Henry Braham

Biography

Henry Braham, born on 30 October 1965 in England, is a cinematographer and director of commercials. His name is closely tied to big-budget films that rely heavily on visual effects, especially those directed by James Gunn. He is a member of the British Society of Cinematographers.

His career began in 1989 with the British band The KLF, for whose 1991 road movie, The White Room, he worked as cinematographer. He later won an Emmy for Outstanding Cinematography for a Limited Series for the miniseries Shackleton. His style is recognised for warm lighting, heavily stylised colour grading and, at times, the use of fisheye lenses. He has worked on films such as The Golden Compass, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Suicide Squad and The Flash.

Alongside features, he has directed a number of commercials. In 2013 he designed the lighting for the sell-out exhibition Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones at the Victoria and Albert Museum, and with Glynis Murray he co-founded the Good Hemp Food brand. His recent work, including Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Superman (2025), keeps him a regular name on major studio productions of the past decade.

Key films

• Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017): cinematography on the James Gunn-directed Marvel sequel, with a strong visual effects component.
• The Golden Compass (2007): work on a big-budget fantasy adaptation that marked his move into large studio productions.
• Suicide Squad (2021): a collaboration with Gunn on a superhero film with a distinctive, heavily graded look.
• The Flash (2023): cinematography on a DC blockbuster built around many effects-driven sequences.
• Cinderella (2021): a reworking of the classic fairy tale in which his warm lighting suits a fantasy register.