I was first introduced to photography at around six years old when my mum bought me a little second-hand stills camera as a reward for being a good boy. We didn’t have much money, but she still found a way to pay for one roll of film processing every month. I photographed everything I could think of, my cat, myself in the mirror and often unsuspecting neighbours.
A few years later I did a little bit of acting after seeing my brother on television. When I was around thirteen, I landed my first television commercial. It was the first time I had seen a proper motion picture camera in action and I was completely fascinated by it, an Arri BL with a 1000’ mag and a Century 18-100mm zoom on the front. Totally awesome!
I remember asking a man standing next to the camera how I could get into the industry. He was probably the dolly grip or key grip. His answer was simply, “A lot of hard work, mate.”
That was enough. From that day on I knew I wanted to be a cinematographer.
At high school I studied photography, then left school at sixteen and started working for free wherever I could gain experience. I spent countless days at Panavision learning how to load magazines, meeting crew and absorbing anything I could about cameras and film equipment.
At seventeen I landed my first job as a video split operator on a Kit Kat commercial in Wellington. A year later I joined the main unit on The Lord of the Rings trilogy as a 2nd AC and remained there until I was twenty-one.
Around two years after that I moved to Sydney to attend the Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS), where I earned a Masters degree in Cinematography. Over the next twelve years I shot music videos and commercials throughout Australia and South East Asia.
In 2013 I met the British music video director Vaughan Arnell while shooting a music video for One Direction while they were touring Australia. Vaughan then took me around the world shooting videos for artists including George Michael, The Script and James Blunt. That experience ultimately led me to move to London.
From there I continued shooting commercials, particularly automotive work, before gradually moving into long-form drama and feature films. One of the major turning points was shooting second unit on Fast & Furious 9 for main unit DP Steve Windon, which helped open the door to the film and television projects that followed.
I’ve been using Angénieux zooms for most of my career and they’ve always been some of the lenses that I enjoy shooting with the most.
What I love about zooms is that I don’t really see them as variable primes. For me, the zoom itself becomes part of the shot. A zoom can reveal information, bring us closer to a character or simply add energy to a scene.
My relationship with Angénieux goes back a long way. My first purchase was a rehoused 1960’s 12-120mm S16 zoom and throughout my career I’ve spent countless days behind the legendary 24-290mm, one of the defining cinema zooms of my career and a lens I developed a huge affection for. More recently I’ve invested in an Optimo Ultra 12x with Full Frame, S35 and U35 backs, alongside an EZ-2, a 19.5-94mm and both the 1.4x and 2x extenders. Although they’re very different lenses from different generations, they all share something I enjoy: flexibility without sacrificing character.
Before moving into film and television, I spent many years shooting automotive work. During that period the Angénieux 19.5-94mm became one of my favourite lenses. The focal range was perfect for the way we worked, the flare characteristics were beautiful and it was light enough to live comfortably on remote heads while filming vehicles at high speed through mountainous roads.
I came onto P.O.N.I.E.S. through cinematographer Ed Wild. Ed had been the lead cinematographer on The Gentlemen S1 and I photographed the final four episodes. After working together on that show, Ed kindly suggested me to Susanna Fogel when she was looking for a cinematographer.
I immediately connected with Susanna’s vision for the series. Her writing felt fun, quirky and full of personality, while still carrying genuine emotional weight. That combination really appealed to me. Alongside the espionage elements and the visual language inspired by 1970s cinema, it felt like a fantastic opportunity.
P.O.N.I.E.S. was a natural fit for Angénieux zooms because it’s a spy story. Spy films and television have a long history with zooms and we embraced that language throughout the show.
I’ve always enjoyed combining an in-camera zoom with another camera move, whether that’s a dolly, crane, arm car or even handheld. I used that approach extensively during my automotive work and still find myself using it today. The combination can create a really nice feeling of flow and movement.
My favourite use of a zoom in P.O.N.I.E.S. is a shot of Haley Lu Richardson lying on a couch smoking a cigarette while contemplating the loss of her husband to the KGB. It’s a simple overhead shot with a slow zoom and crane down, but sometimes a small zoom can bring a huge amount of character to a moment.
P.O.N.I.E.S. was shot on the Sony VENICE using the full sensor in a 3:2 aspect ratio. The Optimo Ultra 12x Full Frame and Optimo EZ-2 became invaluable tools. The 19.5-94mm was another lens we relied on heavily throughout the production, particularly for intimate character moments and car-to-car work. We either added the 1.4x extender to fully cover the full-frame sensor or stepped down to 5.8K. Both looked great.
During prep I showed Susanna some lens tests with the Optimo Ultra 12x. What immediately impressed her was not only the focal range but also the close-focus capability. During one test we were able to move from a mid-shot all the way into an extreme close-up of an actor’s eye in a single smooth zoom. It instantly demonstrated the storytelling possibilities of the lens and opened up conversations about how we might use it throughout the series.
Perhaps the most ambitious zoom move we used in P.O.N.I.E.S. involved a scene at the CIA Memorial Wall in Langley. We laid track for a 21-foot techno crane and combined the move with a full-length zoom out.
The shot begins in an extreme close-up of the stars embedded into the memorial wall commemorating fallen CIA agents before gradually revealing Dane and CIA Director George Bush discussing how to get out of the situation they found themselves in. By the end of the shot we had moved all the way out to a wide two-shot.
What I enjoy most about shots like that is the teamwork involved in pulling them off. A move combining a crane, dolly and zoom requires everyone to be working together. The operator, crane operator, dolly grip and myself on the zoom control are all contributing to the shot. When everybody hits their marks and the timing comes together, there’s a real sense of satisfaction that can be difficult to achieve any other way.
The Hungarian crew were a huge part of what made P.O.N.I.E.S. special. They work incredibly hard, are deeply professional and are completely committed to creating great work. There is a genuine pride in what they do and that attitude was felt throughout the production.
My A-camera operator, Marton Balázs, became a particularly important creative collaborator. We spent a great deal of time developing the visual language of the show together and exploring how we could use camera movement and zooms to support the storytelling.
The 3:2 large-format frame of P.O.N.I.E.S. was also a joy to work with. The additional height gave us beautiful compositional opportunities and allowed us to make full use of the architecture, locations and performances.
As an owner-operator, purchasing the Optimo Ultra 12x was both a creative and practical decision. Creatively, it gives me access to one of the most versatile cinema zooms available. Practically, it remains highly desirable to other productions when I’m not using it myself.
I feel a real sense of pride owning the Optimo Ultra 12x. It’s my baby. As owner-operators we spend years hiring lenses like this, so there is something incredibly satisfying about eventually owning one yourself. In some ways it feels a bit like buying your first car. You’ve worked hard to get there and every time you use it, it still makes you smile.
Part of the appeal of the Ultra 12x was that it felt like a lens that would still be relevant ten or even twenty years from now. Cameras continue to evolve and sensor formats continue to grow. The flexibility of the Ultra system gives me confidence that it will remain useful for many years to come.
What I appreciate most about the Ultra 12x is that it feels like the natural evolution of the 24-290mm. It retains everything I loved about the older lens while being easier to own and maintain in a modern production environment.
Looking back, what strikes me most is that Angénieux zooms have been a constant throughout my career. From a rehoused 12-120mm, through years working with the 24-290mm, to eventually owning an Optimo Ultra 12x system, they have consistently reminded me that zooms are not simply practical tools.
They are storytelling tools.
