By the mid-70s Almendros was alternating between major American films and projects for European directors. With his Oscar-winning work on Terrence Malick's "Days of Heaven" (1978), Almendros introduced a completely natural look to his films, eschewing traditional studio lighting, filters and trickery for use of existing natural light in such features as "The Blue Lagoon" (1980) and "Sophie's Choice" (1982).
In the 80s, while continuing to create luminous images for the likes of Robert Benton and Martin Scorsese, Almendros also directed two piercing interview-documentaries about political repression and human rights violations in Cuba: "Improper Conduct" (1983, with Orlando Jimenez-Leal) and "Nobody Listened" (1988, with Jorge Ulla). He authored an acclaimed book on cinematography, "A Man With A Camera" (1980).