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Congratulations to the newly accredited CSC member.
Find Out MoreCongratulations to the newly accredited CSC member.
Find Out MoreCongratulations to the newly accredited CSC member.
Find Out MoreThe CSC is committed to improving access to opportunity in the film and television industry as well as professional development in the form of workshops, our internship program and the Field of View Mentorship program.
#ZoeDavidson #AssociateMemberCSC @zdavidson
Like many cinematographers, my passion for film began with photography. In high school, I joined the photography club, where I spent countless hours in the darkroom, watching images come to life as they developed.
What I love most about film photography is how it challenges you to embrace limitations. You only have a limited number of shots, so each frame becomes an intentional choice. That mindset is something I’ve carried into my digital work as well—working within those constraints pushes me to be more thoughtful and ultimately create better images.
One of the self-imposed limitations I love to work with is focal length. While a zoom lens offers convenience, sticking to a single focal length, like a 50mm prime, forces you to think outside the box and challenge yourself, creatively.
I took these photos several years ago while visiting three of my favorite cities—New York, D.C., and Toronto—each shot captured with a challenge in mind: limiting myself to black and white, experimenting with long exposures, or capturing a single frame that tells an entire story.
Every shot was captured with a 50mm prime lens. 📷
#ZoeDavidson #AssociateMemberCSC @zdavidson
“I never lose. I either win or learn.” – Nelson Mandela
As a cinematographer, especially in the early stages of your career, not every project will be a success, make it to a major festival, or land distribution. Sometimes, a film just doesn’t find its way. Other times, external factors—like a global pandemic or budget constraints—can prevent a film from reaching its full potential.
The reality is, as cinematographers, we don’t always control the outcome of a film after the camera stops rolling. There are countless projects we’ve all worked on that looked beautiful on set but ultimately live only on a hard drive or in our reels.
It’s easy to view these moments as failures.
But in reality, every time you’re lucky enough to step onto a film set, you’re presented with an opportunity to learn something new—regardless of the final outcome.
The frames I’ve shared here are from a few of those unseen films.
The experiences I had with these projects were not a waste of time or a failure, in my eyes. With each project came an opportunity for growth, new connections, and a chance to learn.
#ZoeDavidson #AssociateMemberCSC @zdavidson
Once I started making films, I didn’t want to stop. The year I shot my first project, I shot at least six more - each one a little bit better than the last. These stills are from one of those many projects, a short narrative called “Labor Day in Brooklyn”.
While I was in film school at Howard University, I dove into every opportunity to get behind the camera. Whether I was the DP or not, I was always on set—AC, Gaffer, PA, whichever role needed filling. I said yes to everything, and with each experience, I learned something new.
Being an AC taught me the art and challenge of focus pulling. Working as a Gaffer showed me how transformative good lighting can be—even on a shoestring budget. And hustling as a PA gave me a firsthand look at the lengths producers go to in order to perfect every detail.
But none of these lessons would’ve come if I didn’t embrace the opportunity to say yes. Those “yeses” opened doors and allowed me to push my creative boundaries, shaping me into the filmmaker I am today.
#ZoeDavidson #AssociateMemberCSC @zdavidson
My filmmaking journey began at Oberlin College, a small liberal arts school in the Midwest. As someone who’d always been passionate about photography, my camera at the time, a Canon T2i DSLR, was never far from my side. Up until that point, though, I had only shot stills.
All that changed during my junior year of college. That year, I signed up for a multimedia arts class that would completely shift the course of my education. The class required me to think outside of the box, to create projects that pushed the boundaries, and to tell stories that made an impact. It was in that class that I finally mustered up the courage to turn the dial on my T2i from photo to video—and I’m forever grateful that I did.
That camera became the tool I used to create my first film and final project for the course: To the Brown Girl in the Room—a poetic narrative about a young Black woman navigating her place in a world that often feels at odds with her identity.
What followed was beyond anything I could have imagined. This project not only got me into film school at Howard University, but also earned recognition at film festivals across the country, winning half a dozen awards along the way. It was the beginning of my filmmaking journey and, more importantly, my first shot at cinematography.
More than any other project, this film taught me an invaluable lesson: it’s not the equipment that makes the movie—it’s how you use it to tell the story. 🎥✨
#ZoeDavidson #AssociateMemberCSC @zdavidson
Hey CSC Community! I’m Zoë Davidson, an associate member of the CSC and your guest host here for the next two weeks. I’m thrilled to be able to share my story with you!
Currently, I’m a freelance cinematographer based in the Washington, DC area, but I was born and raised in Markham, Ontario.
Ever since I can remember, I’ve had a passion for the arts. I studied theatre at Oberlin College, and then went on to attend film school at Howard University. In film school, I took an immediate liking to cinematography. I shot one film, and then another, and well…the rest is history, I was hooked!
Over the next two weeks I’ll share my story and the path I took to become a cinematographer. I’ll discuss my experience as a Jamaican-Canadian filmmaker, and hopefully, encourage others to pursue this dream career.
The CSC is thrilled to welcome a new full member: Gabriel Levesque CSC.
Photo credit: David McDonald (@dirxdavemac)