Important Cinematographers of the 21st Century

1. Roger Deakins

Cinematographer | Blade Runner 2049

Roger Deakins is an English cinematographer best known for his work on the films of the Coen brothers, Sam Mendes, and Denis Villeneuve.

He is a member of both the American and British Society of Cinematographers.

Deakins' first feature film in America as cinematographer was Mountains of the Moon (...

2. Emmanuel Lubezki

Cinematographer | Children of Men

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 ...

3. Robert Richardson

Cinematographer | Kill Bill: Vol. 1

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 ...

4. Claudio Miranda

Cinematographer | Life of Pi

Claudio Miranda was born in March 1965 in Valparaíso, Chile. He is a cinematographer and actor, known for Life of Pi (2012), Top Gun: Maverick (2022) and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008). He has been married to Kelli Bean since February 2009.

5. Newton Thomas Sigel

Cinematographer | Cherry

Newton Thomas Sigel was born in August 1955 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. He is a cinematographer and director, known for Cherry (2021), Da 5 Bloods (2020) and Bohemian Rhapsody (2018). He is married to Lisa Chang.

6. Rodrigo Prieto

Cinematographer | Brokeback Mountain

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).

...

7. Jarin Blaschke

Cinematographer | The Lighthouse

Jarin Blaschke was born on September 28, 1978 in Westminster, California, USA. He is a cinematographer and actor, known for The Lighthouse (2019), The Northman (2022) and The VVitch: A New-England Folktale (2015).

8. Alfonso Cuarón

Producer | Gravity

Alfonso Cuarón Orozco was born on November 28th 1961 in Mexico City, Mexico. From an early age, he yearned to be either a film director or an astronaut. However, he did not want to enter the army, so he settled for directing. He didn't receive his first camera until his twelfth birthday, and then ...

9. Robbie Ryan

Cinematographer | Poor Things

Robbie Ryan is an Irish cinematographer. He is best known for his work in Fish Tank (2009), Slow West (2015), American Honey (2016) and The Favourite (2018) for which he was nominated for an Oscar for Best Achievement in Cinematography.

Ryan has already work in more than 90 projects as an ...

10. Lukasz Zal

Cinematographer | Ida

Lukasz Zal is an Academy Award-nominated cinematographer based in Poland. Cold War, directed by Pawel Pawlikowski, landed Lukasz Zal not only the Oscar nomination but also ASC Award, the Silver Frog Award for cinematography at the 2018 Camerimage Festival in Poland, as well as a nomination for ...

11. Andrij Parekh

Cinematographer | Blue Valentine

Of Ukrainian and Indian descent, Andrij studied cinematography at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts (MFA, 2001) and the FAMU film school in Prague. He currently lives and works in New York, shooting features, commercials and music videos. In 2004 he was named one of Filmmaker Magazine's "25 New Faces ...

12. Pawel Pogorzelski

Cinematographer | Hereditary

Pawel Pogorzelski was born on July 30, 1979 in Wloclawek, Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Poland. He is a cinematographer and producer, known for Hereditary (2018), Midsommar (2019) and Nobody (2021).

13. Barry Baz Idoine

Camera_department | Rogue One

Barry Baz Idoine is known for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), The Mandalorian (2019) and There Will Be Blood (2007). He is married to Cynthia Pusheck.

14. Mihai Malaimare Jr.

Cinematographer | The Master

Mihai Malaimare Jr. was born in 1975 in Bucharest, Romania. He is a cinematographer, known for The Master (2012), Jojo Rabbit (2019) and The Harder They Fall (2021).

15. Michael Slovis

Cinematographer | Breaking Bad

Michael Slovis was born in New York City, New York, USA. He is known for Breaking Bad (2008), New Amsterdam (2018) and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000).

16. Tod Campbell

Cinematographer | Stranger Things

Tod Campbell was born on May 30, 1972 in Austin, Texas, USA. Tod is a cinematographer and assistant director, known for Stranger Things (2016), Mr. Robot (2015) and Boyhood (2014).

17. Hong Kyung-pyo

Cinematographer | Gisaengchung

Hong Kyung-pyo is known for Parasite (2019), The Wailing (2016) and Snowpiercer (2013).

