Realized I Wanted To Be A Cinematographer Film School (2024)

Not when I learned what an f-stop was. But when I saw what an f-stop could feel like.

Film school didn’t teach me how to be a cinematographer. It taught me how to notice the way light changes on someone’s face five minutes before sunset—and how selfish it would be to keep that noticing to myself. realized i wanted to be a cinematographer film school

Here’s a short, reflective draft about that moment of realization—both in life and in film school. The Frame That Held Still Not when I learned what an f-stop was

Her face wasn’t perfectly lit. The shadow side wasn’t “correct.” But the falloff on her cheek felt like three in the morning. Like a secret. Like she was telling the camera something she hadn’t told anyone else. something broke open.

Through the viewfinder, something broke open.