ABOUT
MYLES SMYTHE
Myles is a Reno, Nevada-based cinematographer/director of photography and award-winning self-shooting producer with over twenty years of experience in short- and long-form documentaries, narrative films, television, commercial, and corporate video content.
Myles is both an athlete and artist. In the late '90s, he was a semi-professional skateboarder (Planet Earth/Adio Shoes) and professional skateboard photographer and filmer in the Sacramento, CA skate scene. His skate film work extended to Transworld Magazine, Foundation Skateboards, Thrasher Magazine, and others. He made a signature style of filming both fisheye and long-lens techniques on the Sony VX1000. Myles can still be seen skateboarding weekly around Reno, Nevada, consistently landing 360 kickflips, nollie crooked grinds, and switch backside tailslides.
Myles brings his passions directly into his film work. In 2019, Myles lensed his first narrative feature film, Desert Shadows, which was released in 2022 and featured Mitch Pileggi in a major supporting role. Pileggi is best known for his role as Walter Skinner on The X-Files. In 2026, Myles was the Ski Unit DP for the feature film Bach Sh*t Crazy (filmed in Truckee, CA at Sugar Bowl Resort), a horror film you should add to your future watch list. He was also the Ski Unit DP in Telluride, CO for the 2024 high-profile Hulu documentary series After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun. In 2015 and 2016, Myles was the award-winning Director/DP (shooting producer) of two ultrarunning feature documentaries: This is Your Day and Diamond to the Rough. Myles believes it takes an athlete to film athletes. He trains almost daily so he can keep pace with elite athletes in extreme environments, giving him the freedom to focus on the shot, anticipate the action, and capture the moment.
Today, Myles continues to push his endurance boundaries as an expert skier at ski resorts and in the backcountry. He is an accomplished ultramarathon runner, having completed trail races up to 100 miles around the world. He has a deep passion for traditional rock climbing and winter mountaineering. Myles used to volunteer for the Placer County Mountain Rescue Team, training in high-angle rescue techniques.
After his skateboarding career, Myles attended the Sacramento County Sheriff's Academy in 2005, graduating at the top of his class. The son of a very successful private investigator, Myles wanted to be a forensic scientist ever since he was a child. With an unexpected opportunity, for eight years, Myles ended up designing and maintaining an enterprise-level surveillance video system for one of the top three casinos in the country, managing projects up to $4 million. With this technical, video-based background and high attention to detail, Myles returned his focus to the film industry and has been a full-time freelance cinematographer since 2013.
In 2001, Myles had been accepted into the top-tier Brooks Institute of Photography for their cinematography program, but was unable to attend. Myles now says his film school was owning and operating high-end film equipment daily and working as a Gaffer/Chief Lighting Technician alongside over one hundred other cinematographers. One of Myles' greatest strengths is his ability to learn at an exceptional pace. Combined with confidence and rich life experience, he can quickly master new equipment, techniques, and environments and perform at a consistently high level in all aspects of film production.
Outside of film, Myles is a husband and father of three. He and his wife homeschool their children and enjoy an unconventional, adventure-driven life in the Reno-Tahoe region.
Learn more about Myles' cinematography process, including behind-the-scenes breakdowns of how he approaches challenging narrative and documentary productions. (Blog coming soon)
Based in Reno, Nevada, next to Lake Tahoe, Myles is available to work worldwide.