Tomislav Pinter (1926-2008) was the most awarded Croatian cinematographer. In this paper, after the concept of cinematography is defined and the complexity of the concept of its authorship considered, fifteen feature films Pinter had made during the 1960s are analyzed. The proposed classification of Pinter's oeuvre into predominantly classic films on the one hand (the classic style of Point 905, Alphabet of Fear, Double Circle, and Official Position in the first half of the decade, then that of Man of the World and Roundabout in the middle of it, and that of Battle of Neretva at the very end of the decade) and predominantly modernist ones on the other (the modernism of The True State of Affairs, Prometheus of the Island, Three, and The Key: II, Waiting in the middle of the decade and that of Monday or Tuesday, I Even Met Happy Gypsies, and The Birch Tree in the second half of it) should not be understood strictly but as a guideline for understanding the choice of the cinematographer’s specific technical solutions. By reviewing the characteristics of Pinter’s cinematography in these films, it is possible to notice his progress in managing the lighting tools, exceptional sense of composition, understanding of the frame’s paradigmatic potential enabled by editing, special interest in small hand gestures and facial expressions of actors, and generally unobtrusive camera work that does not accentuate the machine’s technical capabilities to the detriment of the recorded content itself. Pinter stood out from the vast majority of his fellow contemporaries by focusing on improving his skills, especially in terms of light design, overall technical innovation, and willingness to experiment. He was among the first ones to work with color in the region and to use certain shooting equipment. Pinter participated in some of the most important projects not only in Croatian but also in Yugoslav cinema in general, which in the late 1960s enabled him access to important international collaborations. Regardless of the fact that those years are commonly associated with the dominance of authorial directing, and although Pinter was happy to adapt to the original ideas of the directors, he certainly contributed to the final production decisions. He continuously followed what was going on in the top-level world cinema. Pinter’s work is also marked by the influence of fine arts, especially the paintings of Jan Vermeer and Miljenko Stančić. He also quoted Croatian naive painting.