Derek Suter BSC is a British cinematographer whose career spans film, television and commercial production. Born on 4 June 1944 in Hammersmith, London, he began his career working in the camera and electrical departments before moving into cinematography and directing photography.
His early film work included technical and camera-department roles on productions such as Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1969), Don't Look Now (1973), Tommy (1975), The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976), The Eagle Has Landed (1976) and Nicolas Roeg's The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976). On The Man Who Fell to Earth, Suter worked as an electrician alongside the camera and lighting crew.
He continued to work in feature films through the late 1970s and 1980s, with credits including Yanks (1979), Quadrophenia (1979), Flash Gordon (1980), Reds (1981), Superman III (1983) and The Hit (1984). His responsibilities included camera, focus-pulling and clapper-loading work, reflecting his progression through the technical side of film production.
Suter subsequently established a substantial career as a director of photography and cinematographer in British television. His credits include Peak Practice, on which he photographed 27 episodes between 1997 and 1999, the miniseries The Sleeper, Two Thousand Acres of Sky, Kavanagh QC, William and Mary, The Last Detective and the television film A Class Apart. He also worked as cinematographer on the feature Save Angel Hope (2007) and on later productions including Burlesque Fairytales (2009), Spoilt Broth (2010) and Scenes from Django Unchained – UK Winner (2013).