2015 was a great year for cinematography. If you need any convincing, look at Adam’s Top 10 list. The real difficulty is in choosing what was the best of the best, and it’s almost impossible. The silver lining is that you’re bound to be happy with what ends up getting chosen, and I have absolutely no qualm with the American Society of Cinematographers nominations, which were announced today. They are:

These could easily be the five names we’ll hear when the Oscar nominations are announced on January 15th, but for the time being, they all deserve the praise. All of the nominees have been nominated before, but only Seale and Lubezki have won in the past (Seale for The English Patient, Lubezki for Birdman, Gravity, The Tree of Life, and Children of Men). For Deakins, this is his 14th nomination, so he basically lives in Snub City where all of the trophy cases are empty (he’s also never won an Oscar despite being nominated 12 times) [Correction: Deakins has won three ASC awards and has one lifetime achievement, so at least they're showing him some love, and it would be nice if the Academy caught up].

Personally, I have to give the edge to Lubezki because of what he accomplished with natural lighting and shot selection, but I wouldn’t be upset if any of these guys won. The winner will be announced Feb. 14 at the 30th ASC Awards ceremony.

sneider-cut-sicario-emily-blunt
Image via Lionsgate
bridge-of-spies-tom-hanks
Image via DreamWorks/Fox2000
carol-image-cate-blanchett
Image via The Weinstein Company
the-revenant-leonardo-dicaprio-image
Image via 20th Century Fox
Tom Hardy in Mad Max: Fury Road
Image via Warner Bros.