18. Hoyte Van Hoytema

Cinematographer | Tenet

Hoyte Van Hoytema was born in Horgen, Switzerland. Van Hoytema is a Dutch-Swedish director of photography known for his work on The Fighter (2010), Her (2013), Interstellar (2014), and Dunkirk (2017). Van Hoytema always wanted to be a filmmaker, therefore he wished to attend a film school in The ...

19. Ben Richardson

Cinematographer | Beasts of the Southern Wild

Ben Richardson is known for Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012), Wind River (2017) and Mare of Easttown (2021).

20. Mike Gioulakis

Cinematographer | It Follows

Mike Gioulakis is known for It Follows (2014), Us (2019) and Old (2021).

21. Paul Thomas Anderson

Director | Punch-Drunk Love

Anderson was born in 1970. He was one of the first of the "video store" generation of film-makers. His father was the first man on his block to own a V.C.R., and from a very early age Anderson had an infinite number of titles available to him. While film-makers like Spielberg cut their teeth making...

22. Adam Arkapaw

Cinematographer | Macbeth

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 ...

23. John Mathieson

Cinematographer | Gladiator

John Mathieson came up through the traditional camera ranks. Before his start as a cinematographer in feature films he shot many music videos, documentaries and TV commercials. He also worked in cutting rooms and has always considered himself as a film maker, interested in all areas of the process,...

24. Benoît Debie

Cinematographer | Enter the Void

Benoît Debie is known for Enter the Void (2009), Climax (2018) and Spring Breakers (2012).

25. John Toll

Cinematographer | The Last Samurai

John Toll is an American cinematographer. His filmography spans a wide variety of genres, including epic period drama, comedy, science fiction, and contemporary drama. He won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography in both 1994 and 1995 for Legends of the Fall and Braveheart respectively.

He has ...

26. Seamus McGarvey

Cinematographer | Nocturnal Animals

SEAMUS McGARVEY (Director of Photography) has collected two Academy Award nominations for his cinematography: on Joe Wright's 2007 WWI drama "Atonement," and his 2012 adaptation of Tolstoy's classic, "Anna Karenina." In addition to the Oscar nominations, McGarvey won the British Society of ...

27. Ellen Kuras

Cinematographer | Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Ellen Kuras was born on July 10, 1959 in New Jersey, USA. She is a cinematographer and director, known for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), The Betrayal (2008) and P.O.V. (1988).

28. Robert D. Yeoman

Cinematographer | The Grand Budapest Hotel

Robert D. Yeoman was born on March 10, 1951 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He is a cinematographer and actor, known for The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), Asteroid City (2023) and Moonrise Kingdom (2012).

29. Dan Laustsen

Cinematographer | The Shape of Water

Dan Laustsen is a Danish cinematographer. He is best known for Crimson Peak (2015), John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017) and The Shape of Water (2017) for which he received an Academy Award nomination.

He studied at the National Film School of Denmark from 1976 to 1979, to pursue a career of cinematography. ...

30. Rob Hardy

Cinematographer | Annihilation

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 ...

31. Mauro Fiore

Cinematographer | Avatar

Mauro Fiore was born on November 15, 1964 in Marzi, Calabria, Italy. He is a cinematographer, known for Avatar (2009), Training Day (2001) and The Island (2005). He has been married to Christine Vollmer since 2000. They have three children.

32. Robert Elswit

Cinematographer | There Will Be Blood

Robert Elswit is an American cinematographer. He is best known for Boogie Nights (1997), Magnolia (1999), Good Night, and Good Luck (2005), There Will Be Blood (2007), Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011), Inherent Vice (2014), and Nightcrawler (2014).

Elswit frequently works with director ...

33. Tao Cai

Cinematographer | Wu ming

Tao Cai is known for Hidden Blade (2023), 12 Citizens (2014) and The Looming Storm (2017).

34. Dariusz Wolski

Cinematographer | The Martian

Dariusz Wolski is a Polish film and music video cinematographer. He is best known for Crimson Tide (1995), Dark City (1998), the Pirates of the Caribbean film series, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007), The Martian (2015) and All the Money in the World (2017).

Many of his ...

