Roger Deakins, whos shot all of their movies since Barton Fink.

But thats not the end of his

case.Deakins also shot Scorseses Kundun, bathing the story of the Dalai Lama in deep, radiant hues
of yellowand red, and Sam Mendess Jarhead, where he managed to do for sand what Fargo did for
snow.05. Janusz KaminskiKaminski won his first Academy Award for his haunting work on Schindlers
List, a daunting exercise inmatching frenzied action with devastating stillness. Spielberg has smartly
stuck with him ever since(thoughfun factex-wife and fellow member of Oscars Class of 93 Holly
Hunter didnt). Kaminskiscrowning achievement as a cinematographer may be one in the same with
Spielbergs masterpiece: A.I.,hands-down the most visually sumptuous sci-fi film ever made. The
harrowing demolition sequence isproof of Kaminskis technically fluent, first-rate craftsmanship. The
iconic underwater shot of Haley JoelOsments David and the blue fairy statue solidifies his reputation
as a visionary artist in his own right.04. Dion BeebeSpeaking of fruitful director/DP partnerships,
Michael Mann and Dion Beebe aretwo films inthe duodu jour in American cinema. Collateral,
with its luminous fluorescent glow and striking DV urgency,captures L.A. as indelibly (and perhaps
definitively) as Gordon Willis did New York in Woody AllensManhattan. Miami Vice is the
hypnotically stylish apotheosis of Manns designer oeuvre, and he wouldnever have achieved it
without Beebes singular lens. Who knows? There might be actual substance inthere somewhere,
but that sure as heck aint the reason it gets my vote as the best Hollywood movie sofar this year.03.
Mark Li Ping-bingWhether credited as Mark Li Ping-bing, Mark Lee Ping-bin, Mark Ping-bin Lee, Mark
Lee, or Pingbin Li,this is definitely a guy you want shooting your movie. Hou Hsiao-hsien swears by
him, and for goodreason. The trio of vignettes in Three Times might have played as mere backcatalogue rehashes withoutPing-bings camera guiding Hous signature concerns in fascinating new
directions. Where the turn-of-the-century brothel in 1998s Flowers of Shanghai is adorned in bold
shades of orange, yellow, and gold,the Time for Freedom chapter of Three Times (again set in a
turn-of-the-century brothel) is defined bycompositions in blue, green, and violet, beautifully
underscoring the painful longing of Hous characters.Aside from Hou, Ping-bing has also lent his
painterly touch to Tran An Hungs The Vertical Ray of the Runand Tian Zhuangzhuangs Springtime in
a Small Town.02. Agnes Godard

The first thing everyone notices about Claire Denis films is that tactile sensuality, surfaces that shine
inthe sun (the toned soldiers of Beau Travail) or seem to gradually deepen in color before your eyes
(theseemingly mundane hotel room in Friday Night). Ladies and gentleman: Agnes Godard, the DP
who canmake anyone or anything look like a Vermeer painting. Her meticulous, penetrating visual
style couldntbe more perfectly suited to Deniss strangely shaped, deliberately paced narratives.
Trouble Every Daywould be just another Euro-art-horror flick without the weight of melancholy that
Godards cameracarries. As is, it feels, at times, like a portrait of two suffering saintswho just
happen to thinkcannibalisms pretty sexy.01. Christopher DoyleTo be perfectly honest with you, my
choice for #1 here wasnt terribly difficult. It was basically just amatter of deduction. Who, over the
past decade-plus, has made the most consistently gorgeous-lookingmovies? Wong Kar-wai, right?
No question. Well, as mentioned above, Wong and Doyle are inseparableto the point that its
reasonable to wonder where one ends and the other begins. And no, as virtues go,breathtaking, eyepopping beauty isnt everything, but it goes an awfully long way. Think backmomentarily, and
consider all the indelible moments that Wong and Doyle have brought us: the would-be lovers riding
off on the motorbike at the close of Fallen Angels, Doyles camera peering skywardbefore the credits
roll; the rhythmic series of impossibly graceful shots following Tony Leung and MaggieCheung

through their solo motions in In the Mood for Love (shot with Ping-bing); Faye Wongs
androiddrifting disaffectedly through Mr. Chows pulp fantasy in 2046; the three minutes and fortytwo secondsof romantic ecstasy that is their music video for DJ Shadows Six Days.Hey, if thats not
enough for you, Doyle has also shot non-Wong films as diverse as Pen-ekRatanaruangs Last Life in
the Universe, Zhang Yimous Hero, and Phillip Noyces Rabbit-Proof Fence.Dumplings, Hong Kong
director Fruit Chans contribution to the pan-Asian triptych ThreeExtremes,would be a scathing
polemic on its own. With Doyle manning the camera, its a striking, self-reflexiveparadoxa visually
seductive critique of our image-obsessed (global) culture.
EVER BEST TEN CINEMATOGRAPHERS
1) Sven Nykvist2) Vittorio Storaro3) Roger Deakins4) Nestor Almendros

5) Vilmos Zsigmond6) Gordon Willis7) Ed Lachman8) Carlo Di Palma9) Janusz Kaminski10) John Toll