Documentary Cinematography Workshops
with Claudia Raschke, ASC

“Capturing the big and the small moments of the amazing world we live in feeds my passion for the art of cinematography. Equally important is that I bear witness to and document the unique stories that unfold before my eyes in a way that dismantles barriers, opens doors, and reveals truth. I believe that filming intuitively, honestly and without inhibition is a journey that requires a compassionate heart and the ability to see and hear what lies beneath the surface.” ‑‑Claudia Raschke, ASC

Claudia Raschke was born in Hamburg, one of the largest European ports near the Baltic Sea in Northern Germany. Throughout her childhood the chain of movie theaters owned by her mother brought Claudia into the world of film. After college Claudia studied the art and technique of cinematography on the practical level while working with some of the most prominent and accomplished international filmmakers. Today she is a founding member of the NYC Kamera Kollektiv, a boutique agency for documentary and feature film cinematographers, a member of AMPAS and CANON EXPLORER OF LIGHT artist.

Claudia is a world renown cinematographer, best known for her ability to bring rich tones of the motion picture to a diverse spectrum of films, from purely commercial ventures, through feature-length documentaries, to lower-budget works of art.

Among her many notable award-winning films are: Oscar-nominated and Emmy winning RBG, Oscar-nominated GOD IS THE BIGGER ELVIS, Oscar shot-listed JULIA and MAD HOT BALLROOM, Critics Choice nominated FAUCI and HOUSE OF HAMMER, Peabody winning and NAACP Image Award nominated MY NAME IS PAULI MURRAY, and Oscar short-listed and Emmy winning BOYS STATE.

Her most recently released feature documentaries are YOURS IN FREEDOM, BILL BAIRD and the dance biography film of Loie Fuller titled OBSESSED WITH LIGHT. Currently Claudia is in production of an eight-part documentary series for the History channel to be released Spring of 2025.

Q
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“Claudia is that rare artist who is also a gifted teacher. Her infectious enthusiasm lights up a classroom, and her ability to communicate complex ideas simply creates the ideal learning environment.”

5
Judy Lieff
Filmmaker, Professor at SUNY Purchase & Montclair State University, Co-owner of New Day Films
{

“Claudia represents one of the highest expression of documentary cinematographer currently in activity. Her eye is gifted with the capacity of easily capturing the light necessary of letting us viewers immerse deeply and without restriction within the story she films. And she is also profoundly effective and efficient in engaging students into thinking similarly and finding their own voices when filming documentaries. She is a joy to work with and one of the most brilliant cinematographers I know.”

5
Piero Basso, AIC
Cinematographer and Chair of Cinematography Dept., New York Film Academy
{

“Claudia is a triple threat, a remarkable talent with extensive experience shooting with top directors from across the spectrum, who also happens to be an extraordinary teacher. NYFA students consistently love working with her. She helps even those who are intimidated by technology discover their confidence. As much as we’d love to keep her all to ourselves, I can’t recommend her highly enough.”

5
Andrea Swift
Chair of the Filmmaking Department and Documentary Division, New York Film Academy
{

“Talk to Claudia about what it means to shoot in sentences or paint with lighting and you will know just how thoroughly she understands the language of film. She is that rare artist with great empathy, cinematic skill and the ability to communicate both on set and off.”

5
Fred Rendina
Producer, Director, Writer, Professor at School of Visual Art
{

“Claudia is not only one of the great cinematographers, she is a natural born teacher. She doesn’t lecture, she engages emerging filmmakers with a series of exercises that are guaranteed to up the game of everyone from beginners to the most advanced shooters. Her workshop for my documentary students at Columbia Journalism School was always a class favorite.”

5
Betsy West
Producer, Director at Storyville Films, Professor Emerita Columbia Journalism School
{

“Claudia is a brilliant cinematographer. Not only does she create and capture beautiful images, she gets to the essence of every story, scene and moment. She’s both an extraordinary storyteller and communicator. Having her on your side is like winning the lottery.”

5
Eddie Rosenstein
Executive Producer/ Director at Eyepop Productions, Professor at New York Film Academy
{

“Claudia is that rare artist who is also a gifted teacher. Her infectious enthusiasm lights up a classroom, and her ability to communicate complex ideas simply creates the ideal learning environment.”

