In alphabetical order...

Néstor Almendros (Days of Heaven) The lighting in this film alone warrant an inclusion on this list.

Roger Deakins (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, No Country for Old Men, Fargo, etc.) I also love the lighting in his work, and especially his framing.

Christopher Doyle (Paranoid Park, Lady in the Water, Hero, Psycho [HA!])

Robert Elswit (There Will be Blood, Good Night & Good Luck, Magnolia, Boogie Nights, etc.)

Conrad C. Hall (Road to Perdition, American Beauty, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, In Cold Blood)

Slawomir Idziak (Three Colors: Blue, The Double Life of Veronique)

Janusz Kaminski (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Saving Private Ryan, etc.)

Emmanuel Lubezki (Burn After Reading, The New World, Children of Men)

Sven Nykvist (The Virgin Spring, Winter Light, Through a Glass Darkly, Persona, Fanny & Alexander, Chaplin)

Greg Toland (Citizen Kane, The Grapes of Wrath, Notorious [2nd Unit])

And as a special treat: Albert & David Maysles: Gimme Shelter, The Grey Gardens, The Salesman, etc.)

Last edited by Cinexcellence (January 27, 2009 (10:07am))

You bet. One of my favorite theater experiences.

Yeah, I saw that a few years ago. I'd love to get a copy of it.

Conrad L. Hall - One of the great cinematographers of the modern age.
Personal favorite(s): American Beauty, Road to Perdition, Searching for Bobby Fischer

Roger Deakins - I haven't seen The Assassination of Jesse James yet, but I thought No Country for Old Men was incredibly well-shot. I also really liked the photography of O Brother Where Art Thou? and Fargo, the latter making great use of what otherwise would have been a very aesthetically boring setting.
Personal favorite(s): No Country for Old Men

Vitorrio Storaro - I haven't seen a lot of films with his work, but the cinematography in Apocalypse Now was outstanding enough to earn him a spot on my list. The scene where the boat makes its way to Kurtz's station through the tribe of painted white natives and the ending sequences were gorgeous to look at. I should make a point to check out his other films like Reds or !@#$ Tracy.
Personal favorite(s): Apocalypse Now

Janusz Kaminski - Has worked wonders with Spielburg's films. I absolutely loved his camerawork in Saving Private Ryan, and I believe pioneered the 'high shutter speed effect' so many action sequences use today.
Personal favorite(s): Saving Private Ryan

Wally Pfister - You can go ahead and suck it, Night Owl. Now, unlike you, I actually really liked his work in The Dark Knight, as well as his work in Batman Begins and The Prestige. The Dark Knight in particular made great use of light, color, and environment (I personally loved the cinematography in Batman and The Joker's standoff after the big rig tumbled over).
Personal favorite(s): Batman Begins, The Dark Knight

Honorable Mentions: Robert Elswit, Emmanuel Lubezki

Last edited by MindGame (January 30, 2009 (11:16am))

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