The tragic death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins at the young age of 42 after she was accidently shot by actor Alec Baldwin in Albuquerque, New Mexico, has not only left the film world reeling but also left many shocked at how such an horrific incident could happen on a tightly controlled film set.

The tragedy happened on Thursday during the filming of new western Rust in the southwestern US state at Bonanza Creek Ranch, a production location near Santa Fe which is popular with Hollywood filmmakers.

Ms Hutchins, a native of Ukraine, and the film's director, Joel Souza, "were shot when a prop firearm was discharged by Alec Baldwin," the sheriff in Santa Fe said in a statement.

In 2019, American Cinematographer named Ms. Hutchins as one of their 10 rising stars of cinematography.

Ms Hutchins was taken to hospital but died of her wounds, while Mr Souza, 48, is receiving treatment for his injuries.

The terrible event has cut short the life of an artist who was quickly carving out a reputation in a craft that doesn’t always get the credit it deserves.

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A film director may have the final say on which direction the camera points, but the cinematographer is the artist and technician who makes the magic happen by capturing the light and getting the camera to conjure up the images we see up on the big screen.

And Ms Hutchins was already making a name for herself at the time of her death. She had worked on such films as the quirky low budget superhero movie Archenemy (2020), split personality horror Darlin' (2019), and cop thriller Blindfire (2020).

In 2019, American Cinematographer named her as one of their 10 rising stars of cinematography.

She was born in 1979 in Ukrainian, which was then part of the former Soviet Union and grew up on a Soviet military base in the Arctic. As she said on her website, "I grew up surrounded by reindeer and nuclear submarines".

She began her career in film by shooting her own experiences in extreme sports such as parachuting and caving.

Before she moved to the US and began working in film, Ms Hutchins worked as a journalist in Eastern Europe. In LA, she worked in any movie production job she could and also dabbled in fashion photography ("I wanted to learn the aesthetics of lighting - how you create the mood, the feeling." she said) and studied at the American Film Institute Conservatory from 2013 to 2015.

"One thing I learned is that cinematography is not something you do by yourself. It’s a group project," she told American Cinematographer. "You need to develop your own vision, but the key to a successful film is communication with your director and your team."

Her thesis project, Hidden, made with director Farzad Ostorvazadeh, was screened at the Camerimage International Film Festival and she was a finalist for the Vizio + Dolby Vision Filmmaker Challenge.

In 2018, she was one of the first eight female cinematographers participating in the Fox DP Lab program, which was established to provide greater opportunities for women cinematographers.

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The cinematographer spent several weeks filming in Ireland last year and posted several videos and photos on her Instagram page of her work in Birr Castle and her time in Dublin.

In the days before her death, Ms Hutchins posted a video of herself in a cowboy hat as she rode a horse down a trail and wrote: "One of the perks of shooting a western is you get to ride horses on your day off."

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Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has led tributes to the late cinematographer, saying, "I am so, so sorry. Rest easy. My love and strength to your family."

Magic Mike actor Joe Manganiello said, "She was an absolutely incredible talent and a great person. She had such an eye and a visual style, she was the kind of cinematographer that you wanted to see succeed because you wanted to see what she could pull off next.

"This is a horrible tragedy. My heart goes out to her family and especially to her son. I am so sad today for everyone who knew her and worked with her…".

Alan Corr @CorrAlan2