My Favourite Cameramen

1. Emmanuel Lubezki

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 ...

2. Fritz Arno Wagner

Cinematographer | M - Eine Stadt sucht einen Mörder

Regarded as one of the foremost exponents of cinematic expressionism in the 1920's, Fritz Arno Wagner was trained at the Ecole de Beaux Arts in Paris and began in the film industry working for Pathé Freres in 1910. Within just two years, he was promoted to head Pathé's offices in Vienna, and, ...

3. Russell Metty

Cinematographer | Spartacus

Cinematographer Russell Metty, a superb craftsman who worked with such top directors as John Huston, Stanley Kubrick, Steven Spielberg and Orson Welles, was born in Los Angeles on September 20, 1906. Entering the movie industry as a lab assistant, he apprenticed as an assistant cameraman and ...

4. Christopher Doyle

Cinematographer | Paranoid Park

Christopher Doyle was born on May 2, 1952 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. He is a cinematographer and actor, known for Paranoid Park (2007), Hero (2002) and 2046 (2004).

5. Robert Krasker

Cinematographer | The Third Man

A somewhat underrated figure in cinematographic history, Australian-born Robert Krasker handled some of the most memorable films made in Britain after the Second World War. In his youth he attended art classes in Paris and studied photography at the Photohaendler Schule in Dresden. He briefly ...

6. Gianni Di Venanzo

Cinematographer | 8½

Gianni Di Venanzo was born on December 18, 1920 in Teramo, Abruzzo, Italy. He was a cinematographer, known for 8½ (1963), The Girlfriends (1955) and Juliet of the Spirits (1965). He died on February 3, 1966 in Rome, Lazio, Italy.

7. Vittorio Storaro

Cinematographer | Apocalypse Now

Vittorio Storaro, the award-winning cinematographer who won Oscars for "Apocalypse Now (1979)", "Reds (1981)" and "The Last Emperor (1987)". He was born on June 24, 1940 in Rome, where his father was a projectionist at the Lux Film Studio. At the age of 11, he began studying photography at a ...

8. Sven Nykvist

Cinematographer | The Unbearable Lightness of Being

Sven Nykvist was considered by many in the industry to be one of the world's greatest cinematographers. During his long career that spanned almost half a century, Nyvist perfected the art of cinematography to its most simple attributes, and he helped give the films he had worked on the simplest and...

9. 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 (...

10. Freddie Young

Cinematographer | Lawrence of Arabia

Freddie Young was a British cinematographer. He is best known for his work on David Lean's films Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Doctor Zhivago (1965) and Ryan's Daughter (1970), all three of which won him Academy Awards for Best Cinematography.

Young was an cinematographer on 130 films, including ...

11. Tatsuo Suzuki

Cinematographer | Saraba hakobune

Tatsuo Suzuki was born in 1935. He is a cinematographer and actor, known for Farewell to the Ark (1984), Sharaku (1995) and Supai Zoruge (2003).

12. Léonce-Henri Burel

Cinematographer | Journal d'un curé de campagne

Léonce-Henri Burel was born on November 23, 1892 in Indre, Loire-Atlantique, France. He was a cinematographer and director, known for Diary of a Country Priest (1951), A Man Escaped (1956) and Mother (1925). He died on March 21, 1977 in Mougins, Alpes-Maritimes, France.

13. Jan Curík

Cinematographer | Valerie a týden divu

Jan Curík was born on November 1, 1924 in Prague, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic]. He was a cinematographer and writer, known for Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (1970), Bloudení (1966) and Courage for Every Day (1964). He died on December 4, 1996 in Prague, Czech Republic.

14. Asakazu Nakai

Cinematographer | Ran

Asakazu Nakai was born on August 29, 1901 in Kobe, Japan. He was a cinematographer, known for Ran (1985), Stray Dog (1949) and Seven Samurai (1954). He died on February 28, 1988.

15. Robert Burks

Cinematographer | Vertigo

The favorite cinematographer of legendary director Alfred Hitchcock began working at Warner Bros. when he was 19 years old. He climbed his way up from camera operator to assistant camera man and eventually took over the Special Photographic Effects unit at Warners on Stage 5 in 1944. He became an ...

