Alexander was a student of photography with Vandyke as a London Court photographer after which he joined
H. H. Pierce of
Boston (1905–07).[8] In America, Alexander's work became known nationally in 1907 when his photograph of the painter
Arthur Wesley Dow won an award in the Third American Salon at the
Toledo Museum of Art and was later included in The American Amateur Photographer.[9][10]
In 1908 he joined
Ernest Walter Histed in
New York who specialised in low light dramatic portraiture.[8][9] In 1910 he left
Histed and operated a studio alone in
Seattle, Washington, between 1910 and 1914, specialising in home portraiture.[9] He became a US citizen in 1914 when he established a freelance studio in
Honolulu, Hawaii, and became more widely known for celebrity portraiture.[8][9]
During
World War I he served in the aero-photo service of the
United States Navy operating from a warship, taking close-ups and panoramas.[11] Alexander later established himself as a photographer in New York with a tagline, "Photographer of Women Exclusively",[2] a gender reversal of
Pirie MacDonald's motto. He gained particular acclaim with
United Artists during his time in New York assisting them and other film companies with offices in the city.[12]
After New York, Alexander moved to
Los Angeles at the behest of
Lillian Gish, who wanted him as a photographer on her film
La Bohème.[13] Alexander eventually settled in Hollywood, where he was employed by
Sam Goldwyn Productions throughout the 1930s.[9]