Egor Povolotskiy's fascination with cinematography began at the tender age of four when he first began shooting with his parents' old Handycam back home in Moscow, Russia. Although he was always intrigued by the power of film, Povolotskiy's astute intelligence matched by his wild imagination originally led him to embark on a career in computer science and artificial intelligence.

He admits, "I thought that I was going to create robots and terminators, you know, what people think about when they think of AI. But it turned out to be very boring and in Russia AI is still very weak."

Povolotskiy concluded whilst in college that computer science was not at all what he had imagined; and to the benefit of the wide range of films he has since led to success with his exceptional abilities as a cinematographer, he claimed his rightful place behind the lens. Povolotskiy might not be building terminators anytime soon, but his career has led him to shoot photos of Hollywood legend Arnold Schwarzenegger, the man audiences around the world recognize as thee terminator.

A spectacular photographer by anyone's standards, an irreplaceable asset in his line of work as photography is the foundation of cinematography, Povolotskiy's immense talent and experience have been the defining characteristics of a countless and growing number of hugely successful films.

Sabre Dance, one of Povolotskiy’s most recent productions, tells the story of famed Soviet-Armenian Aram Khachaturian, whose works in Russia and abroad earned him a place as one of the 20th century’s most revered composers. Sabre Dance begins after Khachaturian performs a concert in Spain, which is received with great fanfare. He is invited to meet Salvador Dali, which, as one might imagine, proves to be quite an unusual experience.

Povolotskiy recalls, "This project was special for me because we had two absolutely different characters and as the cinematographer I had to tell the story from the emotional POVs of both Aram and Salvador in order to express the main idea of the film."

After its release, the film's tour of the American circuit won Sabre Dance and Povolotskiy the Grand Prize at the 2015 USA Film Festival, an Honorable Mention at the 2015 Rochester Film Festival, and other nominations for awards at both the USA Film Festival and the San Louis Obispo Film Festival.

Povolotskiy’s work on We Are Enemies is another prime example of his storytelling vision and ability to express difficult and philosophical ideals through the art of his camera work. It tells the story of two World War 2 soldiers on opposing sides in the war. One of the soldiers is tasked with executing the other, and the audience sits in high tensions as he grapples with having to take the life of another man.

The film, which examines the concept of universal humanity regardless of nationality during war, earned the respect and acclaim of festival judges nationwide. It was nominated for awards at the Phoenix Film Festival, the Santa Fe Film Festival, the Arizona International Film Festival and The Big Easy Film Festival. It also won multiple prizes at the prestigious Rochester International Film Festival.

Because of his expertise in computer science, which includes a master’s degree in artificial intelligence, Povolotskiy was specifically chosen to work with director Atryom Miroshin on the film Terminal State. Primarily filmed against a green screen, Povolotskiy’s artistic cinematic display of a girl who survives the apocalypse is gripping, and shows how his incredible talent can truly stand out even when his shots are rendered in the thoroughly modernist medium.

A standout cinematographer in a field where only the very best creative minds meet success, Povolotskiy has made a niche for himself as a visionary who can truly adapt to the needs of any director or writer. It is not simply his ability to materialize the conceptual, however, which separates him from his peers, but his ability to turn those concepts into original and distinctly unique productions. His incredible visionary eye turns stories into gripping cinematic experiences, a need which Hollywood is perpetually seeking to fulfill.

As an audience, when we sit down to watch a film we generally do not consider shot by shot the immense work that has gone in to creating the moving story unfolding before us, after all, it’s not the technical setup that pulls us in, it is the story.

For cinematographer Kristin Fieldhouse, maintaining the integrity of the story is the cornerstone of her creative process when it comes to taking a project from its written form to the visual end product.

Kristin Fieldhouse explains, “A cinematographer is the ultimate gatekeeper of the image. They are there to make choices in how a story is told visually and to help convey the artistic information through their use of camera and lighting choices.”

Kristin is comparatively modest when it comes to talking about the powerful role she plays in the creation of a film or television series, a feature of her character that not only makes her a rarity in the entertainment industry, but something that has made her a highly sought after cinematographer as well. When a cinematographer’s ego and creative vision are not inline with the vision of the director and the overall story the resulting product is more often than not, incoherent; and while the project might be visually appealing, the substance of the work usually ends there. This has and will never be the kind of work we see from Kristin Fieldhouse as her passion for the story and her commitment to the collaboration process are most important.

