Google honors cinematographer James Wong Howe

May 25 (UPI) -- Google is celebrating innovative Chinese-American cinematographer James Wong Howe with a new Doodle to mark the anniversary of one of his most famous works, 1934's The Thin Man, and for Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

Howe, born in Guangzhou, China, immigrated to the United States when he was five, discovering the film industry after working a number of odd jobs as a teenager, including boxing.

"Throughout his career, he used lighting, framing, and minimal camera movement to express emotion. He accidentally discovered how to use dark backdrops to create color nuances in black-and-white film. He pioneered using wide-angle lenses, low key lighting, and color lighting. Howe also made early use of the crab dolly, a camera dolly with four wheels and a movable arm supporting the camera," Google said about his career.

Howe, despite facing racial discrimination in his private life, including the fact that his marriage was not legally recognized until 1948, retired with two Oscar awards and is one of the most celebrated cinematographers of all time.

Google's homepage features black and white artwork depicting Howe standing in front of a movie theater.

Google also posted the thoughts of Don Lee, Howe's nephew who described the type of person his uncle was.

"While Jimmie had a reputation for being very serious and dedicated, he was also known as a willing listener and collaborator with his peers," Lee said. "Jimmie proved, over the time I knew him, to be a consummate artist, valued friend and affectionate uncle."