CASSANDRA GIRALDO is a cinematographer and documentary filmmaker based in Los Angeles.
Cassandra is known and trusted for her sensitive cinema vérité style that has allowed her to capture some of the most intimate corners of the human experience. Her cinematography has appeared in various documentary formats - from series, shorts, and feature films for platforms such as Peacock, Vice TV, and HBO. Most notably, she acted as director of photography for two seasons of the VICE series Transnational which was awarded both a GLAAD and Peabody award, and lensed the upcoming documentary short "We Ride For Her," a community-led film that premiered at SXSW 2024.
She was previously a staff producer and cinematographer at VICE News Tonight on HBO where she learned to craft intimate and cinematic stories at the breakneck speed of a newsroom environment. In 2021, her team's coverage of the civil unrest in Chile for Vice News was nominated for a News and Doc Emmy for Outstanding Feature Story in Spanish. She was also among a team of cinematographers recognized with an Emmy award for Outstanding Coverage of a Breaking News Story in a Newscast as part of the Vice newsroom's extensive team coverage of the George Floyd protests across the U.S.
Her cinematography is informed by her background in photojournalism which allows her to put people at ease and to problem-solve under various contexts. Cassandra began her career as a photojournalist, cutting her teeth as a newspaper photographer and becoming a regular contributor at The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, covering local and national stories. Various photography organizations including Getty Images, Instagram, NPPA, American Photography, and the Eddie Adams Workshop have recognized her still photography. A diverse range of editorial and branded clients continue to approach her for collaborations in both stills and motion including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, ESPN, The Marshall Project, Reveal, Nike, Wieden+Kennedy, Rivian, and Patagonia.
Cassandra is a graduate of the ICP's Photojournalism and Documentary Program (2012) and holds a Master of Science degree from Columbia Journalism School's Stabile program for investigative journalism (2017). She speaks Spanish and French and is a proud member of both Women Photograph and the Documentary Cinematographer's Alliance. She's also trained in battlefield first-aid after three hostile environment training sessions for journalists and has an FAA Part 107 drone certification.
Get in touch: cassandrarian.giraldo@gmail.com
Gear list available upon request :)
Photo: Carissa Henderson
Cassandra is known and trusted for her sensitive cinema vérité style that has allowed her to capture some of the most intimate corners of the human experience. Her cinematography has appeared in various documentary formats - from series, shorts, and feature films for platforms such as Peacock, Vice TV, and HBO. Most notably, she acted as director of photography for two seasons of the VICE series Transnational which was awarded both a GLAAD and Peabody award, and lensed the upcoming documentary short "We Ride For Her," a community-led film that premiered at SXSW 2024.
She was previously a staff producer and cinematographer at VICE News Tonight on HBO where she learned to craft intimate and cinematic stories at the breakneck speed of a newsroom environment. In 2021, her team's coverage of the civil unrest in Chile for Vice News was nominated for a News and Doc Emmy for Outstanding Feature Story in Spanish. She was also among a team of cinematographers recognized with an Emmy award for Outstanding Coverage of a Breaking News Story in a Newscast as part of the Vice newsroom's extensive team coverage of the George Floyd protests across the U.S.
Her cinematography is informed by her background in photojournalism which allows her to put people at ease and to problem-solve under various contexts. Cassandra began her career as a photojournalist, cutting her teeth as a newspaper photographer and becoming a regular contributor at The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, covering local and national stories. Various photography organizations including Getty Images, Instagram, NPPA, American Photography, and the Eddie Adams Workshop have recognized her still photography. A diverse range of editorial and branded clients continue to approach her for collaborations in both stills and motion including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, ESPN, The Marshall Project, Reveal, Nike, Wieden+Kennedy, Rivian, and Patagonia.
Cassandra is a graduate of the ICP's Photojournalism and Documentary Program (2012) and holds a Master of Science degree from Columbia Journalism School's Stabile program for investigative journalism (2017). She speaks Spanish and French and is a proud member of both Women Photograph and the Documentary Cinematographer's Alliance. She's also trained in battlefield first-aid after three hostile environment training sessions for journalists and has an FAA Part 107 drone certification.
Get in touch: cassandrarian.giraldo@gmail.com
Gear list available upon request :)
Photo: Carissa Henderson