Chris was born in Wandsworth in 1976 and whilst growing up in south London spent his bus journeys to school reading books about cinema. His obsession with film continued throughout his teenage years and after graduating from the University of Nottingham in 1997, Chris returned to London and attempted to find a way into professional filmmaking. After working as a runner on a couple of low budget feature films, a clapper loader pointed him towards working at a rental house and gaining a thorough knowledge of motion picture cameras.
In August 1998, Chris joined Panavision London in the Shipping Department before being invited to join Jim Budd’s team in the camera and lens maintenance department. During his seven years at Panavision he made many friends and contacts including Jeff Allen, Hugh Whittaker, and Iain Mackay (now an Associate BSC Member), as well as learning the intricacies of the near-infinite selection of cameras and lenses within the company’s inventory.
Chris’s big break came whilst still at Panavision, with the opportunity to shoot the low budget feature film “London to Brighton” on glorious Super 16. The film gained critical reception and led to a second project with the film’s director Paul Andrew Williams, allowing Chris to break away from his day job and embark on life as a cinematographer.
Since then Chris has shot films ranging from Black Sea (Kevin McDonald) to Yesterday (Danny Boyle), and The Swimmers (Sally El Hosaini). His Television credits include a BAFTA-win and two Emmy-nominations including originating the Emmy-winning Shōgun, and The Day of Jackal.
Chris served as President of the British Society of Cinematographers from 2022-2026