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Kinsey
Kinsey is a cinematographer and photographer based in Berlin, working throughout Europe and internationally. His career spans more than two decades, beginning with photography in Arizona before moving to Los Angeles, where he established himself as a cinematographer and visual storyteller.
At five years old, Kinsey was flipping through a stack of magazines when he landed on a spread of underwater photography, vibrant color, and alien light. His grandmother told him it was National Geographic. In that moment, he knew he wanted to become a photographer.
He picked up a camera professionally in 2005 after his photography gained an audience on MySpace, leading to work as an online contributor for Ride BMX Magazine and commissions documenting Arizona nightlife. He later moved into luxury real estate, architecture, and interiors, where he began developing a more refined visual language.
In 2010, after shooting ten magazine covers, Kinsey moved from Tempe, Arizona, to Los Angeles. He began working in lighting before transitioning into cinematography in 2011.
In 2014, lighting director Aaron Morganstein invited Kinsey onto an unforgettable National Geographic assignment: lighting a full scale Spinosaurus for the magazine’s cover story. The production transformed a Chicago parking lot into another world, and the resulting images became the magazine’s cover story, including a dramatic two page spread. Kinsey had always dreamed of seeing his work in National Geographic. What he never imagined was that he’d end up in its pages, too.
As a cinematographer, Kinsey has shot commercial and documentary work for Apple, Prada, Saks Fifth Avenue, L’Oréal, National Geographic, and Coachella. His work as a lighting director has included collaborations with Alicia Keys for Apple, and Zendaya and Rick Rubin for Squarespace. He also spent years working alongside photographer Randee St. Nicholas, serving as lighting director for portrait sessions with Prince, Stevie Nicks, and Miley Cyrus, and collaborating on Britney Spears’ Las Vegas promotional campaign.
Most recently, Kinsey served as director of photography on a documentary series following museum conservators in Berlin. He is currently expanding into directing, with his first feature, a dark comedy exploring trauma, growth, and community, in development.