Articles include technical how-to pieces, discussions of tools and technologies that affect cinematography, and historical features.

It began publishing American Cinematographer on November 1, 1920, as a twice-monthly four-page newsletter about the ASC and its members.

In 1929, editor Hal Hall started to change the publication; he reformatted it to standard magazine size, increased the page count, and included more articles on amateur filmmaking.

For a while during the 1930s, the magazine was devoted to professional cinematography and amateur moviemaking in equal measure.

The magazine's website (please see the "External links" for the official Web site) features a blog by John Bailey, ASC, and occasional blogs by contributing writers.