Carissa Henderson is an award-winning cinematographer known for her instinctive & elevated cinema vérité style. Following early years as a journalist carrying a camera to the front lines of breaking news & extensive investigations, she now specializes in premium, character-driven documentary films & series.
At present, Carissa is filming an expansive, long-term (five years & counting) immersive documentary project intimately profiling NASA’s Artemis Program for National Geographic.
photo: Katie Sadler
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The last few years have seen the premieres of three feature documentary films Carissa served as a Director of Photography (Full Circle: The First All Black Everest Ascent, Tribeca ‘26, DRIVER, Tribeca ‘24, PBS POV; Sue Bird: In the Clutch, Sundance ‘24, Netflix), among others she contributed to as a cinematographer (Stiller & Meara: Nothing is Lost, Apple TV ‘25; Just Kids, Tribeca ‘25), and the release of her first film The Parrot Cartel on Rolling Stone: a short documentary following a multi-year investigation into the global black market trade of highly intelligent (& endangered) African grey parrots.
Over the years, Carissa has found the most meaningful films to be built on trust, and collaborative, respectful relationships - both behind the camera & with participants. She is comfortable operating with a small footprint or scaling up intentional & inclusive sets.
Carissa holds a BFA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, a HEFAT certification, a Part 107 FAA drone license, a handful of analog still cameras, and a range of production equipment. She is a recipient of the prestigious Dart Award for Excellence in Coverage of Trauma, and she has accumulated more than 10 Emmy nominations across her body of work.
current work samples & links are available upon request.
contact: carissanhenderson@gmail.com
recently
ZEISS Lenspire: Carissa Henderson chooses Zeiss CP.3s to Lens BTS Story of Basketball Olympian “Sue Bird: In the Clutch”
Cinematography World: DP Carissa Henderson lenses Sue Bird: In The Clutch documentary with Zeiss CP.3 Primes
International Documentary Association: “Production was a kind of durational epic”: Nesa Azimi Reflects on DRIVER
Rivian: Turning a Lens on Electrified Travel: a coastal Maine roadtrip documented by two filmmakers
CV / Links
ARTEMIS DP | feature documentary two-part series | NASA x National Geographic & Disney | Lightbox *currently in production, 2021 - present
FULL CIRCLE: THE FIRST ALL BLACK EVEREST ASCENT DP | feature documentary | REI Studios x Westbrook 2022 | Tribeca World Premiere 2026
PARTNERS Series DP | branded docu-series | Shutterstock x Wavelength | Amazon Prime & Youtube 2026
PARROT CARTEL director & DP | investigative short documentary | WIRE | Rolling Stone 2025
STILLER & MEARA cinematographer | feature documentary | dir. Ben Stiller | Apple TV
RIVIAN X INDIGENOUS LED: IN OUR NATURE co-director & co-DP | short branded documentary | casa 木 | Coast Film & Music Festival | web 2025
JUST KIDS cinematographer | feature documentary | Toboni Sisters | Tribeca World Premiere 2025
SUE BIRD: IN THE CLUTCH DP | feature documentary | Jigsaw | Sundance World Premiere 2024 | Netflix
✷DRIVER DP | feature documentary | Tribeca World Premiere 2024 | PBS POV
✷ALL THAT REMAINS DP | Emmy Nominated, Dart Award Winning feature episode | Fault Lines | Al Jazeera 2024
LATINO VOTE 2024 cinematographer | feature documentary | Quiet Pictures | PBS 2024
THIS IS POST ROE AMERICA cinematographer | interactive multimedia feature | Opinion | New York Times 2024
CAMDEN cinematographer | episode 3: Pioneers | documentary series | Lightbox | Hulu 2024
RIVIAN: ROADTRIPPING FROM NY TO MAINE co-director & co-DP | branded spot | casa 木 | web 2024
RIVIAN: BUILT IN-HOUSE DP | branded spot | Rivian | web 2024
RIVIAN: FAVORITE THINGS DP | branded spot | Rivian | web 2024
THE BLUE PARADOX DP | immersive exhibit/campaign | Museum of Science & Industry | Radical Media x Ogilvy 2023
✷ THE WHOLE STORY WITH ANDERSON COOPER: WITHOUT ROE DP | Emmy Nominated news segment | CNN 2023
THE PESTICIDE PLAYBOOK DP | news segment | Fault Lines | Al Jazeera English 2023
WHO GETS TO BE AN INFLUENCER DP | episode | NYT Presents | Hulu/FX 2022
COLD WEATHER TESTING DP | branded spot | Rivian | web 2021
NO CONSENT DP | news segment | Fault Lines | Al Jazeera English 2021
✷THIS COMPANY PROFITS OFF THE MOST VULNERABLE CHILDREN IN THE US cinematographer | Emmy Nominated episode | VICE News 2021
✷CONNECTED: THE HIDDEN SCIENCE OF EVERYTHING cinematographer | episode 1 & 2 | Emmy Nominated documentary series | ZPZ | Netflix 2020
REBELLE RALLY: ELECTRIC VEHICLE ADVENTURES DP | branded short | Rivian | web 2020
ON THE TRAIL: INSIDE THE 2020 PRIMARIES cinematographer | feature documentary | CNN Films | HBO max 2020
LATINO VOTE 2020 cinematographer | feature documentary | Quiet Pictures | PBS 2020
✷UNRELEASED FOOTAGE GIVES AN INSIDE LOOK AT THE NIGHT BREONNA TAYLOR DIED cinematographer | Emmy Nominated episode | VICE News 2020
✷VIRUS ON THE POULTRY LINE DP | Emmy Nominated news segment | Fault Lines | Al Jazeera English 2020
THE ENDORSEMENT cinematographer | episode | NYT: The Weekly | Hulu/FX 2020
MY BLOOD cinematographer | episode | NYT: The Weekly | Hulu/FX 2020
USA V CHAPO cinematographer | documentary series | Rolling Stone | 2019
REJECTORS camera operator | narrative short | independent | premiere Lighthouse International Film Festival 2019
✷VICE NEWS TONIGHT ON HBO staff cinematographer | season 1-3 | multi-award-winning documentary series | HBO 2016-2018
education
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY | Tisch School of the Arts - Kanbar Institute of Film & Television | Bachelor of the Arts ‘16 | graduated early with honors