—  About

Gareth Ward is an award-winning Director of Photography and an accredited SOC camera operator based in London, UK, and works globally in commercials and narrative.

I could certainly give you a definitive rundown of all my experience over the years, with many name-dropping moments and technical jargon about the cameras and people I work with but the main thing you need to know is that, yes, I am a Director of Photography that doesn’t whinge… as long as my morning flat white has been extracted at exactly 94.2°C and served in a pre-warmed 8oz mug. So, besides my firm rules of on-set coffee, there's only a short bio for you...

I’m from Australia and a few years ago I decided to leave the perfectly sunny climate and move to London to pursue my dreams. Naturally this consisted of my desire to pay homage to 'Werewolves of London' and I spent most of my first week walking the streets of Soho, in the rain, and looking for some beef chow mein at a little place called Lee Ho Fuks. Following the success of my find and many weird looks from Chinese restaurateurs along the way, it was time to introduce myself to the UK film industry. 

So, without boring you about my talents as a cinematographer, because we all think we’re brilliant, here is my brief story…

I was born in South Africa and soon decided to move to Australia. As a four-year-old, I was quite the adventurer. Not only did I pack up my toys and move out of the room I shared with my sister, I felt Australia would be a better option to raise my family, due to the political issues in South Africa at the time. After much discussion with my parents, Brisbane was to become my new home and this was the place where I would pursue many endeavours, including tennis, rollerblading, surfing, rock climbing and martial arts. Then, one day, while training my near catlike agility, it became apparent that I actually had double-jointed thumbs. To this day I truly believe it was a sign that my thumbs were perfectly designed for medium to heavy light meter work. My career path as a Director of Photography was set.

From tapes dubbing to camera assisting and operating, my path up the ranks has been unusual and set with many challenges, both professionally and coffee-related. I knew for many years I needed to grow in to the cinematographer I wanted to be. This would entail extremely dedicated focus, inspiration, creativity... and a decent beard. Not just what the perfectly manicured, trendy hipsters define as a beard but a proper, messy DoP beard. For over 10 years I’ve been working on this and I can categorically say that now I truly deserve the title.

KUDOS

'Vanishing Trick' - Australian Cinematography Society Awards - BRONZE 2016

'Quintain' - Australian Cinematography Society Awards - SILVER 2014

Lego Movie - 'ITV Ad Break' - Cannes Lions - Branded Content & Sponsorship - GOLD 2014

Lego Movie - 'ITV Ad Break' - Cannes Lions - Publications & Media - GOLD 2014

Lego Movie - 'ITV Ad Break' - Cannes Lions - Branded Content & Entertainment - BRONZE 2014

'The Insider' - National Television Awards - Factual Entertainment - FINALIST 2017

'uoods' - Skype Shoot The Future - 'How To' - FINALIST 2016

'The Indestructibles' - Broadcast Digital Awards - Best Content Partnership - FINALIST 2016

'NSFW' - Doritos: Crash The Super Bowl Competition - BANNED 2015

'This Love' - Festival de Cannes - SHORT FILM CORNER 2012

NSPCC Childline - ‘Final Verse’ - Marketing Agency Association (MAA) Best Awards – BEST CONSUMER CAMPAIGN 2012

NSPCC Childline - ‘Final Verse’ - Marketing Agency Association (MAA) Best Awards – BEST SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN 2012

NSPCC Childline - ‘Final Verse’ - Marketing Agency Association (MAA) Best Awards – BEST OF THE BEST CAMPAIGN 2012