16. Jack Cardiff

Cinematographer | Black Narcissus

Almost universally considered one of the greatest cinematographers of all time, Jack Cardiff was also a notable director. He described his childhood as very happy and his parents as quite loving. They performed in music hall as comedians, so he grew up with the fun that came with their theatrical ...

17. Yoshio Miyajima

Cinematographer | Seppuku

Yoshio Miyajima was born on February 3, 1910 in Nagono, Japan. He was a cinematographer, known for Harakiri (1962), Kwaidan (1964) and Kanikôsen (1953). He died on February 21, 1998.

18. Takao Saitô

Cinematographer | Ran

Takao Saitô was born on March 5, 1929 in Kyoto, Japan. He was a cinematographer and actor, known for Ran (1985), Dreams (1990) and Kagemusha: The Shadow Warrior (1980). He died on December 6, 2014 in Zama, Kanagawa, Japan.

19. Harris Savides

Cinematographer | Elephant

Harris Savides was born on September 28, 1957 in New York City, New York, USA. He was a cinematographer and actor, known for Elephant (2003), Zodiac (2007) and Birth (2004). He was married to Medine Chenet. He died on October 9, 2012 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.

20. Ron Fricke

Cinematographer | Samsara

Ron Fricke is known for Samsara (2011), Baraka (1992) and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005).

21. Subrata Mitra

Cinematographer | Pather Panchali

From 1997 until his death, Subrata Mitra taught cinematography at the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) at Kolkata, India. Subrata Mitra won the National Award for his work in Ramesh Sharma's New Delhi Times in 1985, and the Eastman Kodak Lifetime Achievement for Excellence in ...

22. Alfio Contini

Cinematographer | Al di là delle nuvole

Alfio Contini was born on September 19, 1927 in Castiglioncello, Livorno, Tuscany, Italy. He was a cinematographer, known for Beyond the Clouds (1995), Uno scandalo perbene (1984) and The Easy Life (1962). He died on March 23, 2020 in Rome, Lazio, Italy.

23. Motokichi Hasegawa

Cinematographer | Messengers

Motokichi Hasegawa is known for Messengers (1999), Kanojo ga mizugi ni kigaetara (1989) and The Affair (1967).

24. Sergey Urusevskiy

Cinematographer | Kavalier zolotoy zvezdy

Sergei Urusevsky is an Soviet cinematographer best known for his work on the films of the Mikhail Kalatozov.

He started as a painter and photographer studying under the great graphic artist Vladimir Favorsky at the Institute of Fine Art in Moscow. Bringing a pictorial tradition to cinema, Urusevsky ...

25. Michael Ballhaus

Cinematographer | Goodfellas

Michael Ballhaus was a German cinematographer. He worked on many American films, including Baby It's You (1983), Old Enough (1984), After Hours (1985), The Color of Money (1986), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), Goodfellas (1990), Dracula (1992), The Age of Innocence (1993), Gangs of New York ...

26. Gregg Toland

Cinematographer | Citizen Kane

Born in Illinois in 1904, the only child of Jennie and Frank Toland, Gregg and his mother moved to California several years after his parents divorced in 1910. Through Jennie's work as a housekeeper for several people in the movie business, Gregg may had gotten a $12-a-week job at age 15 as an ...

27. 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).

28. Günther Krampf

Cinematographer | Orlacs Hände

Günther Krampf was born on February 8, 1899 in Vienna, Austria-Hungary [now Austria]. He was a cinematographer, known for The Hands of Orlac (1924), Rome Express (1932) and Pandora's Box (1929). He died on August 4, 1950 in London, England, UK.

29. Masaki Tamura

Cinematographer | Saraba itoshiki daichi

Masaki Tamura was born in 1939 in Hirosaki, Aomori, Japan. He was a cinematographer and director, known for Farewell to the Land (1982), Suzaku (1997) and Himatsuri (1985). He died on May 23, 2018 in Tokyo, Japan.

30. John F. Seitz

Cinematographer | Double Indemnity

Distinguished veteran cinematographer John F. Seitz had eighteen patents for various photographic processes to his name. These included illuminating devices, processes for making dissolves and the matte shot, which he perfected during filming of Rex Ingram's Trifling Women (1922). Seitz started ...

31. Thomas Mauch

Cinematographer | Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes

Thomas Mauch was born on April 4, 1937 in Heidenheim/Brenz, Germany. He is a cinematographer and producer, known for Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972), Fitzcarraldo (1982) and The Kingdom of Naples (1978).

