A popular American cinematographer, Robert Christopher Elswit is a multiple award nominee who is best known for his frequent collaborations with director Paul Thomas Anderson and actor and director George Clooney. Born in California, Elswit does not like to use digital camera and he preferred using films until he eventually started shooting in digital with Nightcrawler.

Having started his career with shooting short films, Elswit got his big break with Waltz Across Texas in 1982 and over the years, he has worked in more than 30 films. Although, during the initial years of career Elswit worked with several renowned directors, he did not gain much recognition for work his, he had a very ordinary career graph during the 1980's and the 90's.

With the advent of the new millennium, Elswit's fortune changed and he got wide recognition and fame for his work in Good Night, and Good Luck in 2005. His brilliant work in the film won him his maiden Academy nomination. Two years later, Elswit delivered won his second Academy nomination for his work in There Will Be Blood (2007). His other notable film credits include The Town (2010), Salt (2010), Mission: Impossible - Rouge Nation (2015), Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2017) and Skyscraper (2018), an American action film written, directed and co-produced by Rawson Marshall Thurber.