Michael McDonough ASC BSC

Michael was born in Paisley, Scotland, in 1967. He studied Fine Art at the Glasgow School of Art and Printmaking at the Royal College of Art in London. Time spent in the eternal city on a Prix De Rome scholarship fostered his love of film and after attending the Graduate Film Program at NYU, he began a career in the US; first as a gaffer and then as a cinematographer.

It was while at NYU that he began working with fellow student, director Debra Granik, a collaboration that has so far spanned 25 years. Their first full feature together, and Michael’s first as Director of Photography, was Down To The Bone in (2004), followed by Winter’s Bone (2010) which garnered 4 Academy Award nominations including Best Picture and an Independent Spirit Award nomination for the cinematography. Leave No Trace (2018) was their most recent adventure.

A chance meeting with Michael Moore lead to shooting the documentary feature Bowling For Columbine. This opened doors to other documentaries and helped craft a realistic style that he is known for. Other notable film credits as cinematographer have included Albert Nobbs (2011) directed by Rodrigo Garcia; Darling Companion (2012) directed by Lawrence Kasdan; Lay The Favourite (2012) directed by Stephen Frears; Starred Up (2013) directed by David Mackenzie; Elsa and Fred (2014) directed by Michael Radford and Sunset Song (2015) directed by Terence Davies.

From 2010 onwards he has also worked in television drama, piloting with Alan Ball and David Milch for HBO, Co-photographing the mini-series I Am The Night as well as multiple seasons of Fear The Walking Dead and Bosch for US network television.  In the UK, he has photographed a season finale of Downton Abbey for ITV and Henry V and Murder for the BBC.

Michael joined the International Cinematographers Guild in 2005, was invited to become a member of the American Society of Cinematographers in 2013 and the British Society of Cinematographers in 2015. In 2016 he joined the Directors Guild of America and in 2019 was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Cinematography Branch.

OTHER CREDITS: The Shore; Higher Ground; Quid Pro Quo; Diggers; Burning Bright; Camp Hell; Bitter Feast; 13; New York, I Love You; The Babysitters

Independent Spirit Award Nomination: Winter’s Bone (2010 d. Debra Granik)

Technical Achievement Nomination, London Evening Standard Awards: Sunset Song (2016 d. Terence Davies)