50 Best Cinematographer (2019)

Lubezki began his career in Mexican film and television productions in the late 1980s. His first international production was the 1993 independent film Twenty Bucks (1993), which followed the journey of a single twenty-dollar bill.

Lubezki is a frequent collaborator with fellow Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón. The two have been friends since they were teenagers and attended the same film school at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. Together they have worked on six motion pictures: Love in the Time of Hysteria (1991), A Little Princess (1995), Great Expectations (1998), Y tu mamá también (2001), Children of Men (2006), and Gravity (2013). His work with Cuarón on Children of Men (2006), has received universal acclaim. The film utilized a number of new technologies and distinctive techniques. The "roadside ambush" scene was shot in one extended take utilizing a special camera rig invented by Doggicam systems, developed from the company's Power Slide system. For the scene, a vehicle was modified to enable seats to tilt and lower actors out of the way of the camera. The windshield of the car was designed to tilt out of the way to allow camera movement in and out through the front windscreen. A crew of four, including Lubezki, rode on the roof. Children of Men (2006) also features a seven-and-a-half-minute battle sequence composed of roughly five seamless edits.

Lubezki has been nominated for eight Academy Awards for Best Cinematography, winning three, for Gravity (2013), Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014), and The Revenant (2015). He is the first cinematographer in history to win three consecutive Academy Awards.

Rodrigo Prieto is a Mexican cinematographer. He is best known for Brokeback Mountain (2005), Babel (2006), Argo (2012), The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), and Silence (2016).

He also worked with Alejandro González Iñárritu on the acclaimed Amores perros (2000), 21 Grams (2003), and Biutiful (2010).

Pietro was nominated for two Academy Award for Best Cinematography, first in Brokeback Mountain and later in Silence.

Adam Etherington was born in Cambridgeshire, England, UK. He is a cinematographer, known for Paris Has Fallen (2024), A Discovery of Witches (2018) and Gwen (2018).

Best known for his cerebral, often nonlinear, storytelling, acclaimed Academy Award winner writer/director/producer Sir Christopher Nolan CBE was born in London, England. Over the course of more than 25 years of filmmaking, Nolan has gone from low-budget independent films to working on some of the biggest blockbusters ever made and became one of the most celebrated filmmakers of modern cinema.

At 7 years old, Nolan began making short films with his father's Super-8 camera. While studying English Literature at University College London, he shot 16-millimeter films at U.C.L.'s film society, where he learned the guerrilla techniques he would later use to make his first feature, Following (1998), on a budget of around $6,000. The noir thriller was recognized at a number of international film festivals prior to its theatrical release and gained Nolan enough credibility that he was able to gather substantial financing for his next film.

Nolan's second film was Memento (2000), which he directed from his own screenplay based on a short story by his brother Jonathan Nolan. Starring Guy Pearce, the film brought Nolan numerous honors, including Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations for Best Original Screenplay. Nolan went on to direct the critically acclaimed psychological thriller, Insomnia (2002), starring Al Pacino, Robin Williams and Hilary Swank.

The turning point in Nolan's career occurred when he was awarded the chance to revive the Batman franchise in 2005. In Batman Begins (2005), Nolan brought a level of gravitas back to the iconic hero, and his gritty, modern interpretation was greeted with praise from fans and critics alike. Before moving on to a Batman sequel, Nolan directed, co-wrote, and produced the mystery thriller The Prestige (2006), starring Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman as magicians whose obsessive rivalry leads to tragedy and murder.

In 2008, Nolan directed, co-wrote, and produced The Dark Knight (2008). Co-written with by his brother Jonathan, the film went on to gross more than a billion dollars at the worldwide box office. Nolan was nominated for a Directors Guild of America (D.G.A.) Award, Writers Guild of America (W.G.A.) Award and Producers Guild of America (P.G.A.) Award, and the film also received eight Academy Award nominations. The film is widely considered one of the best comic book adaptations of all times, with Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker receiving an extremely high acclaim. Ledger posthumously became the first Academy Award winning performance in a Nolan film.

In 2010, Nolan captivated audiences with the Sci-Fi thriller Inception (2010), starring Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead role, which he directed and produced from his own original screenplay that he worked on for almost a decade. The thought-provoking drama was a worldwide blockbuster, earning more than $800,000,000 and becoming one of the most discussed and debated films of the year, and of all times. Among its many honors, Inception received four Academy Awards and eight nominations, including Best Picture and Best Screenplay. Nolan was recognized by his peers with a W.G.A. Award accolade, as well as D.G.A. and P.G.A. Awards nominations for his work on the film.