35. Eduardo Serra

Cinematographer | Girl with a Pearl Earring

Eduardo Serra was born on October 2, 1943 in Lisbon, Portugal. He is a cinematographer and director, known for Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003), Unbreakable (2000) and Blood Diamond (2006).

36. Sean Bobbitt

Cinematographer | 12 Years a Slave

Sean Bobbitt was born on November 29, 1958 in Corpus Christi, Texas, USA. He is a cinematographer, known for 12 Years a Slave (2013), Hunger (2008) and Shame (2011).

37. Fabian Wagner

Cinematographer | Overlord

Fabian Wagner was born on April 25, 1978 in Munich, Germany. He is a cinematographer and producer, known for Overlord (2018), Game of Thrones (2011) and Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021).

38. Jonathan Freeman

Cinematographer | Game of Thrones

Jonathan Freeman was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He is known for Game of Thrones (2011), 3 Body Problem (2024) and Defending Jacob (2020).

39. Natasha Braier

Cinematographer | The Neon Demon

Cinematographer Natasha Braier was born December 11th, 1974 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where both her parents practiced psychiatry and where she did her first studies including, as a child, dancing.Her family moved to Europe when she was 18, and where she lived in both Spain and England.She ...

40. Bruno Delbonnel

Cinematographer | The Tragedy of Macbeth

Bruno Delbonnel was born in 1957 in Nancy, Meurthe-et-Moselle, France. He is a cinematographer and director, known for The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021), A Very Long Engagement (2004) and Inside Llewyn Davis (2013).

41. Sayombhu Mukdeeprom

Cinematographer | Call Me by Your Name

Sayombhu Mukdeeprom was born in Thailand in 1970. He is a cinematographer who was first recognized for his work on Thai cinema for the movie Sang sattawat, and more recently in the west for his collaboration with director Luca Guadagnino in Call Me By Your Name and the still unreleased Guadagnino ...

42. Masanobu Takayanagi

Cinematographer | Hostiles

Masanobu Takayanagi is known for Hostiles (2017), The Grey (2011) and State of Play (2009).

43. Wally Pfister

Cinematographer | Inception

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 (...

44. Anthony Dod Mantle

Cinematographer | Slumdog Millionaire

Anthony Dod Mantle was born on April 14, 1955 in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, UK. He is a cinematographer, known for Slumdog Millionaire (2008), Antichrist (2009) and The Last King of Scotland (2006).

45. Ruben Impens

Cinematographer | Titane

Ruben Impens was born on March 31, 1971 in Ghent, Belgium. He is a cinematographer, known for Titane (2021), The Broken Circle Breakdown (2012) and Raw (2016).

46. Bill Pope

Cinematographer | The Matrix

Bill Pope was born on June 19, 1952 in Bowling Green, Kentucky, USA. He is a cinematographer and director, known for The Matrix (1999), The Jungle Book (2016) and Spider-Man 2 (2004). He is married to Sharon Oreck. They have one child.

47. Darius Khondji

Cinematographer | Amour

Darius Khondji was born on October 21, 1955 in Tehran, Iran. He is a cinematographer and actor, known for Amour (2012), Se7en (1995) and Delicatessen (1991). He is married to Marianne Khondji. They have three children.

48. Diego García

Cinematographer | Wildlife

Diego García is known for Wildlife (2018), Neon Bull (2015) and Divine Love (2019).

49. Jakob Ihre

Cinematographer | Thelma

Jakob Ihre was born on December 3, 1975 in Sweden. He is a cinematographer, known for Thelma (2017), Oslo, August 31st (2011) and Chernobyl (2019).

50. John Seale

Cinematographer | Mad Max: Fury Road

John Seale was born on October 5, 1942 in Warwick, Queensland, Australia. He is a cinematographer and director, known for Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), The English Patient (1996) and Witness (1985). He has been married to Louise Seale since September 23, 1967. They have two children.

51. Yves Bélanger

Cinematographer | Brooklyn

Yves Bélanger was born on July 7, 1960 in Montréal, Québec, Canada. He is a cinematographer, known for Brooklyn (2015), Dallas Buyers Club (2013) and Wild (2014).

52. Jörg Widmer

Cinematographer | A Hidden Life

Jörg Widmer is known for A Hidden Life (2019), V for Vendetta (2005) and The Tree of Life (2011).

