DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY — DETROIT, MICHIGAN
I create the composition as the canvas, then I paint that canvas with light.
DP REEL
When I'm hired as a DP, I am helping the director tell their story. Together with the director and gaffer, we establish the palette and visual language. Then my job is to turn that language into images.
High key. Low key. Hard light. Soft light. A doorway in the frame. An out-of-focus foreground element. A special lens or filter. Haze turning a light into visible beams. Everything inside the frame is another tool.
None of it should be there just because it looks cool. It has to help tell the story.
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY WORK
The story went everywhere — and as the DP, I had to go everywhere with it. We were on a farm with talking goats, slapstick comedy, practical elements and a vampire needing a completely different low-key treatment. The director preferred working spontaneously, so I stayed ready with lighting, composition and every trick available, adapting as the story changed.
These were people talking about addiction, getting clean and what they had been through. The filmmaking couldn't overpower them. Their stories had to be the focus. I went high key so the lighting felt open and allowed us to see their faces and emotions. I also edited the piece, carrying that responsibility into how their stories were presented.
An exterior shoot where the sun became our primary source. We used an overhead system to shade the talent and control natural light. I designed much of the photography around slow, deliberate camera moves. Because I also edited it, I used match cuts and visual connections wherever the footage allowed. Shoot with the edit in mind. Then use what you created.
A woman sees demons in darkness and only feels safe in the light, giving us a clear high-key versus low-key visual language. I chose faux-anamorphic lenses to give the film more style; the director agreed. When the other DP became sick during production, I took responsibility for finishing the photography while maintaining the established approach.
A humor-driven project where schedule and coverage mattered. We used dual Canon 7Ds with spherical lenses to capture more coverage quickly and make our dates. For darker material, I used a Sony A7S II and Canon 5D Mark II to handle the low-light work. When the other DP couldn't make all the dates, finishing the photography became my responsibility.
The director wanted the video shot entirely on an iPhone 17 Pro. We had one location and one day, so I had to pull a lot of rabbits out of my hat. We leaned into color theory and an 80s-inspired aesthetic with intense neon blues, purples and pinks. Performers wore cat heads with talking mouths, and I used extensive gimbal work — including walking backward with performers — to keep the imagery moving. One location. One day. One iPhone. Make it work. Make it interesting.
CINEMATOGRAPHY INQUIRIES