Your Future
.png) |
Russel WongPhotographer Education: Complementing Eugene’s reputation as “Track Town USA,” Russel Wong was an amateur runner and a dedicated track and field fan during his undergraduate years. While pursuing his degree, Wong ran the famous trails near the UO campus, and snapped photos of the legendary athletes who competed at Hayward Field. “Photography was just a way to document these people I had read so much about,” he says. “And as I did more camera work, I fell in love with the art.” Eventually, Wong decided to market his photography, bicycling across town to the Nike offices to show off his photos. Nike was impressed enough to trade a pair of running shoes for an image of British middle-distance runner Sebastian Coe, a shot that eventually graced the cover of Track & Field News magazine. |
Wong thoroughly enjoyed his years at the UO, and says the broad span of his undergraduate courses paved the way to his international career. “That’s what a liberal arts degree is all about, isn’t it?” he notes. “Taking classes in finance, economics, and advertising definitely opened up new horizons. You never know where each piece is going to fit in.” After graduation, Wong returned to his native Singapore to complete the required national army service for his country, where he served as a photographer for the armed services magazine. He then went to California for his fine arts degree.
His photographs of celebrities have earned Wong a measure of his own celebrity: In 2005, a twenty-five year retrospective of his work at the Singapore Art Museum broke attendance records and attracted more than 72,000 visitors. Wong enjoys a career that spans both the globe and a wide variety of work assignments. His portfolio includes everything from fine art exhibits and magazine covers to landscape photography and movie stills. “I’m pretty much the only person in Asia with a vast and diverse experience working in both Asia and the USA,” as a photographer, he says. “I’m always developing new clients in different countries since Singapore is a small country—so I need to look outside.”