Embracing Focus 

My leap from photography to video and cinema photography, are helped by having a suitable disposition. In my career, I’ve always been very keen to try anything and not to be stuck in one particular world. That ambition to do something different can even sometimes happen mid-project for me. If I’ve lit a set for a couple of days, and I’m shooting something particular, within a few days, I want to move on and do something different. I need another blank piece of paper to draw on. I can’t just keep drawing on the same one. That need to constantly create runs deep within me.

It’s why I don't just leap from project to project without ensuring each project is different; it’s not just about my own interest, but also my development as a professional. I don’t think I have a fixed eye, the way I shoot things and I don’t have a set way of doing anything, and I’m always hoping I’m evolving. I’m always being very keen on the look of the video that I’ve shot.

My restlessness doesn’t mean I have a wandering eye, either. Each project receives my full attention, even when they’re as close together. I have to immerse myself in the project I’m in. The team has adapted to this with me. 

Following The Drive

Every video has a different language and a different way it needs to be made. Every business is completely different. You have to be very adaptable because, in the end, you’re there to bring the business owner's vision to the screen.

What helps me survive my career velocity and preserve my mental health is keeping grounded when working. That’s important for me and any cinematographer, especially those with as hectic a schedule as mine. In my case, being grounded means focusing on my family, which includes one very creative daughter. The co-parenting part is what keeps me sane. I don’t do a great deal outside of that. I work and then I’m with my family, and that’s what keeps me grounded!

Telling Stories In The Best Way

I have filmed and photographed thousands of stories. I want it to be about serving the greater purpose, which is to make a video and images that work and that people are going to want to see and get lost in. When I’m shooting, I’m thinking about what shots work, the best way of telling the story, and how are people going to relate to it. It’s really about the emotion in what we are seeing.

I’m not necessarily thinking of a particular audience, person, age group, or genre in any way. “My feeling is it either work and you’re telling the story in the right way, or you’re not.”