I was born in Görlitz, Germany, in 1983, and my first brush with cinematography came courtesy of my grandmother’s analogue camera. What started as childhood curiosity quickly turned into a lifelong obsession—framing shots, chasing the light, and discovering how a single image can tell an entire story.
I sharpened my craft at the Film- und Fernsehakademie Mitteldeutschland before moving on to the renowned Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg. By 2006, I was working as a Director of Photography on TV and feature films, finally getting the chance to shape my own visual language. A few years in, my work on Conrad won me the German Cinematography Award (2011), followed by the Kodak Camera Award (2012).
By the time I officially completed my cinematography degree in 2013, I had already built up a rather formidable body of work—because, frankly, who has time to wait around?
These days, I’m represented by Black Summer Artists and work across the globe as a freelance DoP and photographer. I’ve shot features and series for major players like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney+, including Deutschland 89, Skylines (Netflix’s first German original), Totenfrau (Netflix’s first Austrian series), and SAM – A Saxon, Disney+’s first German production, telling the story of the first Black police officer in the former GDR.
Whether it’s capturing high-octane drama or crafting a single, striking frame, I’m always chasing the next great shot.
@2025 STEPHAN BURCHARDT. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. BUILT WITH LOVE BY DANIELA CELANT.