As one of the best-reviewed and highest-grossing movies of 2012, The Dark Knight Rises (2012) concluded Nolan's Batman trilogy. Due to his success rebooting the Batman character, Warner Bros. enlisted Nolan to produce their revamped Superman movie Man of Steel (2013), which opened in the summer of 2013. In 2014, Nolan directed, wrote, and produced the Science-Fiction epic Interstellar (2014), starring Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain. Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. released the film on November 5, 2014, to positive reviews and strong box-office results, grossing over $670 million dollars worldwide.

In July 2017, Nolan released his acclaimed War epic Dunkirk (2017), that earned him his first Best Director nomination at the Academy Awards, as well as winning an additional 3 Oscars. In 2020 he released his mind-bending Sci-Fi espionage thriller Tenet (2020) starring John David Washington in the lead role. Released during the COVID-19 pandemic, the movie grossed relatively less than Nolan's previous blockbusters, though it did do good numbers compared to other movies in that period of time. Hailed as Nolan's most complex film yet, the film was one of Nolan's less-acclaimed films at the time, yet slowly built a fan-base following in later years.

In July 2023, Nolan released his highly acclaimed biographic drama Oppenheimer (2023) starring Nolan's frequent collaborator Cillian Murphy- in the lead role for the first time in a Nolan film. The movie was a cultural phenomenon that on top of grossing almost 1 billion dollars at the Worldwide Box office, also swept the 2023/2024 award-season and gave Nolan his first Oscars, BAFTAs, Golden Globes, D.G.A. and P.G.A. Awards, as well as a handful of regional critics-circles awards and a W.G.A. nomination. Cillian's performance as quantum physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer was highly acclaimed as well, and became the first lead performance in a Nolan film to win the Academy Award.

During 2023, Nolan also received a fellowship from the British Film Institute (BFI). In March 2024, it was announced that Nolan is to be knighted by King Charles III and from now on will go by the title 'Sir Christopher Nolan'.

Nolan resides in Los Angeles, California with his wife, Academy Award winner producer Dame Emma Thomas, and their children. Sir Nolan and Dame Thomas also have their own production company, Syncopy.

Philip Bloom is known for Red Tails (2012), La Tamise (2014) and Salient Minus Ten (2017).

Linus Sandgren is an Academy Award winning Swedish cinematographer. He is best known for his work with Damien Chazelle on La La Land (2016) and his collaboration with David O Russell on the films American Hustle (2013) and Joy (2015).

He also worked with Gus Van Sant on Promised Land where he shot the film in a unique format, Super 35mm 1.3x anamorphic.

In La La Land he shot in the classic Cinemascope ratio 2.55:1.

Wally Pfister is an American cinematographer and film director, who is best known for his work with Christopher Nolan. He is also known for his work on director F. Gary Gray's The Italian Job (2003) and Bennett Miller's Moneyball (2011).

He made his directorial debut with the film Transcendence (2014), starring Johnny Depp.

His first collaboration with Nolan was on the neo-noir thriller Memento (2000). The success of this collaboration resulted in Pfister taking over as director of photography for Nolan's subsequent films: Insomnia (2002), Batman Begins (2005), The Prestige (2006), The Dark Knight (2008), which he partially shot with IMAX cameras, and Inception, which was shot partially in 5-perf 65 mm. He is the only cinematographer that has worked with director Christopher Nolan between Memento and Dark Knight Rises.

Pfister won an Academy Award for Best Cinematography for Inception (2010).

Rina Yang is known for Mother Mary, The Fire Inside (2024) and All Too Well: The Short Film (2021).

Autumn Durald Arkapaw was born on 14 December 1979 in Ventura, California, USA. She is a cinematographer and director, known for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022), Loki (2021) and Teen Spirit (2018). She has been married to Adam Arkapaw since 2015. They have one child.

Kate Reid is known for Game of Thrones (2011), The Nevers (2021) and Great Expectations (2023).

Rachel Morrison is an American cinematographer. She is best known for the films Fruitvale Station (2013), Cake (2014), Dope (2015), Mudbound (2017) and Black Panther (2018).

She began her career working on series and TV movies for a number of networks.

The independent film Palo Alto (2007) marked Morrison's debut as the primary cinematographer on a feature film.

For her work on Mudbound she earned a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography, making her the first woman ever recognized in the category.

