People often tell me my work looks "cinematic." I've always found that word interesting because I don't think it's really describing the image. I think it's describing a feeling. When someone says an image is cinematic, I wonder if what they really mean is, "I don't know why, but something about this moved me." Maybe "cinematic" is simply a safer word than vulnerable.

I'm happy to report that I was accepted to the American Film Institute Conservatory (AFI) for the 2026 fall semester! It's a two year MFA program where I'll continue honing my craft as a cinematographer. Part of my preparation in my move to LA is applying for scholarships for the program. Here is one essay I wrote for a recent scholarship application. I've included some photos I submitted as well.  

“At our best and most fortunate we make pictures because of what stands in front of the camera, to honor what is greater and more interesting than we are… Our subject thus redefines us, and is part of the biography by which we want to be known.” — Robert Adams

As I look back on this year in film production, I’m reminded how lucky I am to do this for a living. And yet, if you’re reading this and work in production, you might be thinking, “Lucky? Really?” Things haven’t been the same since the pandemic. We’ve lived through the rise of AI, shrinking budgets, fewer projects, a writers’ strike, an actors’ strike, IATSE contract negotiations, a fire in LA, and now—because 2025 wasn’t dramatic enough—Netflix is reportedly moving to purchase Warner Bros. Discovery, slowly consolidating the studio system down to four major players.

Most people do their end-of-year posts in December, but I’m more of an end-of-February guy myself. I was lucky to hop on a project at the beginning of the year which delayed my time to work on writing this post. What I like about working in the film industry is that no two days are alike and having worked for more than a decade I’m noticing that no two years are alike as well. Some years feel like a lot more travel and other years feel like more local studio gigs. In other years I’ve worked a lot in fashion or food & spirits. It’s always interesting how the momentum of one thing can lead to more of the same thing. I think it has something to do with Newton’s first law of motion, but anyway I’m not here to write a Physics paper, because that would hurt all of us. I classify this year as “iconic.” In film, It’s common to work with all kinds of famous talent, but it’s rarer to work with people so prolific they reach iconic status. I had the opportunity to work with Hall of Famer golfer, Jack Nicklaus, Celebrity chef, Emeril Lagasse, and tour with one of the founding fathers of hip-hop, GrandMaster Flash.

At the end of every year, I go back and look through all my photos to remind myself what I did that year. Generally, I feel like I’m not doing enough in my career. My old solution to feeling inadequate was to scroll through Instagram for a couple of hours comparing myself to colleagues. I don’t recommend this approach for better mental health. However, looking through photos from the year help me to have a perspective adjustment. I’m surrounded by incredibly talented filmmakers. We each have our own path to follow and it’s what gives us each a unique perspective in storytelling. Even as I write this it’s a reminder to myself more than it’s advice to others.

One of my first interviews is with a gifted cinematographer, Eric Branco. I worked with him as an AC on a short film back in 2013 called A Long Walk, directed by Chinonye Chukwu. I had no idea what I was doing. Eric is a supreme professional with a teaching attitude. He hired me a couple of times since then and we’ve always stayed in touch. He’s supportive and encouraging of other filmmakers’ careers. He was recently included in Variety’s top 10 cinematographers to watch and American Cinematographer’s “Rising Stars in Cinematography 2020.” Clemency (A film he also shot for Chukwu) won top prize at Sundance in 2019. I couldn’t be prouder of his success. I had the chance to sit down with him for a beer at Walkers bar in Manhattan on a warm summer evening in 2018(I also followed up recently to ask some follow up questions). He was kind enough to let me shoot on his Leica M6. I shot with Ilford Delta 3200 B&W film stock. Branco also helped me out with his light meter. This Bronx native is a self-starter and doesn’t suffer fools.