spent two decades as a music video and commercial line producer before successfully transitioning to a cinematography career in 2015. Combining his clear artistic vision with his panoramic understanding of the production ecosystem brought Cunningham quick success. By 2017 he had established himself as a sought-after, award-winning Director of Photography with a diverse portfolio of music videos and commercials.
Cunningham’s passion for photography began at age eleven. He learned the craft by developing and printing his own black and white photography in his grandfather's darkroom. As a teenager Cunningham carried his camera with him everywhere, emulating the great landscape photographers Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, and John Sexton. In high school, American Cinematographer magazine introduced him to the world of motion picture cinematography, fusing his love of visual imagery with his budding enthusiasm for live theater and storytelling. He was hooked.
Through the years a diversity of artists have been attracted to Cunningham’s thoughtful and creative style and use of light and color. His work has won him two MTV Video Music Awards for Best Cinematography (Kendrick Lamar’s "Humble" in 2017 and Shawn Mendes “Señorita” in2019) along with two additional nominations (Ariana Grande’s “No Tears Left to Cry” and Camila Cabello’s “My Oh My”). Cunningham has also been nominated for several Camerimage Golden Frogs including Lamar’s "Humble," Ed Sheeran’s “Bad Habits," and Harry Styles’ "Falling.” Videos that Cunningham photographed have received awards at the Grammy Awards, the MTV European Music Awards, and elsewhere. In the inaugural year of the ASC Awards “Music Video Award”, 2023, Scott has been nominated in the category for Little Simz’s "Gorilla.”
Cunningham is equally innovative and visually inventive in his commercial projects, which include work for brands such as Apple, Facebook, Powerade, Google, Mercedes Benz, BMW, Olay, Lexus, Pepsi, Jeep, Samsung, and Budweiser.
Scott Cunningham lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two children.