My name is Ryan Owen Nelson I am a San Francisco, Bay Area based Director of Photography / Cinematographer.

I focus on storytelling and motivating my shots through the emotion of the scene. Bay Area culture is a fusion of art and tech, which has given me experience in commercial and corporate styles as well as music and independent films.

When I started I wanted to learn everything there was to know about camera and how to be the best cinematographer. What I found out was that lighting makes the biggest difference in the story you want to tell. Since then I’ve worked as a lighting technician and gaffer for years on projects such as Jexi, Thirteen Reasons Why, Murder Bury Win, and 1,2,3 All Eyes On Me. Because of this I have been able to learn and collaborate with other creative minds and really get an understanding for light.

I’ve worked for large companies such as Salesforce, Yahoo, Pixar, Cisco, and Google. My Indie narrative work has gone on to succeed in many film festivals, and many have gotten distribution or have been picked up by streaming services such as HBO MAX.

If you’ve got a story to tell, shoot me a message and lets get filming. If you have an idea for a less cheesy tag line at the end I’m also open to recommendations.