Through the Lens: Rachel Loh

On intimacy, movement and slowing down the commercial image

‘Through the Lens’ is a series that explores in detail the images of fashion image-makers in Southeast Asia, shedding light on their creative and technical processes.

Rachel Loh is a photographer based in Singapore. She works across fashion, lifestyle and still life. Alongside photography, her practice extends into print and installation, most recently in The Weight of Existence (2022), an installation presented at Badt and Co. in Singapore.

Maryam in Paris for Aures, 2025. Image courtesy of Rachel Loh.

Her clients are largely independent, founder-led labels with minimalist sensibilities, among them Octobre, Perk by Kate, PEBL and Aurès Studio. Her recent commissions have taken her to Paris, Bali and Copenhagen. Many of these emerged from long-standing relationships with brands she has photographed since their founding. Outside of these, her personal projects have a documentary bent. In 2020, she co-created the photobook Grey is the New Black: Unseen Singapore with writer and model Bella Bray, featuring portraits taken of elderly women scouted on the streets of Singapore over a year.

In this interview, Rachel discusses her beginnings in photography, her ongoing fascination with movement and the human body and her plans to bring her images into more tangible forms.

Hi, Rachel! Could you talk about your background? How did your journey into photography begin?

I am the type of person who likes using my hands to create. At a young age, when asked what I would like to become when I grow up, I remember saying I wanted to be an artist. To be where I am now is a cool thing!

But I only got into photography while getting my diploma in interior design. I was quite miserable in school, so I took up photography as a way to appreciate my surroundings and to disconnect from the stress of school projects. This helped me see and be in the present moment. But I never got around to using a proper camera until I started my photography career eight years ago.

Mathilda and Manon for Days of Ever, 2024. Image courtesy of Rachel Loh.

What are the themes, ideas and/or subjects that currently pique your interest across your work?

I am interested in creating intimacy within the confines of a commercial project. I love inviting viewers to slow down and feel a sense of intimacy with my images while pushing back on the sales narrative of briefs.

Personally, I am obsessed with movement, and the facial and physical expressions of the human body. Over the past year, I have pursued personal — sometimes commercial — projects documenting dancers. I find it fascinating and cathartic to let movement lead me without set expectations about the outcome.

I am also currently in the middle of developing my first solo photobook on migration and my ancestry, which hopefully comes out next year!

Who or what would you say are the main influences on both your photography and artistic practice?

I use my own life experiences as an influence. I also stay curious about various topics through reading. I believe that if I understand how I see and interact with the world, my photography will reflect my own flavour that no one can take away.

There is a patience that comes through from your images. Could you walk us through your creative process? How do you approach a subject, whether it is a person, a place or an object?

I try to be slow with the entire process, which is sometimes hard if it is commercial. If I am photographing a person, I come early and speak to them so I understand a little bit of who they are. For more sensitive and intimate projects, I set the tone by lighting incense in the studio when needed.

When conceptualising a project, I tend to get quick visions of how I want the images to turn out so I sketch them to refer to them on set. When a product is involved, I find that everyone’s cortisol levels are high and I do not get the intimacy I seek, so I try to calm the general mood down.

In my personal projects, I observe the people and space I am photographing on the day I turn up. I try not to set boundaries on how I photograph. I have a general sense of direction and like to let the scenes unfold.

From photographing ballet dancers in Singapore to shooting a campaign for Aesop, your work covers a lot of ground. Do the different strands of your practice feed one another, and what challenges do you face in balancing them?

I treat all facets of my photography practice the same way. But it is challenging when balancing paid work with my own motivations. For fashion especially, it can be hard to bring out the intimacy and emotions when the project is focused on how best to show the looks.

It is a fine line to balance in terms of staying true to my photographic expression. In some instances, I look at the way a fabric might be draping and that inspires me. Sometimes it leads to a personal project that becomes an extension of a language I was not able to explore more of in a commercial project.

Could you walk us through some of your favourite projects to date?

One of my favourite projects was from the previous year where the design studio Humankind Design and I invited Ivan Koh, a former principal ballerina, to interpret a packaging we were documenting. It was fun and one of the few projects where I was able to express more of myself.

Another recent one is personal, and involved documenting two Sikh sisters’ hair in Singapore. The shoot was done in my home. I was inspired by a trip I took with my sister that year, and wanted to see how else I could express the special bond sisters have.

I also love my forthcoming photobook The Home by the River. It is one of the longest projects I have worked on. The time and patience I have given it is refreshing. It took a whole year before I showed it to anyone. Just to allow myself to sit with it has been a special experience. The topic of migration is near to my heart and it is something I am passionate about.

Chiara in Chaville, France for Perk by Kate, 2026. Image courtesy of Rachel Loh.

Do you have a team or collaborators that support you creatively? What is the collaborative process like?

I love speaking to other photographers who are open to chatting about their failures and successes with me. I find that sharing work I feel doubtful about – or love – helps me gain perspective on how I should move forward. Similarly, I love learning about various approaches. Since everyone’s life and views are different, I find them exciting to learn.

On set, I love working with the same people. We have become so familiar with each other that a turn or look from me can communicate so much within seconds. I treasure these relationships.

Lastly, what plans do you have in store for your practice moving forward?

I am looking forward to moving towards tangibility with images through exhibitions and photobooks. I also want to stay curious about the world around me. I hope that my photographs will allow people to feel something and connect. As long as that happens, I know my direction will be true to me.

Follow @rachmloh to see more of her work.

On intimacy, movement and slowing down the commercial image

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