32. Raoul Coutard

Director | Hoa-Binh

Raoul Coutard was born on September 16, 1924 in Paris, France. He was a cinematographer and director, known for Hoa Binh (1970), Alphaville (1965) and Z (1969). He died on November 8, 2016 in Labenne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France.

33. William Lubtchansky

Cinematographer | Les amants réguliers

William Lubtchansky was born on October 26, 1937 in Vincennes, Val-de-Marne, France. He was a cinematographer and director, known for Regular Lovers (2005), Safari diamants (1966) and La tête du client (1965). He was married to Nicole Lubtchansky. He died on May 4, 2010 in Paris, France.

34. Sacha Vierny

Cinematographer | The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover

Sacha Vierny was born on August 10, 1919 in Bois-le-Roi, Seine-et-Marne, France. He was a cinematographer and assistant director, known for The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989), The Pillow Book (1995) and Belle de Jour (1967). He died on May 15, 2001 in Vannes, Morbihan, France.

35. 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).

36. Ping Bin Lee

Cinematographer | Fa yeung nin wah

Ping Bin Lee was born in 1954 in Taiwan. He is a cinematographer and actor, known for In the Mood for Love (2000), The Assassin (2015) and Crosscurrent (2016).

37. Andreas Sinanos

Cinematographer | Dilsiz

Andreas Sinanos was born in 1948. He is a cinematographer and actor, known for Dilsiz (2019), Olga Robards (1989) and Kerr (2021).

38. John Alcott

Cinematographer | Barry Lyndon

John Alcott, the Oscar-winning cinematographer best known for his collaboration with director Stanley Kubrick, was born in 1931, in Isleworth, England, the son of movie executive Arthur Alcott, who would become the production controller at Gainsborough Studios during the 1940s.

Alcott began his film...

39. Geoffrey Unsworth

Cinematographer | Cabaret

Goeffrey Unsworth was one of the great cinematographers of the 20th Century, the winner of two Oscars, five BAFTA awards, and three awards from the British Society of Cinematographers for his work as a director of photography. Born in 1914 in Lancashire, England, Unsworth started in the industry in...

40. Benoît Debie

Cinematographer | Enter the Void

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

41. Gökhan Tiryaki

Cinematographer | Bir Zamanlar Anadolu'da

Gökhan Tiryaki was born in Istanbul, Turkey, 1972. He worked for national TV station (TRT) and joined the production of several TV films and documentaries as a cameraman between 1991 and 1996. Since 1996, he has been working as a cinematographer.

Bir Zamanlar Anadolu'da (Once Upon a Time in Anatolia...

42. Eduard Tisse

Cinematographer | Ivan Groznyy

Eduard Tisse was born on April 13, 1897 in Libava, Grobina uyezd, Courland Governorate, Russian Empire [now Liepaja, Latvia]. He was a cinematographer and director, known for Ivan the Terrible, Part I (1944), Battleship Potemkin (1925) and The Immortal Garrison (1956). He died on November 18, 1961 ...

43. 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 ...

44. 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 ...

45. 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 ...

46. Bedrich Batka

Cinematographer | Znamení raka

Bedrich Batka was born on August 21, 1922 in Prague, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic]. He was a cinematographer and writer, known for Sign of the Cancer (1967), Ctyri v kruhu (1968) and 105 % alibi (1959). He died on June 6, 1994 in Floral Park, New York, USA.

47. Thierry Arbogast

Cinematographer | Le Cinquième Élément

Thierry Arbogast was born in 1957 in France. He is a cinematographer, known for The Fifth Element (1997), Léon: The Professional (1994) and La Femme Nikita (1990).

48. Ghislain Cloquet

Cinematographer | Tess

Ghislain Cloquet was born on April 18, 1924 in Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium. He was a cinematographer and actor, known for Tess (1979), Love and Death (1975) and The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967). He was married to Sonia Salvy-Matossian and Sophie Becker. He died on November 2, 1981 in Montainville,...

49. Kôhei Sugiyama

Cinematographer | Kan no maî

Kôhei Sugiyama was born on June 23, 1899 in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan. He was a cinematographer and director, known for Kan no maî (1925), A Page of Madness (1926) and Tsukigata Hanpeita: Hana no maki; Arashi no maki (1956). He died on February 21, 1960.

