Erik Daarstad is one of the world's great cinematographers. In a distinguished career spanning nearly 60 years and hundreds of award-winning motion pictures, the skill, beauty and sensitivity of his cinematography has become legend. This autobiography tells of not only his personal story and long career in the movies, but also follows the sweep of history through 80 years of a life fully lived.

Born in 1935 in a small village in Norway, Daarstad's earliest memories are of the Nazi occupation of his homeland during World War II. Developing a fascination with photography and...