Roger A. Deakins was born and raised in Devon, England. He studied Graphic Design at the Bath College of Art and before continuing on to the National Film School, he spent time shooting still photographs for North Devon, with the intent of capturing the disappearing rural farm life. Here he developed his love of still photography.

After graduating from the National Film School, he shot a number of documentaries and then moved into feature films.

Roger has been nominated 15 times for an Academy Award and won twice for the movies BLADERUNNER 2049 and 1917. He has also been nominated 16 times for the top award of the American Society of Cinematographers, 10 times for the BAFTA award and 11 times for the British Society of Cinematographers.

He has been awarded Lifetime Achievement Awards from the American Society of Cinematographers, the British Society of Cinematographers and the National Board of Review.

He is also the only cinematographer to have been awarded the honour of CBE in 2013 as well as receiving the honour of knighthood in 2021.

Roger also enjoys being a visual consultant on certain animated films. He has consulted on WALL•E, RANGO, all of the HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON films and VIVO, to name a few.

In 2021, in addition to publishing Byways, he and his long time collaborator James Ellis Deakins created an immensely successful podcast, Team Deakins, on the subject of filmmaking.

Still photography has remained one of Deakins few hobbies although it is more often an excuse for him to spend hours just walking, his camera over his shoulder, with no purpose but to observe. In his monograph, Byways, one finds a wide range of images. There are the images that document a vanished postwar Britain, as well as a collection of photos that express his love of the seaside and finally frames from around the world, caught while traveling for his cinematic work. Throughout them all, his sense of irony shows clearly.

Among his list of films are:

SID AND NANCY
MOUNTAINS OF THE MOON
BARTON FINK
THE BIG LEBOWSKI
FARGO
THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD
SKYFALL
BLADERUNER 2049
1917
THE GOLDFINCH
PRISONERS
TRUE GRIT
O BROTHER WHERE ART THOU?
UNBROKEN
SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION
SICARIO
KUNDUN
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD
JARHEAD
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
THE MAN WHO WASN’T THERE