cinematographer

American  

[sin-uh-muh-tog-ruh-fer] / ˌsɪn ə məˈtɒg rə fər /

especially British, cinematographist

noun

cinematographers plural

1. a person whose profession is video photography, especially for feature-length movies.

2. director of photography.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• cinematographers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of cinematographer

First recorded in 1895–1900; cinematograph + -er ¹

Explanation

The cinematographer on a movie set is the person with the camera. The cinematographer's job can include planning shots, lighting, and operating a camera. A cinematographer is also called the "director of photography," or the DP. On a large-budget film there may be several cameras being used at once — the cinematographer is the person who directs the camera operators, as well as overseeing the lighting on the set. The word comes from cinematograph, which is now obsolete and permanently shortened to cinema, from the French cínématographe, "motion picture projector and camera."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cinematographer cinematographers

Still, I appreciated how cinematographer Kevin Atkinson alludes to the dusty Kansas prairie with a shot of a beige strip mall.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

The cinematic, seven-minute music video for both tracks is directed by Jessica Lee Gagné, who was a lead cinematographer on the psychological thriller series Severance.

From BBC ● Jun. 2, 2026

Gabbard got married in a Hindu ceremony to her Hawaii-based cinematographer husband.

From Barron's ● May 22, 2026

Her sections are shot, by cinematographer Gergely Pálos, in rich black-and-white, a clear contrast to the cool, colored digital aesthetic of the sequences with Mr. Leung.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026

A writer, like a cinematographer, manipulates the viewer’s perspective on an ongoing story, with the verbal equivalent of camera angles and quick cuts. the marital, the medical, and sometimes both at once.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

In photographing the interviewees, cinematographers Frederick Elmes and Joe Kelly favor odd angles and dramatic lighting uncharacteristic of traditional talking-head documentaries.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 7, 2026

“It’s nice to have an understanding of what each other does because it’s a hard job and making films isn’t easy,” said Durald Arkapaw of having two cinematographers under one roof.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 22, 2026

"The greatest directors and cinematographers are passing on their know-how," Kael said, citing "Rise of the Raven", a Hungarian co-produced historical TV series released this year.

From Barron's ● Nov. 30, 2025

The panel interviewed several dozen men and women, including artists, producers, directors, scriptwriters, cinematographers, hairstylists, makeup artists and costume designers, and “gathered evidence including video and audio clips and WhatsApp messages”.

From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2024

“It’s even bigger than the one I showed you last time. It contains just about every movie ever released. Actors, directors, cinematographers, sound tracks, musical scores, the lot.”

From "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak