Polly Morgan

Polly Morgan is a British cinematographer who has worked on a half-dozen studio feature films since 2019. Morgan is accredited by the British Society of Cinematographers (BSC) and the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC). She was raised in West Sussex. Her grandfather liked to draw, sparking her interest in art. When she was 13 years old, a film crew from Channel 4 came to her family's farm to film a documentary about composer Edward Elgar. The experience introduced her to filmmaking. As a teenager, she studied art history and photography. At University of Leeds, she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in broadcasting, which had a program that gave students hands-on experience with single-camera productions. and she is the youngest member of ASC. She described in 2016 her cinematography style, "My style is a blend between a naturalistic, free approach with a more classical, conventional approach."

In 2016, Variety named Morgan as one of 10 cinematographers to watch in their growth.

2000s to 2010: Lead-up to cinematography Before Polly Morgan became a cinematographer, she spent around ten years working in film and television, including six years as an assistant. She first started in film working on sets as a production assistant for a Canadian director in Toronto. She then moved to London with her PA experience. She graduated from the AFI Conservatory in 2010 with a Master of Fine Arts degree in cinematography. In 2012, she was given the Rising Stars of Cinematography award by the ASC.

2011-2018: Initial work as cinematographer

Morgan's first feature film credit as cinematographer was Venom (2011), followed by The Evil Inside (2011), Rock Jocks (2012), and Junkie (2012). including the Best Cinematography award at the 2013 Brooklyn Film Festival. Afterward, several films she worked on premiered at Sundance, South by Southwest, and Tribeca Film Festival. She also worked on several TV productions in the United Kingdom and the United States.

In the late 2010s, Morgan was cinematographer for several works outside of the United Kingdom. She lensed several episodes of the TV series Legion (2017–2019) and the films The Intervention (2016), Slumber (2017), and Spinning Man (2018). The British Film Institute said for Slumber, Morgan "created nightmarish visuals", and for The Intervention, she provided an "intimate, intense look". The BFI said of her cinematography in the latter, "The relaxed aesthetic [gives] way to sharper angles and deeper shadows as the story evolves and motivations are revealed."

2019 to present: Studio feature-film work Morgan's cinematography work on Legion led its showrunner Noah Hawley to hire her as cinematographer for his 2019 film Lucy in the Sky, Following that, she was hired as cinematographer for the 2020 film A Quiet Place Part II by Paramount Pictures. During the making of Where the Crawdads Sing, Morgan and her agent discussed the developing film The Woman King, and the agent referred Morgan to producer Cathy Schulman, who hired her for the film. It was also released in 2022 under Sony Pictures Releasing. In 2024, Morgan was cinematographer for Legend of the Lizard, a 15-minute mockumentary about the GEICO gecko mascot. She was also cinematographer for the 2024 films Marmalade and Back to Black.

Credits + Morgan's cinematography credits for film Year Title Notes 2011 Venom First cinematography credit Drawing Out Genius Spinning Man

+ Morgan's cinematography credits for television Year(s) Title Notes 2012–2014 American Horror Story (2011 to present) 11 episodes (10 as additional director of photography, 1 as camera operator) Call the Midwife (2012 to present) 2 episodes, director of photography 2018 Strange Angel (2018–2019) 2 episodes, director of photography