Reed Morano was born on April 15, 1977 in Omaha, Nebraska, USA. She is known for directing and executive producing the pilot as well as episodes 2 & 3 of 'The Handmaid's Tale' (2017) and directing the feature film, 'Meadowland' (2015), which she also served as her own DP on. She also did double duty as director/DP on her second feature, 'I Think We're Alone Now' (2018). As a cinematographer, Reed is known for her work on Lemonade (2016), the Oscar nominated feature 'Frozen River' (2008) and 'The Skeleton Twins' (2014).

Bradford Young is an American cinematographer. His feature films as director of photography include White Lies, Black Sheep (2007), Pariah (2011), Restless City (2011), Middle of Nowhere (2012), Ain't Them Bodies Saints (2013), Mother of George (2013), and Arrival (2016).

In January 2017, Young became the first African-American cinematographer to be nominated for an Academy Award, for his work on Arrival. He is also the first person of color to be nominated in the Academy Award cinematography category since 1998 when Remi Adefarasin was nominated for Elizabeth.

Adam Arkapaw is known for his work on films such as Macbeth (2015 - ASC spotlight award) Animal Kingdom (2010 - Camerimage Cinematographer Debuts Competition winner) The Snowtown Murders (2011) Light Between the Oceans (2016) Lore (2011) and Assassin's Creed (2016). He is also the Emmy Award-winning cinematographer of Top of the Lake (2013) and True Detective Season 1 (2014). Born in Bowral, a small town south of Sydney, Australia. Arkapaw studied at Melbourne's Victorian College of the Arts, getting his start making shorts and commercials.

Rob Hardy ASC BSC is a British Cinematographer known for his ground breaking work on Mission Impossible: Fallout, and his ongoing collaboration with Alex Garland: Ex-Machina, Annihilation, Devs, Men and most recently, the visceral epic Civil War.

He also won the BAFTA for cinematography on the beautiful and controversial drama Boy A which was swiftly followed by the influential & hallucinatory Red Riding 1974.

Other credits include James Marsh's atmospheric Shadow-Dancer and the beautiful period piece Invisible Woman for Ralph Fiennes.

Susanne Kurz was born on 1 October 1974 in Ludwigshafen am Rhein, Germany. She is a cinematographer and producer, known for Not Far from Me (2015) and Without Warrant (2013).

Matthew Libatique is an American cinematographer. He is best known for his work with director Darren Aronofsky on the films Pi (1998), Requiem for a Dream (2000), The Fountain (2006), Black Swan (2010), Noah (2014) and Mother! (2017). He also shot Bradley Cooper's directorial debut film, A Star Is Born (2018).

Libatique also work as an cinematographer in the films Tigerland (2000), Phone Booth (2002), Iron Man (2008), Iron Man 2 (2010) and Venom (2018).

He has received two Academy Awards nominations for Best Achievement in Cinematography, one for Black Swan and the other for A Star Is Born.

Anna Foerster is known for Underworld: Blood Wars (2016), Outlander (2014) and The Day After Tomorrow (2004).

British Cinematographer Andrew Dunn BSC, winner of multiple BAFTA Awards.

His body of work includes nearly sixty feature Length films, in addition twenty five dramas for Television.

Dunn's professional career began at the BBC, it's here he learned his craft, but his passion for the photographic and film art form began as a young boy. His Father worked in at MGM Film Studios outside London, whenever the opportunity arose he would spend hours on set, an enchanting playground, possibly a misspent childhood, observing amongst other film-makers Stanley Kubrick creating "2001 a Space Odyssey" ~ sitting high up in the lighting gantry with those carbon arcs, plus time i the infamous MGM camera department, he got the bug.

From the age of eight all he wanted to do was become a cinematographer, he read voraciously, absorbing anything and everything he could lay his hands on to do with films, film-making and film-makers, through his early teenage years he would make films on his own and with friends, using 8mm then 16mm B&W and colour.

Desperate for a path into professional film-making, he found a route via editing at the BBC, editing provided him with the opportunity of, while shooting his own material, nurturing it through every process; processing, editing, sound mixing and dubbing ~ every aspect of the craft.

Hungry for camera work, he moved to Scotland to take up an opportunity there with the film department, this proved to be a lucky move, experiencing huge ranges, and styles of work, with a department head who encouraged experimentation and innovation during these formative years.

