Top 27 Movies Photo Fans Need to See

You might remember a jolly Jimmy Stewart running through the streets yelling something about Christmas, but in Rear Window, he’s a total badass. Jimmy plays a photographer whose keen, observing ways get him wrapped up in a murder mystery. Dun dun DUN!

Fun Fact: Alfred Hitchcock was inspired by the romance between real life war photographer Robert Capa and actress Ingrid Bergman.

This movie makes us want to spout off every silly French phrase we know. It also makes us want to take photos! Amelie is full of all kinds of photo fun. Photobooth scrapbook (that sometimes talks)? Check. Traveling Gnome Polaroids? Check. Memories of her first camera? Check. Flirtation via photo? Check!!

Fun Fact: The photobooth photo collection is based on a real collection of director Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s friend. He even credited him at the end: D’après la collection originale de Michel Folco.

WARNING: This movie is scary. We picked this up thinking it was going to be the photo-themed equivalent of Patch Adams, but oh, how we were wrong. Robin Williams plays a creepy photo lab technician that’s a little too photo-obsessed. (even more than we are!) We can’t say much more without giving it away, but if you’re into thrillers, you’ll be pleased.

Fun Fact: Some of the characters’ names, including Robin Williams’, are real photographer’s names, like James Van DerZee, Nobuyoshi Araki, Bill Owens, Ellen von Unwerth, Aaron Siskind, and Paul Outerbridge.

If you haven’t seen Memento, photo movie night is the night! Guy Pearce plays Leonard, a guy who wakes up not knowing who he is or why he has a pocket full of photos. You’ll soon notice Leonard tends to forget things…constantly. Okay, so he basically has no long term memory. He spends the entire film looking at polaroids and notes to figure out what the heck is happening. (which turns out to be a lot of crazy stuff!)

Fun Fact: Leonard uses a Polaroid 690 to keep track of his memories. Extra fun fact: Memento only took 25 days to shoot!

A young, unknown photographer finds fame after taking photos of his weirdo family and small-town folk. Don’t we all secretly wish this would happen to us? But, Pecker‘ll teach you that things aren’t so easy when you become a famous photographer. Turns out his subjects aren’t all too happy with the results. (wompwomp)

Fun Fact: Pecker’s camera is a Canonet, made mostly in the 60s and was the equivalent of a point-and-shoot. Today, it’d be worth about $20

Blow Up is another tale of murder, but this time it’s paired up with the usual 60s shenanigans (sex, fashion, and maybe drugs). Michaelangelo Antonioni whipped up this mod mystery film in which a fashion photographer might have accidentally photographed a murder. He blow ups his photos to figure it all out.

Fun Fact: Famed 60s swingin’ photog David Bailey was considered for the main character’s role.

This amazingly shot, epic movie tells the story of two friends who grow up in Rio de Janiero. One becoming a news photographer, while the other gets involved with some shady business.

Dennis Hopper plays a photojournalist who was inspired by famed Vietnam photographer Tim Page. Also an epic which stars Marlon Brando!

A super scary flick about a commercial photographer who can see through the eyes of a murderer.

Thriller about a crazy serial killer who captures his victims terror with a moving camera.

A photojournalist travels to El Salvador to shoot the military dictatorship in place but gets into trouble with rebels!

A somewhat handsome (and less crazy) Mel Gibson plays a reporter on a hot story in the tumultuous Indonesia. His trusty sidekick is a local photographer!

Bradley Cooper plays a photographer who helps save a woman who’s attacked. When she ends up missing, he becomes obsessed with finding her killer. Based on a Clive Barker story!

A fashion photographer falls for a bookish Audrey Hepburn. (who wouldn’t?!) Inspired by Richard Avedon. p.s. There’s lots of singing in this, too!

A blind photographer feels he must take photos to prove that what people describe around him is the truth. Also stars a young Russell Crowe!

Steve Buscemi plays a papparazzo!

A thriller in which Jude Law plays a creepy Weegee-like character. You’ll see him frequently photographing murder scenes

Julia Roberts is an art photographer who gets caught up in a dramatic love affair – with Jude Law, Clive Owen, and Natalie Portman! HAWT.

Another noir-ish, Weegee-inspired movie. Joe Pesci is a crime-scene photographer who can’t help but get involved. His accent will totally flash you back to My Cousin Vinny.

Watch this if you like period pieces…and photography! 1900s Sweden, Maria wins a camera in a lottery and finds empowerment through it.

Spiderman is actually Peter Parker, a teenaged photographer who totally capitalizes on his double-identity by selling photos of Spiderman to newspapers.

Like The Ring but with photos! This is the remake based of an original Thai version.

A moving documentary about children in Calcuttta who are given cameras.

A story about a British photographic library that is on the verge of being shut down. Highly acclaimed, mixture of comedy and drama.

A Film By Ken Burns Ken Burns makes historical documentaries that are heavily depict the past in photographs (think PBS). He’s made several of these, which are easy to find.

Short film made almost completely of still photographs. The characters in this attempt time-travel after a nuclear war

Stanley Kubrick had a F .07 lens specially made to shoot this film, as well as a 50mm lens specially made for NASA by the Carl Zeiss Company. He was able to shoot the whole film without any artificial lighting, including candle lit scenes….AMAZING!