53. Nikolaus Summerer

Cinematographer | Who Am I - Kein System ist sicher

Nikolaus Summerer is known for Who Am I (2014), Dark (2017) and The Siege of Jadotville (2016).

54. Lance Acord

Cinematographer | Lost in Translation

After studying film and photography at the San Francisco Art Institute, Lance moved to New York to assist photographer/filmmaker Bruce Weber. He began his career as a cinematographer shooting music videos and commercials with close friend and collaborator Spike Jonze. Lance quickly became one of ...

55. Slawomir Idziak

Cinematographer | Trois couleurs: Bleu

Slawomir Idziak was born on January 25, 1945 in Katowice, Slaskie, Poland. He is a cinematographer and writer, known for Three Colors: Blue (1993), Black Hawk Down (2001) and Gattaca (1997). He was previously married to Maria Gladkowska.

56. Christopher Blauvelt

Cinematographer | Emma.

Christopher Blauvelt was born on May 29, 1970 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is a cinematographer and producer, known for Emma. (2020), First Cow (2019) and Speed (1994).

57. Ryszard Lenczewski

Cinematographer | Ida

Ryszard Lenczewski was born on June 5, 1948 in Milków, Dolnoslaskie, Poland. He is a cinematographer, known for Ida (2013), My Summer of Love (2004) and Last Resort (2000).

58. Larry Fong

Cinematographer | Damsel

Larry Fong is a cinematographer based in Los Angeles, CA. He graduated from UCLA with a degree in Linguistics, and from Art Center College of Design (Pasadena, CA) with a film degree. After graduation he started shooting music videos, including REM's 'Losing My Religion', winner of MTV's Music ...

59. James Laxton

Cinematographer | The Underground Railroad

James Laxton was born on February 3, 1981 in San Francisco, California, USA. He is a cinematographer, known for The Underground Railroad (2021), If Beale Street Could Talk (2018) and Moonlight (2016). He is married to Bex Crofton-Atkins. He was previously married to Adele Romanski.

60. Andrew Lesnie

Cinematographer | The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Andrew Lesnie was an Australian cinematographer who frequently worked with Peter Jackson. He did the photography for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit film trilogies. He also did the photography for Babe, King Kong, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, I Am Legend and The Lovely Bones. He passed away...

61. Simon Duggan

Cinematographer | The Great Gatsby

Simon Duggan was born in Wellington, New Zealand. He is a cinematographer, known for The Great Gatsby (2013), Hacksaw Ridge (2016) and I, Robot (2004).

62. Linus Sandgren

Cinematographer | Babylon

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 ...

63. Steve Yedlin

Cinematographer | Looper

Steve Yedlin was born on September 29, 1975 in Los Angeles County, California, USA. He is a cinematographer, known for Looper (2012), Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017) and Knives Out (2019).

64. Robert Rodriguez

Producer | El mariachi

Robert Anthony Rodriguez was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, USA, to Rebecca (Villegas), a nurse, and Cecilio G. Rodríguez, a salesman. His family is of Mexican descent.

Of all the people to be amazed by the images of John Carpenter's 1981 sci-fi parable, Escape from New York (1981), none ...

65. Larry Smith

Cinematographer | Only God Forgives

Larry Smith was born in London, England, UK. He is known for Only God Forgives (2013), Trafficker (2015) and The Guard (2011).

66. Bojan Bazelli

Cinematographer | The Lone Ranger

Cinematographer Bojan Bazelli, ASC is a master image maker who leads the way with his visually groundbreaking work. He's currently filming with director David Lowery on Peter Pan. Previously, Bazelli lensed 6 Underground, Netflix's largest budgeted feature to date, helmed by director Michael Bay ...

67. Trent Opaloch

Cinematographer | District 9

Trent Opaloch is a Canadian cinematographer best known for his work with directors Neill Blomkamp and the Russo brothers.

His major works include District 9 (2009), Elysium (2013), Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Chappie (2015), Captain America: Civil War (2016) Avengers: Infinity War (...

68. Matthew Libatique

Cinematographer | Black Swan

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 ...

69. Janusz Kaminski

Cinematographer | War Horse

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 ...

70. Bradford Young

Cinematographer | Arrival

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 ...

