Rachel Morrison

Rachel Morrison’s kind of a big deal in the world of cinematography—even if you don’t immediately recognize her name, you’ve probably caught something she’s shot. She’s the creative mind behind the camera in films like Fruitvale Station, Cake, Dope, Mudbound, and, yeah, the massive Marvel hit Black Panther. She didn’t just pop up out of nowhere, though. Rachel started her grind in TV, hustling on all sorts of shows and made-for-TV flicks before anyone really knew her work. Her breakout as a feature film cinematographer came with Palo Alto back in 2007. That was her first shot at running the show, visually speaking, on a full-length indie film. From there, it’s like her career just kept leveling up—each project a little bigger, a little bolder. Mudbound was a real game-changer. Not only did she bring the muddy, emotional story to life with these stunning, deeply textured visuals, but she also made history. With her Oscar nomination for Best Cinematography, she became the first woman ever to break into that category. Wild that it took until 2018 for that to happen, right? Honestly, Morrison’s got this knack for making every frame count, whether she’s capturing gritty realism or big superhero action. It’s not just about lighting or fancy lenses for her; there’s always some kind of emotional punch in her work. No surprise she keeps landing high-profile gigs and carving out space for women behind the camera. She’s not just shooting movies—she’s kind of changing the game.