Top 10 Cinematographers

At a young age, Wong Howe avidly tinkered with cameras and photography techniques. This tinkering eventually led him to make technical innovations in cinema that earned him a spot in film history. Contributing to over a 130 films, Wong Howe became a much sought after cinematographer for his ability to shoot beautiful images, and the way he manipulated light and shadow to create images that were revolutionary at the time. He took home two Academy Awards for his work in “The Rose Tattoo” and “Hud,” but the mesmerizing “Seconds” is arguably his crowning achievement.

A frequent collaborator of director Darren Aronofsky, Matthew Libatique got his start shooting surreal and often trippy films about drug users or crazy math problems. Since then, his career has extended to more action oriented films like the first two “Iron Man” pictures, and he’s made professional relationships with iconic directors like Joel Schumacher and Spike Lee. Libatique has a knack for shooting close-up scenes that tend to isolate the main character and bring about a sense of urgency and import. Even when a film’s story is a mess, at least you can always expect some striking imagery with Libatique behind the camera.

In the early days of cinema, crazy camera tricks and special effects were a thing of science fiction and you had to use the tools available. Rosher was an artist who used light and shadow to capture beautiful images, and his mastery made him a vital part of the movie industry. Through 1927’s “Sunrise,” Rosher distinguished himself as an indispensable cinematographer with his use of long tracking shots and forced perspective. It’s hard to think of a more stunning film from the silent era and that’s largely thanks to this visionary.

If you’re wondering why Steven Spielberg’s movies always look so great, search no further. From “Schindler’s List” to “Lincoln,” Janusz Kamiński has shot a lot of the big Hollywood blockbusters that have become classics. His career began with the ill fated “Cool as Ice,” but has since moved up a few notches with such films as “Saving Private Ryan” and “Catch Me If You Can,” using his very specific framing style and always-moving camerawork across various genres. His talent especially stands out in a movie like “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly,” where the cinematography is a core storytelling element.

Robert Richardson has made an indelible mark on cinema, working with such titans as Oliver Stone, Martin Scorsese, and Quentin Tarantino. He knows many ways to portray violence on screen, from the gritty realism of “Platoon” to the all-out cartoon mayhem of “Kill Bill.” However, he also helped construct one of the most engaging 3D experiences ever in “Hugo.” Recently, Richardson was nominated for an Academy Award for his work on “Django Unchained” and decided to follow that up by working with Tarantino again on his next western flick, “The Hateful Eight.”

Known to some of his friends as “The Prince of Darkness,” Gordon Willis is perhaps most highly regarded for his work on “The Godfather” series, in which he seamlessly blends a dark color palette with brighter elements to convey a sense of starkness to the story. Willis was known for getting shots just before twilight to capture a golden radiance for flashback scenes. He was also a frequent collaborator of director Woody Allen on films like “Annie Hall” and “Manhattan.” Nobody shoots New York quite like Willis.

Originally from Australia, this eccentric cinematographer made a big splash in Chinese cinema. Known for his use of vivid colors and lively visuals, Doyle has made an extensive and prominent career shooting artistic and often impressionistic cinema, collaborating frequently with director Wong Kar-wai. Known in North America for his work on films like the 2002 martial arts epic “Hero,” Doyle blends daring action sequences with overwhelming natural beauty. It’s unfortunate that his most mainstream western film is M. Night Shyamalan’s disjointed “Lady in the Water,” but at least that movie looked beautiful with Doyle acting as cinematographer.

Directors often partner with the same cinematographers to maintain a similar look for their films. Robert Elswit has worked with Paul Thomas Anderson on many occasions and always delivers distinctive visuals that are as impressive as they are haunting. Winning an Academy Award for his work on Anderson’s “There Will Be Blood,” Elswit was honored in large part due to a technically complex scene involving an oil well fire, a sequence he turned into art. Elswit isn’t limited to extended close-ups or beautiful long shots, though, as he’s worked on the “Mission: Impossible” franchise and even a Bond film. His range as a cinematographer clearly knows no end.

With his remarkable control of natural lighting and things like long takes, this cinematographer took home Academy Awards two years in a row. At the 2015 ceremony, the Oscar he was awarded was for the surreal “Birdman,” in which he tricks the audience into believing they’re watching a 119-minute long uncut shot. The year before that, Lubezki won for “Gravity,” a movie directed by his frequent collaborator Alfonso Cuarón in which he provides a beautiful yet terrifying firsthand look at the vastness of space. Even with those accolades, though, the sequence he’ll likely go down in history for is the continuous interrupted car ambush from “Children of Men.”

Before we zoom in on our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:
- Wally Pfister
1961 -
- Hoyte van Hoytema
1971 -
- Kazuo Miyagawa
1908 - 1999
- John Toll
1952 -
- Darius Khondji
1955 -

Whether you like the tranquil scenery of a Coen Brothers movie or the all-out action-packed spectacle of a movie like “Skyfall,” Roger Deakins was there, camera in hand. Deakins began his career in filmmaking as a documentary cameraman and eventually found his way to bigger American productions. He has since made his mark as a cinematographer unlike any other, having brought some of the most gorgeous scenes in recent memory to our movie screens. He can shoot anything from action to dialogue and make it seem beautiful with his ability to manipulate light in a scene. An Academy Award nominee of over 10 times, what does a guy gotta do to finally bring home Oscar gold?

Do you agree with our list? Who’s your favorite cinematographer? For more visually stunning Top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.