50. 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).

...

51. Kazuo Miyagawa

Cinematographer | Yôjinbô

Kazuo Miyagawa was born on February 25, 1908 in Kyoto, Japan. He was a cinematographer, known for Yojimbo (1961), Rashomon (1950) and Brother (1960). He was married to Kazuko ?. He died on August 7, 1999 in Tokyo, Japan.

52. Edward Klosinski

Writer | Trois couleurs: Rouge

Edward Klosinski was born on January 2, 1943 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland. He was a cinematographer and writer, known for Three Colors: Red (1994), Three Colors: White (1994) and Europa (1991). He was married to Krystyna Janda. He died on January 5, 2008 in Milanówek, Mazowieckie, Poland.

53. Rudolph Maté

Cinematographer | Gilda

One of the most respected cinematographers in the industry, Polish-born Rudolph Mate entered the film business after his graduation from the University of Budapest. He worked in Hungary as an assistant cameraman for Alexander Korda and later worked throughout Europe with noted cameraman Karl Freund...

54. Yûharu Atsuta

Cinematographer | Sanma no aji

Yûharu Atsuta was born on January 1, 1905 in Kobe, Japan. He was a cinematographer, known for An Autumn Afternoon (1962), Late Autumn (1960) and Early Summer (1951). He died on December 7, 1992 in Japan.

55. Néstor Almendros

Cinematographer | Days of Heaven

One of the highest appraised contemporary cinematographers. He was born in Spain but moved to Cuba by age 18 to join his exiled anti-Franco father. In Havana, he founded a cineclub and wrote film reviews. Then, he went on to study in Rome at the Centro Sperimentale. He directed six shorts in Cuba ...

56. Vadim Yusov

Cinematographer | Solyaris

Vadim Yusov was born on April 20, 1929 in Klavdino, Leningrad Oblast, Russian SFSR, USSR [now Russia]. He was a cinematographer and writer, known for Solaris (1972), The Black Monk (1988) and Pasport (1990). He was married to Inna Zelentsova. He died on August 23, 2013 in Moscow, Russia.

57. Changwei Gu

Cinematographer | Zui ai

Changwei Gu was born on December 12, 1957 in Xi'an, Shaanxi, China. He is a cinematographer and director, known for Til Death Do Us Part (2011), Farewell My Concubine (1993) and Kong que (2005). He has been married to Wenli Jiang since 1993. They have one child.

58. Siu-Keung Cheng

Cinematographer | Yip Man 4

Siu-Keung Cheng was born on July 21, 1952 in Hong Kong. He is a cinematographer and director, known for Ip Man 4: The Finale (2019), Limbo (2021) and Detective vs. Sleuths (2022).

59. Gábor Medvigy

Cinematographer | Dolina

Gábor Medvigy was born on May 18, 1957 in Budapest, Hungary. He was a cinematographer and actor, known for Dolina (2007), Kísértések (2002) and Az alkimista és a szüz (1999). He died on August 27, 2023.

60. Henning Bendtsen

Cinematographer | Europa

Henning Bendtsen was born on March 6, 1925 in Copenhagen, Denmark. He was a cinematographer and director, known for Europa (1991), Boy of Two Worlds (1959) and Escape from Terror (1955). He was married to Inger Bendtsen. He died on February 8, 2011 in Denmark.

61. 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, ...

62. Gilbert Taylor

Cinematographer | Star Wars

Gilbert Taylor was born on April 21, 1914 in Bushey Heath, Hertfordshire, England, UK. He was a cinematographer and director, known for Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977), Flash Gordon (1980) and The Omen (1976). He was married to Dee Vaughan and Eileen Donnelly. He died on August 23, 2013 ...

63. Pun-Leung Kwan

Cinematographer | 2046

Pun-Leung Kwan is known for 2046 (2004), Let the Wind Carry Me (2009) and The Grandmaster (2013).

64. Guillermo Navarro

Cinematographer | El laberinto del fauno

Guillermo Navarro was born in 1955 in Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico. He is a cinematographer and director, known for Pan's Labyrinth (2006), Cronos (1992) and I Am Number Four (2011).

