Steve Yedlin

Biography

Steve Yedlin is an American cinematographer born in 1975, best known for his long working relationship with filmmaker Rian Johnson. He has moved between independent projects and large commercial productions, and has been a member of the American Society of Cinematographers since 2015.

Yedlin first came to attention with Brick (2005), Johnson's debut, a low-budget teen thriller that borrowed the language of film noir. From there his credits have alternated personal projects with bigger films, including Looper (2012), Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) and both Knives Out entries, where the images aim to keep the mystery clear while still looking carefully composed. He has also shot genre pictures such as Carrie (2013) and San Andreas (2015).

His reputation rests on a restrained, story-first approach to the camera rather than on showy effects. He remains active, and by 2024 and 2025 he is linked to further entries in the Knives Out series.

Key films

• Brick (2005): first collaboration with Rian Johnson, a high school noir thriller.
• Looper (2012): time-travel science fiction directed by Johnson.
• Knives Out (2019): a clean, elegant mystery that launched the Benoit Blanc series.
• Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017): a major franchise entry with broad, carefully staged frames.
• Carrie (2013): a remake of the Stephen King novel, directed by Kimberly Peirce.