Gavin Finney BSC is a British cinematographer and Director of Photography. Born in London in 1963, he studied film at Manchester Polytechnic before completing the Cinematography course at the National Film and Television School (NFTS). He joined the British Society of Cinematographers (BSC) in 1998 and served as President of the Society from 2006 to 2008. He is currently a member of the BSC's Governor Statutes Committee.
Finney's interest in cinematography developed from an early interest in stills photography. As a teenager, he used his father's Ilford rangefinder camera and photographed on black-and-white film. He subsequently studied film at Manchester Polytechnic, where he received practical training across a number of filmmaking disciplines. During his studies, he became focused on cinematography and subsequently worked as a clapper loader and focus puller before applying to the cinematography course at the NFTS.
After graduating from the NFTS, Finney worked in the camera department before establishing himself as a cinematographer. His early feature credits included Nightscare (1995), Twelfth Night, or What You Will (1996), Tom's Midnight Garden (1999), Alex & Emma (2003), Bailey's Billions (2005), The Flying Scotsman (2006), Keeping Mum (2006) and St Trinian's (2007).
His television career includes a substantial body of work across drama, comedy, historical and fantasy productions. Credits include Gormenghast, Hogfather, Going Postal, The Colour of Magic, The Fear, Mr Selfridge, Endeavour, The Guilty, Wolf Hall, The State, The Miniaturist, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Barkskins, Suspicion, The Undeclared War and Good Omens.
In 2012, Finney photographed the Channel 4 drama The Fear, directed by Michael Samuels. His work on the four-part series received the BAFTA Television Craft Award for Photography and Lighting: Fiction, the Royal Television Society Award for Best Cinematography and the BSC Award for Best Cinematography. The three awards were received for the same production in 2013.
Finney photographed all six episodes of the first season of BBC Two's Wolf Hall (2015), directed by Peter Kosminsky and based on Hilary Mantel's novels. The production used digital cinematography to create scenes lit substantially by candlelight, with the ARRI Alexa camera system paired with Leica Summilux-C lenses. The series earned Finney the BSC Award for Best Cinematography in a Television Drama and the RTS Judges' Award, as well as a BAFTA nomination.
He subsequently photographed Peter Kosminsky's The State (2017), the four-part Channel 4 drama about four British citizens who travel to Syria to join ISIS. His work on the series received nominations from both the BSC and the Royal Television Society.
Finney was Director of Photography on the first and second seasons of Good Omens, the television adaptation of Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman's novel, directed by Douglas Mackinnon. The first season was photographed using ARRI Alexa SXT and Alexa Mini cameras with Leica Summilux-C prime and ARRI Alura zoom lenses. The production incorporated extensive Technocrane and Steadicam work. Finney also photographed the Good Omens special.
His more recent television credits include Suspicion for Apple TV+, The Undeclared War for Channel 4, The Diplomat for Netflix, My Lady Jane for Prime Video and Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light. On My Lady Jane, Finney photographed episodes 5–7, sharing cinematography duties with Maja Zamojda.
Finney returned to the world of Wolf Hall for Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light, directed by Peter Kosminsky and starring Damian Lewis, Mark Rylance and Thomas Brodie-Sangster. The production is listed among his recent credits and received a BSC nomination for Best Cinematography in a Television Drama in 2026.
His recent work also includes the third season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, where he served as Director of Photography for episodes 6 and 7, directed by Stefan Schwartz. Production on the third season took place in the UK during 2025.
Alongside his cinematography work, Finney has maintained an association with the BSC through both its governance and professional activities. He served as President from 2006 to 2008 and received the BSC/ARRI John Alcott Memorial Award during his presidency.
Finney's career encompasses feature films, television dramas, comedy, historical productions and large-scale fantasy series, with credits spanning more than three decades of British and international screen production.