65. Lav Diaz

Writer | Ang babaeng humayo

Lav Diaz was born on December 30, 1958 in Datu Paglas, Maguindanao, Mindanao, Philippines. He is a writer and director, known for The Woman Who Left (2016), Season of the Devil (2018) and From What Is Before (2014).

66. Roger Pratt

Cinematographer | 12 Monkeys

Roger Pratt was born on February 27, 1947 in Leicester, Leicestershire, England, UK. He is a cinematographer and actor, known for 12 Monkeys (1995), Chocolat (2000) and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994).

67. Colin Watkinson

Cinematographer | The Handmaid's Tale

Colin Watkinson is known for The Handmaid's Tale (2017), The Fall (2006) and Immortals (2011).

68. Oleg Mutu

Cinematographer | 4 luni, 3 saptamâni si 2 zile

Oleg Mutu was born on July 22, 1972 in Kishinyov, Moldavian SSR, USSR [now Chisinau, Moldova]. He is a cinematographer and producer, known for 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (2007), Miracle (2021) and In Bloom (2013).

69. Konstantin Kuznetsov

Cinematographer | Jurgais pari

Konstantin Kuznetsov was born on October 23, 1899. He was a cinematographer, known for Jurgais pari (1944), By the Law (1926) and Abrek Zaur (1926). He died on January 11, 1982.

70. Katsumi Yanagijima

Cinematographer | Zatôichi

Yanagishima has worked with Takeshi Kitano in his films, including A Scene at the Sea, Sonatine, Zatoichi, Kids Return, Kikujiro, Dolls, Zatoichi, Outrage series, He won the Japan Academy Prize for best cinematography for Go! in 2002 and for Zatoichi in 2004. Shutter, Battle Royale and The Grudge 2...

71. Haskell Wexler

Cinematographer | Medium Cool

Two-time Academy Award-winning cinematographer Haskell Wexler was adjudged one of the ten most influential cinematographers in movie history, according to an International Cinematographers Guild survey of its membership. He won his Oscars in both black & white and color, for Who's Afraid of ...

72. Gordon Willis

Cinematographer | Zelig

Gordon Willis was an American cinematographer. He's best known for his work on Francis Ford Coppola's Godfather films, as well asWoody Allen's Annie Hall (1977) and Manhattan (1979).

His work on the first two Godfather films turned out to be groundbreaking in its use of low-light photography and ...

73. 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).

74. 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).

75. Albert Duverger

Cinematographer | L'âge d'or

Albert Duverger is known for L'Age d'Or (1930), Siren of the Tropics (1927) and La rue sans nom (1934).

76. Nicolas Roeg

Director | Don't Look Now

When he made his directorial debut in 1970, Nicolas Roeg was already a 23-year veteran of the British film industry, starting out in 1947 as an editing apprentice and working his way up to cinematographer twelve years later. He first came to attention as part of the second unit on David Lean's ...

77. Luca Bigazzi

Cinematographer | La grande bellezza

Luca Bigazzi was born on December 9, 1958 in Milan, Lombardy, Italy. He is a cinematographer, known for The Great Beauty (2013), This Must Be the Place (2011) and Youth (2015).

78. Yong Hou

Director | Mo li hua kai

Yong Hou was born on September 26, 1960 in Xi'an, Shaanxi, China. He is a cinematographer and director, known for Jasmine Women (2004), Wang dao (2023) and Hero (2002).

79. Luciano Tovoli

Cinematographer | Professione: reporter

Luciano Tovoli was born on October 30, 1936 in Massa Marittima, Grosseto, Italy. He is a cinematographer, known for The Passenger (1975), The General of the Dead Army (1983) and Tenebrae (1982).

80. Floyd Crosby

Cinematographer | High Noon

Floyd Delafield Crosby was born in 1899 to Fredrick Van Schoonhoven Crosby (1860-1920) and Julia Floyd Delafield (1874-1952). Floyd had one sibling, Katherine Van Rensselaer (Gregory). Floyd married Aliph Van Cortland Whitehead in 1940 and they had two children, Floyd Delafield Crosby (Ethan) in ...

81. Jean Bachelet

Cinematographer | La règle du jeu

Jean Bachelet was born on October 8, 1894 in Dole, Jura, France. He was a cinematographer and actor, known for The Rules of the Game (1939), La réponse du destin (1926) and Nana (1926). He died on February 26, 1977 in Cannes, Alpes-Maritimes, France.