Ellen Pickering: Cinematographer

I studied Motion Graphics at Northumbria University and I have always visited art galleries to find inspiration for colour and lighting ideas for my cinematography work. The Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle was my “go to” gallery for inspiration. They have a permanent exhibition of local artists, which shows off the beautiful Northumberland countryside and culture.

On leaving university I freelanced as a camera trainee before stepping up to camera assistant for film and TV, with the aspiration to become a cinematographer. The film that I learnt most on was Ken Loach’s ‘I, Daniel Blake’.

An unavoidable part of freelancing is the time between jobs and in this time I have been working on the second of a trilogy’s book covers. I am grateful for all the opportunities and guidance that I received while I was at school at Ashville in Harrogate, as this is an important period in anyone’s life, when you make the decision on which route to take. I honestly could not be happier with the career path I have chosen, and I am now living and making movies in Vancouver, Canada – living my dream!