In the early 80's he moved to Bristol in the West of England to expand his knowledge, and to gain a more high profile image. During his five years there, and receiving four BAFTA nominations and three wins, this series of award winning films for the BBC, THREADS, ( dir. Mick Jackson) EDGE OF DARKNESS ( Dir. Martin Campbell) & TUMBLEDOWN (dir. Richard Eyre). Hollywood was knocking on his door, he left the BBC & here began a freelance career in Film, the early Films are now modern day classics such as LA STORY & THE BODYGUARD.

During this time he was invited to join the BSC, "A milestone and a massive privilege" he was proposed by the legendary Les Ostinelli.

Meeting the woman who was to become his wife in 1993, and marrying Emma in 1996, "Emma was, has been and always will be my guiding light, i could not possibly do what i attempt to do without her by my side". They have two young adult children Maxim a Second AC and Grace an Actress & Film Maker

He has worked with a great many notable Actors and Directors, on a huge range and style of films; these include, in no particular order, GOSFORD PARK, , THE MADNESS OF KING GEORGE, THE CRUCIBLE, THE BODYGUARD, THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO, LIAM, PRACTICAL MAGIC, MISS POTTER, EMPIRE ( TV pilot), EFIE, HISTORY BOYS, THE LADY AND THE VAN, THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER., CRAZY STUPID LOVE, EVER AFTER, SWEET HOME ALABAMA, HITCH, PRECIOUS, LEE DANIELS THE BUTLER, FLORA & ULYSSES, THE UNITED STATES vs. BILLIE HOLIDAY.

He is tremendously hardworking & a perfectionist by nature, known for his speed & whole hearted immersion to each & every project.

A natural visual story teller, bringing unique & evocative imagery to each & every film & project.

Throughout his career he has been mindful of not being pigeon holed, type cast into a certain genre & has therefore worked on a wide variety of Films; using both Film & more recently Digital technology & when ever possible he chooses to operate, to follow the truth of the line of the story.

From sitting on the knee at 18 months old of the celebrated cinematographer Freddie Young BSC, following the dream and developing his role in the film-making process, he has been lucky enough to work with, alongside, and learn from so many talented people, " Never work with your heroes" they say ~ "i did" says Dunn~ citing a truly great film-maker and master of his craft, who became a friend, Robert Altman, " shooting Gosford Park was one of the most fruitful and collaborative associations of my career".

" I think that the best thing that anyone involved in a film making can hope for, one who was there, for its conception, it's gestation & there for its birth - that it has a full and happy life, sharing that life with audiences, changing other lives, bringing joy, laughter, tears and fears".

Andrew, lives with his family within Exmoor National Park, England.

Phedon Papamichael, an award winning Cinematographer, was born in Athens, Greece and moved with his family to Germany, where in 1982 he completed his education in Fine Arts, in Munich. Working as a photojournalist brought Phedon to NYC in 1983, where he started crossing over into cinematography.

His first short film, the 35mm black & white SPUD, earned him the Award for Best Cinematography at the Cork Film Festival in Ireland. Following a call from John Cassavetes, his cousin and later collaborator, Phedon moved to Los Angeles. While continuing to work on short and experimental films, he began his feature career as a Director of Photography for Roger Corman, for whom he photographed seven films within two years.

Phedon now counts over 40 feature films to his credit as Director of Photography, including the early block-busters While You Were Sleeping starring Sandra Bullock and Cool Runnings, as well as Phenomenon, starring John Travolta, all directed by Jon Turteltaub.

His credits include many critically acclaimed films, such as Unstrung Heroes (Un Certain Regard, Cannes 1995), directed by Diane Keaton, and Unhook the Stars, starring Gena Rowlands and directed by Nick Cassavetes.

The Million Dollar Hotel, directed by Wim Wenders, was chosen as the Opening Film of the 2000 Berlin Film Festival and won the Grand Jury Prize, the Silver Bear, as well as the Golden Camera. The European co-production, 27 Missing Kisses, directed by Oscar nominated filmmaker Nana Djordjadze, premiered at Directors Fortnight in Cannes 2000. It garnered the Grand Prix Award at the 2000 New York/Avignon Film Festival, the Audience Award at the 2000 Montpellier Film Festival, as well as the Kodak Vision Award for Best Cinematography. In 2000 both films received a Camerimage nomination, for Best Cinematography.

In 2001 Phedon shot Moonlight Mile (Berlinale, 2003), directed by Brad Silberling, starring Dustin Hoffman, Susan Sarandon and Holly Hunter. It was followed by Identity, directed by James Mangold, and the Oscar-nominated Sideways, directed by Alexander Payne.

His credits continued with The Weatherman, directed by Gore Verbinski, starring Nicolas Cage and Michael Caine and Walk the Line, again directed by Mangold and starring Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon.

