Biography
Ryan Eddleston is a BAFTA Cymru Award-winning Director of Photography whose work spans independent films and television drama. Known for his agility, versatility and collaborative approach, he combines a strong visual sensibility with an instinctive, adaptable way of working.
His recent credits include the feature Frank and Percy (BFI LFF) directed by Sean Mathias, starring Ian McKellen and Roger Allam, the supporting cast of Sir Stephen Fry, Dame Joanna Lumley, Ncuti Gatwa, Peter Davison, Jessica Gunning, Rob Brydon, Hugh Skinner, Sir Derek Jacobi, Dame Siân Phillips, Felicity Kendal, Dame Sheila Hancock, Gary Wilmot, Nitin Ganatra, Amari Bacchus and Wayne Sleep. Last year he also shot About a Bell, a beautiful contemporary fable packed with humour and feel-good drama from director Simon Callow, it stars Omid Djalili, Roger Allam, and BAFTA-nominees Eleanor Worthington-Cox, Christopher Eccleston, and Nigel Havers.
In 2024, Ryan served as lead series DOP on the television show Death Valley (BBC One) shooting all six – 45 minute episodes, starring Timothy Spall, Gwyneth Keyworth, Steffan Rhodri, Rithvik Andugula and Alexandria Riley. The previous year, he shot all six episodes of Tales of the Tardis (BBC Studios, Disney and Bad Wolf). His television work also includes Grav (2021) directed by Marc Evans, all eight episodes of Merched Parchus (2018) and Galesa (2015), filmed in Patagonia with director Lee Haven Jones. His documentary credits include American Interior (2014) – feature length documentary directed by Dylan Goch and Gruff Rhys, filmed across the United States.
Ryan won the BAFTA Cymru Award for Best Cinematography for Ivor Gurney. He has received three further nominations for American Interior (2014), The Fight (2019), and Grav (2022).
His other notable credits include Alice Lowe’s Timestalker (2022) (SXSW) starring Nick Frost and Jacob Anderson, Tanya Reynolds and Aneurin Barnard, Dolly Wells’ Good Posture (2017) (TriBeCa) starring Grace Van Patten, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, John Early and Emily Mortimer, Jessica Hynes’ The Fight (2017) (BFI LFF), and Alice Lowe’s Prevenge (Venice). Ryan has also shot seven feature films with director Jamie Adams, most recently, Let’s Love (Apple & Amazon Prime) starring Martin Freeman, Josh Hutcherson, Malin Akerman and Jess Weixler.
Earlier
Based in Cardiff, Wales for the last 30 years, and shooting projects around the world, Ryan Eddleston grew up in Rishton and Blackburn, Lancashire. After finishing his GCSEs, Ryan moved to Wales studying English Language, Media Studies and Film Studies at college. Working part-time at a call centre, he saved up, took a filmmaking course, bought his first camera, and started making short films and music videos.
He studied Journalism, Film & Media at Cardiff University, was in a band for a year, and he played in Spain and Sweden, he wrote for the TV section in Gair Rhydd, co-hosted a radio show about Film Soundtracks, became the Film section editor for Quench Magazine – which was nominated for Best Section in a Student Magazine at the Guardian awards and he was nominated for his review of Marie Antoinette by Total Film editor Nev Pierce – and worked on many short films and hundreds of music videos.
In 2011, this work brought him to the attention of producers Gavin Collinson and Anwen Aspden, and was brought to the BBC to shoot the interviews and behind-the-scenes films for Doctor Who, which led onto making webisodes for Wizards vs Aliens, Sherlock and a film for Roath Lock. In 2012, he left the BBC to shoot two documentaries, earning two BAFTA Cymru nominations for his cinematography (American Interior and Ivor Gurney), winning for the latter.
In 2012, Ryan teamed up with director Jamie Adams to make an improvised feature film Benny & Jolene (2014), which sparked a loose trilogy that culminated in Black Mountain Poets (2014) (SXSW) – leading to collaborations with its cast, dop’ing Alice Lowe’s Prevenge (2016), dop’ing Dolly Wells’ Good Posture (2017), operating the b-cam on Tom Cullen’s Pink Wall (2019). At the 2015 SXSW screening of Black Mountain Poets, he met director Rhiana Yazzie, which led to him shooting her Sundance-developed feature A Winter Love (2017) in Minneapolis, Minnesota. All this work has naturally led to other feature films and television drama. He discovered a love of working with actors, and has been shooting ever since.
Press
British Cinematographer Magazine interview
Cinematographers on the Loose Podcast
Agent
Contact directly for all work enquiries