Vying for top honors in the feature film category at the 21st annual Outstanding Achievement Awards competition will be Children of Men‘s Emmanuel Lubezki (above, to camera’s left), The Illusionist‘s Dick Pope, Apocalypto‘s Dean Semler, The Good Shepherd‘s Robert Richardson and The Black Dahlia‘s Vilmos Zsigmond. “There is no textbook formula for artful cinematography,” said Russ Also brook, who chairs the organization’s Awards Committee, in announcing the nominations. “It takes talent and skill to master a complex craft, as well as a collaborative spirit. These five amazingly talented individuals were selected by their peers, who believe they have set the standard for artful, visual story-telling in a sharply competitive field from 2006.”

“Favorable reviews tend to mention beautiful images, but that’s a matter of taste,” adds ASC President Daryn Okada. “Artful images can be distressing if that’s what it takes to properly affect the emotional flow of a film. Our members judge whether the cinematographer helped to create a sense of time and place that pulls the audience into the story. We ask how the visual language affects the emotional content of the film. Great cinematography is something you feel.”

That’s both discerning and true, and potential good news for both The Good Shepherd‘s Richardson and Children of Men‘s justly lauded Lubezki, which delivered two of the most masterfully evoked works of mood of the year with their respective films. For more information about the 21st annual ASC Outstanding Achievement Awards, visit the ASC website, or if you’re in the Southern California area, phone (323) 969-4333.