Hossein Jafarian is a graduate of the Iran Broadcasting University. He began his career working for Iranian state-run television where he shot over 40 documentaries and TV shows before retiring early soon after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. His feature film debut was with 1984's Tatooreh. But it wasn't until 1992's Nargess that he established himself as a leading cinematographer in Iran. It was with "Nargess" that he for the first time captured "real nights" on the Iranian film screen. Jafarian has a distinctive style of his own. His work draws comparisons with the American cinematographer Gordon Willis for his use of darkness and low-key lighting. Many of his films have gone on to win awards at international film festival, including; Abbas Kiarostami's Through the Olive Trees, Jafar Panahi's Crimson Gold and Asghar Farhadi's "Fireworks Wednesday" and About Elly. He was a guest at 2004's Camerimage with "Crimson Gold" and was nominated for the 'Golden Frog' in 2009 for About Elly.