His films included Gunga Din (1939) for which he was nominated for Academy Award for Best Cinematography, The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939), The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941), and Portrait of Jennie (1948).

[1] He died in 1947 shortly after completing the filming of Portrait of Jennie.

He received his second Oscar nomination, posthumously, for this film.

His son, Joseph S. August (1916–2006), was also a cinematographer.

This article about an American cinematographer is a stub.