Although individual praise is in no way a part of Kirstin’s motivation to work on a project, the caliber of her work has made it virtually impossible for her to go unrecognized. Her work as the cinematographer on the recent film Young Americans garnered her the Best Cinematography Award at the Milledgeville Film Festival and the John Kelly Award for Excellence in Cinematography at the Fresno Film Festival earlier this year. Written and directed by Kevin Lacy (The Man Who Found DB Cooper, I Love Sick, Numerica, They Put a Man on the Earth), Young Americans follows a broke young woman who is on the verge of aging out of foster care, and so, in an effort to gain financial stability she plans a bank robbery with the help of an admirer and former classmate. So far the film has received 11 awards including the American Film Institute’s Richard P. Rogers Spirit of Excellence Award, the IFS Award at the Independent Filmmakers Showcase IFS Film Festival, the Audience Awards at the Ashland Independent Film Festival and the Rhode Island International Film Festival, the Audience Choice Award at the Sedona International Film Festival, and others.

“As part of my commitment to the team I was able to secure the Technicolor Film Grant (only given once a year to a worthwhile project), which gave us a large donation of film stock,” explains Kristin. “My role with the film took place over a year long period whereby I was fully involved with script development, location scouting, logistical planning, camera testing, film stock testing, shot list development, storyboards, booking crew and securing gear. The film came together very well because of a strong team.”

A testament to Kristin Fieldhouse’s impeccable creative talent as a cinematographer, Young Americans was recently bought by mass media leader Condé Naste and will be shown to audiences across the world through several video on demand outlets including Netflix and Hulu.

Over the years Kristin has worked with entertainment industry icons like Johathan Demme, Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, William Hurt, Colin Farrell, Jennifer Lawrence, Kate Beckinsale, Jessica Beil, William Shatner and many more. She has also been a key contributor to the camera departments of the hit television shows Warehouse 13, Unrivaled, Latest Buzz, Alphas, Mob Stories II, Flashpoint, Happy Town, Abra Ca Debra, Nikita and Covert Affairs.

With unwavering dedication to her craft Kristin Fieldhouse is the kind of cinematographer whose contributions ensure the success of every project she touches, and we are excited to see what’s next for her.

Some of her other celebrity photographs include subjects such as Australian singer-songwriter Vance Joy, Canadian folk singer Basia Bulat, actresses Diane Keaton, Jodi Balfour, Carlyn Burchell, Ali Liebert, and actor Woody Harrelson.

In addition to photographing international celebrities, McIntyre is also known for her work as a unit stills photographer where she uses her skills to capture images for the publicity of films, television shows and documentaries.

“I’ve worked on a number of television shows including Curious and Unusual Deaths, Inventions That Shook The World, Rescue Mediums, Totally Amp’d and Million Dollar Critic as well as films such as Everyday is Like Sunday and Diamond Tongues (currently in post-production),” said McIntyre.

The images captured by Emma McIntyre and other unit stills photographers in the industry are a vital factor in the success of a film or television project as their shots are often the first ones potential viewers encounter. While this area of work undoubtedly requires a skilled photographer with immense creativity, the additional demands that accompany working on set causes many photographers to either shy away or be incapable of handling the role. In spite of their pursuit of the perfect shot, unit stills photographers must work around several different departments in order to ensure they aren’t interfering with the production, a feat McIntyre continually accomplishes with ease and grace.

“It can be a fun collaboration with the producers/ directors when conceptualizing what will work for publicity images,” explained McIntyre. “I like the TV and film world because it always takes you to places you wouldn’t expect and especially in the more documentary type of television you have an opportunity to encounter interesting experts and perspectives.”

French cinematographer Johanna Coelho is not only a phenomenal director of photography who has a background working with an array of different genres, but she is capable of shooting on any format, a feature that sets her apart from the masses.

"Film and digital have the same purpose: create images for telling a story. There’s a lot of discussion going on about what is best between shooting on film or digital. For me in a sense, it's like having a discussion about which lense to use. It's a decision that concerns one’s choice, taste and style,” explained Coelho.

With the global technological advancements we have experienced over the last two decades, the most noticeable shift when it comes to the film industry can be found in the format in which films are shot. For instance, feature films that were once shot on 35-millimeter filmstrips are now predominantly shot on digital, the reason being that digital technology is cheaper to reproduce, and easily transferrable.

The question of whether to shoot on digital or 35mm will always come down to the aim of the director and what the film’s director of photography (DP) feels is the most viable option for producing the director’s vision. However, for the DP to even consider taking one of these two routes they must first be capable of shooting on both formats, a skill Johanna Coelho can accomplish in her sleep. 

