Hillary Fyfe Spera

Hillary Fyfe Spera is an American director of photography who did not pursue a traditional film-school route. She began her career in still photography and gradually gained experience by taking on any available camera or operator work, eventually progressing to become a director of photography.

In the early stages of her career, Spera developed a varied portfolio that included documentary features such as *After Tiller* (2013) and *Oxyana* (2013), as well as narrative features like *Wildlike* (2014), which was filmed in Alaska and featured Bruce Greenwood and Ella Purnell. For her work on *Wildlike*, she received the Gerald Hirschfeld A.S.C. Award for Cinematography (Narrative Feature) at the Ashland Independent Film Festival in Oregon in 2015.

As her career advanced, Spera transitioned into more prominent television and streaming projects. She served as director of photography on the mini-series *Dexter: New Blood* (2021–22), which involved challenging conditions such as snow, cold weather, and extensive exterior shooting. She also contributed a distinct cinematic style to the series *Daredevil: Born Again* (2025–), drawing from 1970s New York thrillers and using vintage anamorphic lenses to add texture, width, and character to the visual presentation.

Spera highlights the collaborative aspect of cinematography and the belief that a cinematographer supports the crew as much as the director: “we are only as good as our team — we are not doing this solo.” Though she did not attend a formal graduate-level cinematography program, she cites influential cinematographers such as Harris Savides, Gordon Willis, and Vilmos Zsigmond as artistic inspirations.