Biography

Carissa Dorson is a Los Angeles-based director of photography originally from Silver Spring, Maryland. Her credits include A Little Late with Lilly Singh (NBC), It's a Party (Showtime), and I Think She Likes You (Tribeca Film Festival). After graduating with a BFA from Florida State University's College of Motion Picture Arts in 2011, Carissa started her cinematography career by filming sketch comedy at CollegeHumor and Funny or Die. She also spent time at the Upright Citizens Brigade theater making films with her favorite improv comedians. No matter how serious or light-hearted the genre, Carissa loves when her projects explore hard truths, vulnerability and human connection. Her most recent credit is Netflix's feature-length documentary Stand Out, telling the story of LGBTQ+ comics who dared to be their authentic selves. Carissa is also a fine art photographer with an interest in narrative portraiture. Her photo series Funny People. Serious Photos was featured in L.A. Weekly and her photography book Conversations with Dad was published in 2021 by Kehrer Verlag.

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