Originally from China, Tan is a freelance photographer currently based in South Carolina, USA.
Tan, who was once an assistant to the well-known Chinese master photographer Quanfu Tang, began his career by learning photography in a traditional Chinese photo studio in Chongqing, China. After graduating with a degree in photography from the Beijing Film Academy in 1992, he worked as a staff photographer for Hong Kong ATV in Haikou, Hainan, China.
In 1994, he founded his own photography studio in his hometown, Chongqing, specializing in advertising and portrait photography. Tan immigrated to the United States in 2009. Since then, he has worked extensively in South Asia, focusing on social issues. He has been a long-time contributor to Reuters, Getty Images, the National Geographic Community, and a wide variety of Asian photography magazines.