5
Judy Lieff
Filmmaker, Professor at SUNY Purchase & Montclair State University, Co-owner of New Day Films
{

“Claudia is a triple threat, a remarkable talent with extensive experience shooting with top directors from across the spectrum, who also happens to be an extraordinary teacher. NYFA students consistently love working with her. She helps even those who are intimidated by technology discover their confidence. As much as we’d love to keep her all to ourselves, I can’t recommend her highly enough.”

5
Andrea Swift
Chair of the Filmmaking Department and Documentary Division, New York Film Academy
{

“Claudia is not only one of the great cinematographers, she is a natural born teacher. She doesn’t lecture, she engages emerging filmmakers with a series of exercises that are guaranteed to up the game of everyone from beginners to the most advanced shooters. Her workshop for my documentary students at Columbia Journalism School was always a class favorite.”

5
Betsy West
Producer, Director at Storyville Films, Professor Emerita Columbia Journalism School
{

“Claudia represents one of the highest expression of documentary cinematographer currently in activity. Her eye is gifted with the capacity of easily capturing the light necessary of letting us viewers immerse deeply and without restriction within the story she films. And she is also profoundly effective and efficient in engaging students into thinking similarly and finding their own voices when filming documentaries. She is a joy to work with and one of the most brilliant cinematographers I know.”

5
Piero Basso, AIC
Cinematographer and Chair of Cinematography Dept., New York Film Academy
{

“Talk to Claudia about what it means to shoot in sentences or paint with lighting and you will know just how thoroughly she understands the language of film. She is that rare artist with great empathy, cinematic skill and the ability to communicate both on set and off.”

5
Fred Rendina
Producer, Director, Writer, Professor at School of Visual Art
{

“Claudia is a brilliant cinematographer. Not only does she create and capture beautiful images, she gets to the essence of every story, scene and moment. She’s both an extraordinary storyteller and communicator. Having her on your side is like winning the lottery.”

5
Eddie Rosenstein
Executive Producer/ Director at Eyepop Productions, Professor at New York Film Academy
{

“Claudia is that rare artist who is also a gifted teacher. Her infectious enthusiasm lights up a classroom, and her ability to communicate complex ideas simply creates the ideal learning environment.”

5
Judy Lieff
Filmmaker, Professor at SUNY Purchase & Montclair State University, Co-owner of New Day Films
{

“Claudia is a triple threat, a remarkable talent with extensive experience shooting with top directors from across the spectrum, who also happens to be an extraordinary teacher. NYFA students consistently love working with her. She helps even those who are intimidated by technology discover their confidence. As much as we’d love to keep her all to ourselves, I can’t recommend her highly enough.”

5
Andrea Swift
Chair of the Filmmaking Department and Documentary Division, New York Film Academy
{

“Claudia is not only one of the great cinematographers, she is a natural born teacher. She doesn’t lecture, she engages emerging filmmakers with a series of exercises that are guaranteed to up the game of everyone from beginners to the most advanced shooters. Her workshop for my documentary students at Columbia Journalism School was always a class favorite.”

5
Betsy West
Producer, Director at Storyville Films, Professor Emerita Columbia Journalism School
{

“Claudia represents one of the highest expression of documentary cinematographer currently in activity. Her eye is gifted with the capacity of easily capturing the light necessary of letting us viewers immerse deeply and without restriction within the story she films. And she is also profoundly effective and efficient in engaging students into thinking similarly and finding their own voices when filming documentaries. She is a joy to work with and one of the most brilliant cinematographers I know.”

5
Piero Basso, AIC
Cinematographer and Chair of Cinematography Dept., New York Film Academy
{

“Talk to Claudia about what it means to shoot in sentences or paint with lighting and you will know just how thoroughly she understands the language of film. She is that rare artist with great empathy, cinematic skill and the ability to communicate both on set and off.”

5
Fred Rendina
Producer, Director, Writer, Professor at School of Visual Art
{

“Claudia is a brilliant cinematographer. Not only does she create and capture beautiful images, she gets to the essence of every story, scene and moment. She’s both an extraordinary storyteller and communicator. Having her on your side is like winning the lottery.”

5
Eddie Rosenstein
Executive Producer/ Director at Eyepop Productions, Professor at New York Film Academy

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