Meet Abery Saulsberry | Cinematographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Abery Saulsberry and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Abery, have you ever found yourself in a spot where you had to decide whether to give up or keep going? How did you make the choice?
I feel like I’ve been at a point where I’ve had to make this decision at various points in my life. Whenever that happens, I always look at two different factors:

1.) Will I regret this decision?
2.) What is my gut telling me?

More often than not, if I follow the answer from one of these two questions, I’ll find the correct answer.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am a Cinematographer in the film & television industry. My job is to develop and execute a visual plan for a movie utilizing cameras and lights. That’s an umbrella definition for what I do because the very nature of filmmaking is collaboration, and there is a lot of it that goes into synthesizing visuals for a film. The element of collaboration is what I enjoy the most about filmmaking and something I take great pride in. I want to be a Cinematographer who’s easy to work with, and I use that as a foundation for all my processes.

Getting to this point has been a slow journey, and that’s been a difficult pill for me to swallow. I have these goals and aspirations and want to get there now. However, life and industry find a way to slow me down and keep me humble, which I’ve come to appreciate as I’ve gone on. The slowness has allowed me to absorb knowledge from many professionals who’ve been in the game longer than me. I keep a living document of the various Cinematographers I’ve met and note what I like about their processes and want to adopt. Without this time and knowledge, I don’t think I would ever become the great Cinematographer I aspire to be.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
As a film lover, I think the Violet Crown Theater is my favorite place to go.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I feel like I’ve had so many influential figures in my life: middle school, high school, college, and beyond. I like to say I’m an amalgamation of many different thoughts and beliefs. In recent times, however, I would like to credit my dear friend and Cinematographer Mark Ragunton.

He’s helped me in my filmmaking journey since the beginning, allowing me to work alongside him to learn and grow. Every time we are on set together, I learn something new about being a cinematographer or even something as simple as how I would like to treat my team. Mark continues to inspire me with his goals and aspirations, and I owe a lot to him.

Website: www.aberysaulsberry.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aberysaulsberry/

Image Credits
Tiana Farina Tyler Germaine Trey Alvarado