Alcalá was born in 1951 in Bakersfield, California, but spent his adolescence in Texas. He inherited his love of photography from his father and from a young age immersed himself in the craft. His interest in photography translated to cinematography after he graduated from high school and decided to pursue filmmaking. He studied art at Southern Methodist University and later the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles. In LA, he worked as a gaffer and soon became a working cinematographer. After nearly 15 years in commercial production as a cinematographer and director, he earned one of his first gigs in episodic television as a cameraman with the help of Thomas Carter on the show Equal Justice. His break directing episodic television came when he was hired by Christopher Chulack on the show Homefront in 1991.
He has directed numerous episodic television shows during his career. His series work includes: Homefront, Space: Above and Beyond, Brimstone, Third Watch, Law & Order: SVU, Battlestar Galactica, ER, Breaking Bad, Blue Bloods, Southland, Suits, Covert Affairs, Defiance, The Good Wife, Criminal Minds, Shades of Blue, and Madam Secretary. He has also directed movies for television Seduced and Betrayed, 77 Sunset Strip, Deadly Pursuits, The Taking of Pelham 123, M.K.3., Flashpoint, and Battlestar Galactica: Razor. He also directed the feature film Fire Down Below.
Alcalá has been a member of the Directors Guild since 1991. He was nominated for two DGA Awards for his work on ER in the dramatic category in 1994 and 1995. He was also nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series in 2007 for “Exodus, Part 2” from Battlestar Galactica.