CASSANDRA GIRALDO is an award-winning cinematographer and documentary filmmaker known for and trusted with immersive character-driven stories and sensitive vérité camerawork. She is currently based in her hometown of Los Angeles but is a former/forever New Yorker.
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 in 2022, and lensed the upcoming documentary short "We Ride For Her," a community-led film that is having its world premiere at SXSW 2024.
Her documentary work 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. Cassandra is available for projects worldwide and is always available for a friendly coffee or hike to discuss future collaborations. Non-fiction, narrative, artistic, journalistic, music videos... I'm down to capture it all!