Joel Heng (b. 1988) is a freelance Director of Photography and Underwater Camera Operator based in Singapore. He works across narrative film, television, commercials, and documentary, and is available for overseas hire.

He entered the industry young. After completing his GCE ‘O’ Levels, he began an internship at a local television production company at age 16. He spent years moving through production coordination and the technical ranks—working as a grip, camera assistant, and in related roles on projects including The Kitchen Musical, Code of Law, and others—before transitioning to Director of Photography and shooting his first television commercial. That hands-on foundation remains central to his practice.

In 2016 he was nominated for Best Cinematography at the Apollo Awards for his work on Eysham Ali’s Trapped Minds. His narrative credits as cinematographer include feature/TV projects such as Gillian Tan’s Limited Edition (2019) and A Girlband Called Girlband (2019), and Beatrice Chia’s After Love (2019), as well as shorts such as Thong Kay Wee’s Hidden Folk (2013), Sufyan Sam’an’s Rayqal (2018), Gavin Lim’s The Last Song (2020) starring Andie Chen. Most recently, he served as Director of Photography (and colorist on several episodes) on the 2022 Mediacorp mini-series The Girl He Never Noticed directed by Beatrice Chia.

Alongside scripted work he regularly shoots commercials and branded content for clients and production houses across Asia alongside various studio and location projects ranging from stop-motion hybrids to high-speed and narrative-driven commercial spots. He is also an active underwater camera operator and continues to develop practical approaches for underwater filming in Singapore and beyond.

Since April 2026, Joel has served as Image & Video Consultant at xAI, applying his cinematography and production expertise to AI image and video generation.