71. Caleb Deschanel

Cinematographer | The Passion of the Christ

Caleb Deschanel is an American film cinematographer and film/television director. He has been nominated for six Academy Awards, each time in the field of cinematography. The first nomination came in 1983 for the film The Right Stuff (1983). His second was in 1984 for The Natural (1984), the third ...

72. Rachel Morrison

Cinematographer | Black Panther

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 ...

73. Greig Fraser

Cinematographer | Dune

Greig Fraser was born on October 3, 1975 in Melbourne, Australia. He is a cinematographer and producer, known for Dune (2021), Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) and Zero Dark Thirty (2012). He is married to Jodie Fried. They have three children.

74. Edward Lachman

Cinematographer | Far from Heaven

Edward Lachman was born on March 31, 1948 in Morristown, New Jersey, USA. He is a cinematographer and director, known for Far from Heaven (2002), Carol (2015) and Ken Park (2002).

75. Dick Pope

Cinematographer | The Illusionist

Dick Pope was born in August 1947 in Bromley, Kent, England, UK. He is a cinematographer and actor, known for The Illusionist (2006), Mr. Turner (2014) and Vera Drake (2004).

76. Phedon Papamichael

Cinematographer | Nebraska

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...

77. Jeff Cronenweth

Cinematographer | Gone Girl

Jeff Cronenweth was born on January 14, 1962 in Los Angeles County, California, USA. He is a cinematographer and director, known for Gone Girl (2014), The Social Network (2010) and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011).

78. Philippe Le Sourd

Cinematographer | Yi dai zong shi

Philippe Le Sourd is known for The Grandmaster (2013), The Beguiled (2017) and A Good Year (2006).

79. Guillaume Schiffman

Cinematographer | The Artist

Guillaume Schiffman is known for The Artist (2011), OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies (2006) and Populaire (2012).

80. Claire Mathon

Cinematographer | Portrait de la jeune fille en feu

Claire Mathon was born in 1975. She is a cinematographer and actress, known for Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019), Spencer (2021) and Stranger by the Lake (2013).

81. Yorick Le Saux

Cinematographer | High Life

Yorick Le Saux was born on August 10, 1968 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine, France. He is a cinematographer and producer, known for High Life (2018), Personal Shopper (2016) and Little Women (2019).

82. Andrew Droz Palermo

Cinematographer | The Green Knight

Andrew Droz Palermo is a cinematographer and director. He is best known for A Ghost Story (2017), Rich Hill (2014) and A Teacher (2013).

As a cinematographer, Palermo frequently collaborates with director David Lowery (The Green Knight, A Ghost Story, Strange Angel).

He also served as the ...

83. Christian Berger

Cinematographer | Das weiße Band - Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte

1973 founded own production company TTV Film. Extensive work as a documentary film-maker. 1977 building of experimental video studio. Work with and technical support for various young film-makers working under TTV Film. 1980/81 increasing work in TV plays, screen adaptations with various authors, ...

84. Barry Ackroyd

Cinematographer | The Hurt Locker

Barry Ackroyd was born on May 12, 1954 in Oldham, Lancashire, England, UK. He is a cinematographer and director, known for The Hurt Locker (2008), Captain Phillips (2013) and United 93 (2006).

85. Conrad L. Hall

Cinematographer | Road to Perdition

Born in Tahiti, the son of writer James Norman Hall, author of "Mutiny on the Bounty," Conrad Hall studied filmmaking at USC. He and two classmates formed a production company and sold a project to a local television station. Hall's company branched out into making industrial films and TV ...

86. Peter Pau

Cinematographer | Wo hu cang long

Pau has been one of the top cinematographers in Hong Kong. After his graduation of Filmmaking at San Francisco Art Institute in 1983, he directed his first feature "The Temptation of Dance" and Wu du qing chou (aka Misty) in the 1990s. Pau has been working with the top directors such as John Woo (_...

87. Peter Deming

Cinematographer | Mulholland Dr.

Peter Deming was born in Beirut, Lebanon. He is a cinematographer and actor, known for Mulholland Drive (2001), The Menu (2022) and The Continental (2023).

88. Thimios Bakatakis

Cinematographer | The Lodge

Thimios Bakatakis is known for The Lodge (2019), The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017) and The Lobster (2015).