1872–1944 · United States · Cinematographer
Billy Bitzer
Silent-era pioneer of lighting, close-ups, iris shots and matte photography.
The Birth of a Nation, 1915Source: Wikipedia
CINEMATOGRAPHER · 1899–1976 · UNITED STATES
James Wong Howe
Low-key lighting, deep shadow and wide-angle lenses.
- Born
- 1899
- Died
- 1976
- Country
- United States
- Field
- Cinematographer
KNOWN FOR
- 1957Sweet Smell of Success
- 1955The Rose Tattoo
- 1963Hud
- 1966Seconds
WHY THEY MATTER
Won two Academy Awards, for The Rose Tattoo and Hud, from ten nominations.
THE LIFE
Howe was born in Guangdong and moved to the United States at five, growing up in Washington. He boxed as a teenager and began in film as an assistant to Cecil B. DeMille. A master of shadow, he pioneered wide-angle lenses and low-key lighting and was among the first to use deep focus. Over more than 130 films he earned ten Academy Award nominations, winning for The Rose Tattoo and Hud.
Also born in 1850–1899
1886–1981 · United States · Cinematographer
Karl Struss
Soft-focus pictorial photography carried into film, and early 3-D.
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans, 1927Source: Wikipedia
1890–1969 · Germany · Cinematographer
Karl Freund
The 'unchained camera' of German Expressionism, later studio Hollywood polish.
The Last Laugh, 1924Source: Wikipedia
1893–1977 · Germany · Cinematographer
Eugen Schufftan
Mirror tricks turned into poetic, smoky realism.
The Hustler, 1961Source: Wikipedia
1898–1978 · United States · Cinematographer
Lee Garmes
Sculpted studio lighting across silent and sound eras.
Shanghai Express, 1932Source: Wikipedia