“I think it's amazing to want and know how to shoot both, because today we still have a choice, ” said Coelho. “I pick one over another depending on the project, story, shooting conditions, and visual style. There is a sharpness to digital that is really appreciated nowadays, and film will always give you this beautiful grainy image that gives a really cinematic aspect to your film. They do not look the same, and that's the great thing about it.”

Coelho’s talent as a cinematographer and her ability to choose whether to shoot on film or digital depending on what will be the most compelling for the overall project, has allowed her to be far more creative than most in the craft. 

The film Broken Leaves, which was directed by award-winning director Sasa Numic, follows two teenage best friends, Lana and Annie, as they go on a picnic with three boys in the woods. The film focuses on Lana’s jealousy over the attention Annie is receiving from the boys, a feeling that quickly turns to anger and leads her to do something that she immediately regrets.

Coelho worked her magic as the director of photography for the film, which was shot solely in the woods using 35mm film. Coelho’s use of the perfect filter and film, in addition to the way she captured the sunlight breaking through the trees creates a hazy, almost dreamlike feeling, one that visually supports the film’s storyline of Lana’s rash actions being grounded somewhere outside of reality. 

"Broken Leaves is a story that is supposed to feel like it was shot in the 70's, so I felt shooting on film was appropriate in order to give a realistic and beautiful grain to the images,” explained Coelho.

“Also, there is a really nice warm look created with the filter I used in the camera throughout the whole film. This particular color created with the filter worked because of the type of film I chose to use, Kodak Vision 3 5213, 200T. So it wasn’t only about the grain, but also about the choice of emulsion. Colors on film can be truly amazing if you know how to use them.”

As the director of photography for the film The Black Room, which was also shot on 35mm film and follows a convicted woman who dances away the reality of her jail sentence by imagining she is a cabaret dancer, Johanna Coelho shows her finesse and versatility with the camera. Because The Black Room was based on the incredible camera tricks invented by French illusionists and cinema genius Georges Méliès, Ms. Coelho chose to shoot on film in order to remain authentic to Méliès’ discoveries.

Creating a mesmerizing sequence of imagery using double and triple exposures on film, Coelho draws audiences in with the way she captures the character’s movements to a place where they too forget that the woman they are watching is in jail.

Concerning the use of double and triple exposure, Coelho admits, “We can do that with digital now, but it's not as challenging or as fun! Making all of your effects happen in the camera is an incredible experience that shows you the real power of shooting on film.”  

While the up and coming generations will most likely switch to shooting solely digital, there are elements of 35mm that continue to be widely cherished throughout the film industry today, and Johanna Coelho’s films serve as a testament to the importance of cinematographers having the capacity to work with both.

“Film is the very first format of cinema, and I think there is something really special about that,” said Coelho.

The driving force behind a successful print campaign depends on the images’ unique ability to command the attention of viewers. As an audience we are often bombarded by advertisement after advertisement making the vast majority of images easily ignorable in our everyday life. Because of this, photographers must exhaust all avenues in order to make sure their creative vision shines through in the mainstream, a task that Los Angeles-based photographer Adina Doria tackles with ease.

Whether the work is fashion related, focused on branding or aimed at hyping the release of a new music video, Doria’s ability to find chemistry with the models in which she is working with is what keeps companies coming back season after season.

A perfect example of some of this photographer’s extraordinary work can be found in a collection of images she shot for innovative clothing company Bohemian Society. Doria beautifully captured models Mikhail Misha Shpilev & Aaron Mann, who are represented by Envy Model Management in Los Angeles, in a way that is not only visually striking, but serves as a wonderful exemplification of the brand’s raw and edgy vibe.

“This specific shoot with Bohemian Society was for the Los Angeles Times. Since the name of this collection by Victor Wilde was "Nothing" my inspiration for the shoot was to create an open concept of two models chasing reflections,” said photographer Adina Doria. “They both have their own characters and are trapped in this timeless feel. Mirrors are very powerful. They reflect what we want to see.”

Renowned for her work across multiple subject matters, Doria has fulfilled many professional capacities in her job as a photographer. As the set photographer on the music video for comedian Jesse Wellen’s “Cookie Dance,” Doria was responsible for capturing the kind of imagery that would make viewers stop what they’re doing and rush to watch the video.

Referred to by the Huffington Post as ‘Easily The Best Rap Video About Cookies You'll Ever See,’ when audiences browse the Internet for the Prank vs. Prank star’s video “Cookie Dance,” most, if not all, of the stills were captured by Ms. Doria. The video, which has been a huge success worldwide, currently has over Six Million views on Youtube and, like Doria, shows no signs of stopping.