Michael Bauman is an American cinematographer, best known for collaboration with director Paul Thomas Anderson.
After graduating from the American Film Institute's cinematography program in 1992, Bauman began his career in the film industry working as a lighting technician on music videos and feature films. He took over as gaffer near the end of filming for Stuart Little (1999).
In addition, Bauman also co-founded LiteGear, a manufacturer of lighting products.
Bauman began working with Paul Thomas Anderson as the gaffer on The Master (2012) and Inherent Vice (2014).
On Phantom Thread (2017), Anderson declined to hire his longtime cinematographer Robert Elswit. According to Anderson, Phantom Thread did not have a traditional cinematographer during production, and the duty was shared among him and several crew members including Bauman (credited as the "lighting cameraman"), and no cinematography credit is given in the final film.
Bauman worked with Anderson on his next two films, as co-cinematographer on Licorice Pizza (2021) and sole cinematographer on One Battle After Another (2025), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography.
Short film
Feature film
Television