Cassandra Giraldo

CASSANDRA GIRALDO is a Los Angeles-based cinematographer known for her immersive vérité camerawork and character-driven visual storytelling—an approach deeply rooted in her early career as a photojournalist.

She worked previously as a documentary producer and cameraperson at Vice News where she learned to craft cinematic and Emmy award-winning stories at the breakneck speed of a newsroom environment.

Her cinematography work spans documentary features, nonfiction series, and shorts for platforms such as Netflix, HBO, Hulu, Showtime, and Peacock, with projects premiering at festivals including Sundance, Tribeca, and SXSW. Collaborators turn to her for her trusted ability to capture the most intimate corners of the human experience.

Recently, Cassandra served as director of photography on the documentary feature REBECCA (Tribeca 2025) by directors Gabriela Cavanagh and Jennifer Tiexiera. Her additional cinematography credits include numerous festival touring documentary features this past year, including Isabel Castro’s SELENA Y LOS DINOS (Sundance & Netflix 2025), SPEAK (Sundance 2025), LAST GUEST AT THE HOLLOWAY MOTEL (Tribeca 2025), and Cristina Constantini’s KAROL G: MAÑANA FUE MUY BONITO (Netflix 2025).

This year she was selected for The ASC Vision Mentorship Program 2025/2026 and is working under the guidance of Arlene Nelson, ASC.

Before her work in television news, she honed her craft as a newspaper photographer, contributing to The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. Her photography has been recognized and exhibited by various photography organizations including Getty Images, NPPA, American Photography, and the Eddie Adams Workshop.

She is a graduate of the ICP’s Photojournalism and Documentary Program (2012) and holds a Master of Science degree from Columbia Journalism School’s Stabile program for investigative journalism (2017). She speaks Spanish and French and is a proud member of  Women Photograph, Documentary Cinematographer’s Alliance, and Women in Film which named her a 2024 cinematography fellow under the mentorship of DP Alison Kelly. She is also trained in battlefield first-aid after three hostile environment training sessions for journalists and has an FAA Part 107 drone certification.

She’s drawn to thoughtful collaborations, opportunities to delve in creatively and stretch her visual skillsets into other genres beyond documentary, and most importantly – supportive and inclusive work environments on her projects. Cassandra brings intention and care to every project.