Christopher Tufty, SOC
Spirit of Yosemite

The Cinematographer…

Christopher Tufty is a graduate of Ithaca College, in New York, and spent his final semester abroad studying the BBC and ITV in London, the French New Wave cinema in Paris, and educational documentaries in Glasgow. His first film industry job was as a loader on the feature film Teenage Graffiti. He then returned to his hometown of Washington, D.C., to work as an assistant editor on Bill Moyer's Journal. Tufty went on to become an assistant cameraman with the Smithsonian Institute on 1876-Celebrating a Century and has also been a videographer for the Federal Trade Commission.

In 1987, Tufty won an Emmy for Best Cinematography on River in Disguise and has since worked on other award-winning features, documentaries, music videos, commercials and short films. He is rated as a camera operator in the Guild with credits on such episodic series as The Pretender, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and various features.

The Film…

Spirit of Yosemite is a 23-minute documentary commissioned by the Yosemite Fund and the National Park Service for the purpose of introducing visitors to the splendors and natural wonders within Yosemite Park. The film was produced in 35 mm format. It premiered spring 2001 at the Yosemite Valley theatre and screens up to several times a day - and will continue to do so for the next 10 years.

Spirit of Yosemite won the award for best non-broadcast program at the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival in 2001. Tufty and director David Vassar previously collaborated on National Geographic's To the Edge of the Earth series, BBC-TV's Canyon Consort, and River in Disguise. The production required carrying equipment up 12,000 feet on 20 mules and waking up before dawn to shoot time-lapse sequences of sunrise. The shoot spanned over two years in order to depict the magic of the location and capture that perfect light.

Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Tufty with George Spiro Dibie, ASC