Oliver Curtis BSC is a British cinematographer whose work spans feature films, television drama, documentaries, commercials, and fine art photography. Raised in the Cotswolds, he studied photography at Filton Technical College in Bristol before continuing his education in film and television at the London College of Printing.
Following his studies, Curtis developed his craft working on documentaries, music videos, and short films for the Arts Council of Great Britain and the British Film Institute. His first feature as director of photography was Madagascar Skin, directed by Chris Newby and starring John Hannah and Bernard Hill. He went on to establish an extensive body of work across both film and television, including the acclaimed BBC adaptation of Vanity Fair, directed by Marc Munden, for which he received a BAFTA nomination for Best Photography.
Alongside his cinematography career, Curtis has directed documentaries for Channel 4 and the BBC, including Trotsky's Home Movies and Gillo Pontecorvo: The Dictatorship of Truth. His writing has also appeared in The Observer and The Listener.
In 1998, Curtis became one of the youngest cinematographers to be elected to the British Society of Cinematographers (BSC). His feature film credits include Love and Death on Long Island, The Wedding Date, Death at a Funeral, and Joanna Hogg's Unrelated. He has also collaborated on experimental gallery installations, including Gideon Koppel's Borth, and worked with director Edgar Wright on additional photography for Last Night in Soho.
Beyond narrative filmmaking, Curtis has built an international reputation in commercial cinematography, creating campaigns for leading global brands including Pantene, L'Oréal, Wella, Palmolive, Rimmel, Coca-Cola, Sony, Guinness, Canon, Cadbury, and E.ON.
Complementing his motion picture work, Curtis continues to pursue still photography, producing commissioned projects for major broadcasters alongside personal work exhibited internationally. His first solo exhibition, Volte-Face, premiered at London's Royal Geographical Society in 2016, with an accompanying book published by Dewi Lewis Publishing.
Throughout his career, Oliver Curtis has combined technical excellence with a broad artistic practice, creating images across cinema, television, commercial advertising, and photography that reflect a lifelong commitment to visual craftsmanship.