribed to track and field magazines, such as ‘Track and Field News’, which I would read diligently.  

One day, Sebastian Coe came into town for a running clinic. I cycled to see him and took pictures of him. I had one shot of him enlarged, framed and hung in my dormitory room. Friends from the track team saw it and encouraged me to talk to Nike. They thought that I could get free shoes with my photograph, just as some of them did for their track meets.  

What did you do next?

I went to the nearest Nike shop, and asked if I could show my pictures to anyone. They said that they could put me in touch with Geoff Hollister, Head of Marketing. I cycled 50km out in the open in the rain, with my box of slides that I shot. I recognised him as the man who was with Coe at the running clinic. He asked to hang on to the box of slides. I then returned to Singapore. At 3am one morning, a call came through. It was from Jon Hendershott, the editor of Track and Field News. He was calling to get permission to run images I took. 

I received a check for USD160 at my dorm. My track friends at my dorm and even my guardians in America said that this did not just happen to everyone. So I took it very seriously. And from then, I knew my path. I think in life there are a lot of warning signs that appear and you can walk away or you can acknowledge them and run with them. For me, I felt like I was born to do this.

So Geoff asks me to pick my shoes at Nike, and that is when I started getting free shoes. Every six pictures they used, I would get a free pair of shoes. And I had this deal for three years. I shot many athletes, including Carl Lewis and Michael Jordan. I would travel with them on my account. I spent all my money, because I did not earn cash, but I felt it was worth it and that I had to do it. I was a kid in the candy store and there was no doubt in my mind that I was going to be a photographer. 

You seized the opportunity! Then you returned to Singapore for National Service? 

Yes. I showed my portfolio and told them I shot for Nike and that I would love to shoot for the army magazine. This was great training for me, doing press photography when I had not before. 

You were at the same time shooting for the local fashion industry?

I shot for magazines like ‘Her World’ and ‘Go’. I was with a hip crowd who went clubbing and a small cluster of us went to an exclusive club called My Place. It was the most exclusive membership club at Hotel Malaysia. The who’s who in fashion were all there, like designers Dick Lee, Bobby Chng, Tan Yoong, the models Ethel Fong, Hanis Hussey and Pat Kraal and retailers like Judith Chung. We were all starting out. And I was test-shooting models to get my feet wet. And from this fashion book, I was admitted to the ArtCenter College of Design.  

It was also in Singapore, through Tina Tan’s shop that I came to know Richard Avedon’s work as he shot all the campaigns for Versace, which it carried. I started researching his work, along with Helmut Newton and Irving Penn. I tried to see how they photographed, breaking it apart to see how and why it was done and what worked, and what did not work, and emulated them to a point, incorporating parts of what they do into my own work. I saw too that they could sell their work well, and I aimed to produce timeless work, as they have. 

Click here for Part 2 of the conversation with Russel, where he speaks about his preparation process and his fascination with light.