I remember, as a kid, finding a Super 8 camera listed in the newspaper and convincing my parents to let me buy it. On the way to pick it up, it was pouring rain. I’ll never forget the sight of a little girl standing alone in the downpour on a crumbling sidewalk, with a leaning stop sign behind her. That image burned itself into my memory — and I think it was moments like that that made me want to become a filmmaker and cinematographer.
Life took its own path, and I began my journey as a photographer instead. But the idea was the same — capturing stories, just in still frames rather than moving ones.
What about you? What’s the memory or moment that pulled you into the world of cinematography?
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Three things set me on my path. The first was seeing "Sid & Nancy" in the theaters in 1986. I was 16 years old and I remember thinking it was one of the most beautiful films I'd ever seen. I started gobbling up (pre-internet) information on the DP Roger Deakins, to explore how he made such pretty pictures.
The next year I saw Kathryn Bigelow's "Near Dark" and was fascinated by how cinematographer Adam Greenberg turned light into a character in the film. As a teenager I still didn't know I could make a living doing what these guys were doing but was enthralled nonetheless.
The third thing is when in 1993 I worked on my first feature "The Shawshank Redemption" with Roger Deakins as DP, and got to watch the master at work. I walked off that set knowing it is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.