A passion for images began early for Erica Black. Starting out in college, she pursued a degree in photography specializing in hand-processed black and white images at The University of the South, Sewanee, but soon was drawn into the exciting world of collaborative film making. Working as a set production assistant on several Hollywood movies and network TV shows, she quickly realized that she was largely drawn to the camera department.

Later at the University of Colorado Boulder’s Film program, Erica studied under art-film masters such as Stan Brakhage, Phil Solomon and documentary film maker Ilisa Barbage. Erica received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film Production from UC-Boulder. Continuing her education Erica later completed a Masters Degree in Graphic Communications from Clemson University.

Having originally learned cinematography on super-8 and Bolex 16mm cameras, Erica was still able to quickly make the the transition to HD and miniDV for Reclaiming the Blade. One unique aspect as Director of Photography on Reclaiming the Blade, Erica managed an international project that often times included multiple cinematographers and camera crews from around the globe. This highly sophisticated role allowed her to explore all the avenues of DP management while working with the amazing international cinematographers featured in this film.