Phedon shot the Academy Award nominated western 3:10 to Yuma, directed by James Mangold, starring Russell Crowe and Christian Bale, and the blockbuster Pursuit of Happyness. In 2008 he photographed Oliver Stone's W. and then re-teamed again with James Mangold on Knight and Day, starring Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz, which shot all over the world.

He shot two of the most award-winning films of 2011: Alexander Payne's The Descendants and The Ides of March, directed by George Clooney. This is 40, directed by Judd Apatow was released in 2012 and won Comedy of the Year from the Hollywood Film Festival.

For his gorgeous B&W lensing on the highly acclaimed Nebraska, which received 6 Academy Award nominations and was directed by Alexander Payne, Phedon received an Oscar nomination, a BAFTA nomination and an ASC nomination amongst other honors. His latest film is The Monuments Men, a period film directed by George Clooney, and starring Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Cate Blanchett and Jean Dujardin which was shot in Germany and England.

In addition to his feature work, Phedon has shot and/or directed over 100 commercials for such clients as Nespresso, BMW, Audi, and Nextel.

On the music video side, his work includes The Ground Beneath Her Feet, Eelectrical Storm, directed by Anton Corbijn.

Papamichael's work also includes several forays into television. He received an ASC Award Nomination for Best Cinematography for Oliver Stone's innovative mini-series Wild Palms, as well as his second ASC Award Nomination for Best Cinematography for the Francis Ford Coppola-produced pilot White Dwarf.

Phedon resides in Los Angeles and Athens, Greece and speaks fluent English, German, French and Greek. He holds German, Greek and U.S. citizenship.

Judith Kaufmann was born on 20 September 1962 in Berlin, Germany. She is a cinematographer and writer, known for Two Lives (2012), The Teachers' Lounge (2023) and Inbetween Worlds (2014).

Ellen Kuras was born on 10 July 1959 in New Jersey, USA. She is a cinematographer and director, known for Lee (2023), Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) and The Betrayal (2008).

Janusz Kaminski is a Polish cinematographer and film director. He has established a partnership with Steven Spielberg, working as a cinematographer on his movies since 1993. He won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography for his work on Schindler's List (1993) and Saving Private Ryan (1998).

His other film's as an cinematographer includes Amistad (1997), A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001), Catch Me If You Can (2002), The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007), War Horse (2011), Lincoln (2012), Bridge of Spies (2015), The BFG (2016), and Ready Player One (2018).

Tom Fährmann was born on 24 May 1956 in Duisburg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. He is a cinematographer, known for Ulzhan (2007), Campus (1998) and The Miracle of Bern (2003).

Robert Richardson has won three Academy Awards and earned seven Academy Award nominations for his cinematography. His work on director Oliver Stone's JFK earned him his first Oscar. His second and third came with The Aviator and Hugo directed by Martin Scorsese. These two films also garnered him BAFTA nominations for Best Cinematographer.

Prior to regularly collaborating with well-known directors like Oliver Stone and Quentin Tarantino, Richardson served an apprenticeship shooting second unit on Repo Man while filming television documentaries for PBS and the BBC. His work in television led Stone to hire Richardson to shoot both Salvador and Platoon. From there, he worked almost exclusively with Stone, filming Wall Street, Born on the Fourth of July and The Doors, while occasionally branching out to shoot films like John Sayles' Eight Men Out and City of Hope.

Richardson also shot Stone's Natural Born Killers, Nixon and U-Turn. He then began collaborating with Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino. Scorsese chose him as DP on 1999's Bringing Out the Dead, while Tarantino snapped him up for Kill Bill, Vol. 1 and Kill Bill, Vol. 2.

Richardson continued to make his mark as Tarantino's DP on 2012's Django Unchained and 2015's The Hateful Eight, as well as on Ben Affleck's 2016 film Live By Night. He shot Director Andy Serkis's 2017 Breathe starring Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy; 2018's Adrift for Director Balthasar Kormakur starring Shailene Woodley and Sam Claflin for STX, and 2018's A Private War for Director Matthew Heineman starring Rosamund Pike. Richardson then shot Tarantino's 2020 hit Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, which starred Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt, and 2021's Venom 2 for Sony/Director Andy Serkis.

Recent credits include 2022's Emancipation again with Fuqua for Apple Studios, 2023's Air directed by Ben Affleck for Amazon Studios, and The Equalizer 3 for Director Antoine Fuqua and for Columbia Pictures.