Kai Krause is a German cinematographer based in Los Angeles. He grew up on commercial sets and never really stopped pointing cameras at things after first touching a Panaflex at eight years old — landscapes, people, stories, anything with a pulse or a silence worth paying attention to.

 

That curiosity eventually led him through Idyllwild Arts Academy, the Metropolitan Film School in London, and the

AFI Conservatory in Los Angeles.

 

His narrative work first drew attention with Unremarkable, described as “a piece that is, honestly, damn near perfect… it looks terrific” (SOTW) and nominated for the ASC Heritage Award. He then spent four years filming Wild Beauty across 20,000 miles and 13 states — a project that earned multiple cinematography awards and was noted for being “full of staggering beauty” (Awards Daily).

 

Recent projects include the neo-noir thriller Breakwater — praised for its “killer” cinematography (SJM News) — the Saudi-shot feature The Lamb, and several upcoming long-form projects.

 

Kai also works across commercials and music videos, collaborating with artists and brands such as Celine Dion, JoJo, Ozuna, J Balvin, Land Rover, BMW, Delta, Kodak, and Chevrolet.

 

His approach is simple: images should feel natural but intentional, calm but expressive — a kind of heightened reality built from simple truths. He aims to give directors a visual language that is emotional, specific, and always driven by the needs of the story.

 

He’s drawn to material with texture — intimate, expansive, or quietly strange — and to directors who treat image as an extension of character.

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He’s based in Los Angeles and works globally.