Ranking 10 Best Cinematographers Working Today
4. Janusz Kaminski
A master of low-contrast lighting, Janusz Kaminski's images are striking but never washed out, effectively conveying the film's emotion. A frequent collaborator of Steven Spielberg's, Kaminski has shaped the auteur's visual presentation for the last thirty years and has also worked with directors such as Cameron Crowe and Judd Apatow.
His lighting methods give his films a painterly and/or almost film-noir-esque aesthetic (depending on the narrative). This stylistic choice is used so effectively that it does not detract from the films' more pragmatic narratives. His evocative lighting style is best showcased in his Oscar-winning work on Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan.
In these films, audiences see his representational and stylistic approaches effortlessly blend together to convey grit, intensity, and raw emotion. His later work on films such as Catch Me If You Can and Minority Report showed his incomparable skill at using lighting to convey these films' tones and themes.
In addition to his Oscar wins, he has received three additional nominations from the Academy and multiple more awards and nominations from various awards circuits.