About
Doug Gardner is a freelance wildlife cinematographer, DP and photographer based out of Manning, South Carolina. Though Gardner specializes in wildlife/nature cinematography and still photography, he’s no stranger to commercial work nation-wide. The award winning photographer has had over 20,000 of his images published internationally in magazines, books, calendars, newspapers and numerous other stock projects.
FAA Drone Licensed Pilot
US Coast Guard Licensed Boat Captain
Over the past decade his cinematography has taken center stage with many clients such as the BBC, National Geographic, PBS, NBC, Netflix and Discovery. With epic video footage and breathtaking photographs of elusive subjects; Gardner’s clients have dubbed him the “Navy Seal Of Wildlife Photography” for his ability to elude detection by animals and humans alike. Though his work has demanded his attention from the Arctic Circle to the jungles of South America, he still says his “stomping grounds” are in the wetlands and woodlands of South Carolina.
Gardner specializes in natural history imagery with long-lens, high speed, and time-lapse cameras. Additionally he’s an accomplished & FAA Certified drone/camera pilot with Class II & III UAVs. He has a degree in Commercial Graphics and is affiliated with Canon Professional Services, South Eastern Outdoor Press Association, North American Nature Photographers Association, Carolina Nature Photographer’s Association, MIRA, Creative Eye, founder/producer/host of “Wild Photo Adventures TV series and owner of Totally Outdoors Imaging, Inc. Gardner is a “Operation Desert Storm” veteran who served his country through the Army National Guard.


References:
“We used Doug as a fixer and cameraman on a very challenging project to film Wood Ducks for the BBC. Doug went above and beyond to ensure the project succeeded, as well as filming some beautiful footage for us. Doug was a complete pleasure to work with, and I could not recommend him more highly.”
Lydia Baines, Researcher/Producer, BBC UK
“I worked with Doug while filming a sequence on wild horses in North Carolina for the BBC Natural History Unit. Doug was an absolute pleasure to collaborate with on the project, super enthusiastic, knowledgeable and talented, I would thoroughly recommend him as a colleague.”
John Brown, Cinematographer/Producer, BBC UK
“As a DP, Doug possesses a wide range of expertise allowing him to capture everything from the awe inspiring wide expanse of the Alaskan range in Denali, NP at sunrise to that subtle emotional moment of a duckling entering the water for the very first time…putting a camera in his hands is like giving a world class painter an empty canvas. Complementing his camera skills is his ability to read and react to an animal’s behavior and position himself for the right shot.”
Michael Mauro, Cinematographer/Photographer/Producer, Mauro Media USA
“Doug Gardner is an integral part of Media Source 1’s location production team, and has been for some time. Not only is he a pleasure to work with, he is always the total professional focused on delivering the perfect shot. When my company’s reputation is on the line, Doug is my choice for Director of Photography.”
Kerry Floyd, Producer/Director, Media Source 1 USA
“I consider Doug Gardner to be an artist, whose paint happens to be a video camera. He has the ability to tell stories through visual images that are powerful and inspiring. Doug is the best of the best, and I’ve worked with videographers around the world.”
Jeffrey Black, President/CEO, Black Sheep Reputations,Inc. USA
“We have worked with Doug on several projects and his professionalism and timeliness are impeccable. It is the quality of his imagery that totally separates him from others in the business. My immediate reaction to most of his imagery is “how did you get that”?
Josh Raglin – Norfolk Southern Corporation
Kits & Credits
CURRENT KIT:
Cameras: - RED Dragon - RED Raven - Sony A7sII - Sony EX-3 XDHD - Canon 1Dx Mrk II - (4) GoPro Hero 5 - Atomos Samurai Blade ProRes recorder
Glass: Fujinon: HS18x5.5 M-38 2x, Zeiss: 28mm 2.8, 35-70 f2.8, Canon: 500mm f4, 70-200mm 2.8, 100mm 1.8 macro, 24-105mm, 17-40mm, 50-300mm f4 cine mod Nikor: 50-300mm f4.5 cine mod, Canon 50-1000 cine
Support: Sachtler carbon fiber pro 23III legs, Sachtler baby legs, Sachtler 20III 150mm fluid head
Drones: (1) Phantom 4 Pro, (1) Inspire 2 Pro x5
Misc: (2) Sennheiser G3 Wireless mics (TX/RX), (2) Rode NGT2 shotgun miss , Mac Pro & Mac Book Pro - Lots of misc. special application equipment, brackets, jib and IR cams, remote cams, slider, Matteboxes, variable NDs, polarizers, etc.

