When the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched from California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base last week, thousands of the curious stepped outside to point their phones and cameras toward the stars for the show. Among them was photographer and videographer Dan Marker-Moore, who set up to frame the launch with his home of downtown Los Angeles. His resulting short video of the rocket’s progress through the sky, posted to his @danorst Instagram, perfectly shows off his talent for capturing compelling video and images in the moment, even when the subject is miles and miles away and moving at more than 3,500 mph through the night.
It’s a talent appreciated by the 32-year-old’s more than 129,000 followers, as well as an impressive client list that includes Toyota, Puma, American Airlines, and Adidas.
Adorama caught up with Marker-Moore to find out why he’s so enamored by skylines, and which of his photos has earned pride of place as his smartphone wallpaper.
Adorama: First things first. What is your gear setup and your usual editing workflow?
Marker-Moore: I typically shoot on one of my two Sony a7R IIIs. I really like wide-angle and telephoto lenses. They are on opposite ends of the focal length spectrum and I feel both bring more drama to the frame than a 50mm. My favorites lenses are the 100-400mm and 10mm.
For editing, I like to use Adobe Lightroom to cull and do basic edits on my photos. If an image needs more “oomph,” I take it into Adobe Photoshop for some extra love.
Adorama: Was there a moment you remember first falling in love with photography?
Marker-Moore: It was after signing up for Instagram that I began taking and sharing photos everyday. Before that I wasn’t too serious about the craft. I am self-taught in photography, though I have a background in commercial design and animation, and used to direct and create 2D/3D content for movies and commercials. It was the constant creation of Instagramming that enabled me to push myself as a photographer. If Instagram didn’t exist I’d probably still be doing motion graphics, or something in the advertising realm.
Adorama: How do you make a living right now, and how big a role does your photography play?
Marker-Moore: I typically work with clients that are looking to have content created for their social media channels.
Adorama: Your images typically showcase the urban topography of major cities. What is it about a city’s skyline, architecture, or streets that attracts you and makes you want to capture it with your camera?
Marker-Moore: I just love skylines. I take a lot of time-lapses, and it’s a real treat to watch the sunset fade as the city lights begin illuminating the sky. This is what I try to capture.
Adorama: You’re known for your “Time Slice” series, that combines slivers of photo or video of a place, taken over a small range of time, into one image or film. How many images or how much video does the production of Time Slice typically require? And what is the greatest challenge for you in making one?
Marker-Moore: Each Time Slice is unique and uses the number of images used are never the same. I have made them with as few as two and as many as several hundred photos. My favorites are the ones I create with 20 to 40 images, as I feel this number gives the final image more balance without being too busy.
Adorama: A recent video you shared on Instagram seems to combine a drone aerial with a nighttime timelapse. Can you share a little of how you went about creating this?
Marker-Moore: This particular video was shot with a drone over the curviest street in San Francisco, Lombard Street. I stabilized the footage and added my long expo video effect to it. It’s a process that I’ve detailed on my YouTube channel.
Adorama: If you had to choose from a small plane, a helicopter, or a drone for all your future aerial photography, which would you choose and why?
Marker-Moore: Drones are so easy to set up and control, and can be controlled with such precision. I love shooting from planes, helicopters, and blimps, but they are much more difficult to maneuver and challenging for capturing exactly what you’re after. Helicopters still have their place, and great for when you need a longer lens or bigger equipment. But drones are the future.
Adorama: Have you experienced any drone fails, or near-fails? (And, if so, do share the story!)
Marker-Moore: I had a failure years ago, with one of my first drones. I was flying above a forest on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, and I thought it was a goner for sure. When I got home that night I connected my iPad to WiFi and was able to pinpoint the last location of the drone on a map. I set out on an epic hike the next day and, to my surprise, actually found it deep in the forest.
Adorama: If you could only recommend one place to a photographer visiting Los Angeles, where would it be and why is it so special?
Marker-Moore: The hills are a special place in L.A. Some of the best easy hikes are in the many parks across them. Everyone must see the vistas from Griffith Park, like the top of Cahuenga Peak, where you have a 360-degree vantage point over all of L.A. and the Valley.
Adorama: You just received a certificate of recognition from the mayor of Los Angeles. Can you explain what it signifies, and what it means for you to be recognized for your work by your city?
Marker-Moore: I have been lucky enough to be included in the Mayor’s Corps of Los Angeles, a select group of photographers invited for special access to various photo opportunities centered around the city of L.A. One of my photos was selected to hang in the mayor’s office, and I was awarded a certificate in honor of that photo.
Adorama: What’s your single favorite photo you’ve captured and shared, and can you tell the story behind it?
Marker-Moore: One of my favorite photos was taken on a formation flight from a small plane. The flight included two planes flying close together, from around Orange County to Malibu. On the way back we crossed downtown L.A. and I got a photo of the other plane above the city. The image is quite unique and a close perspective of a plane you don’t see too often. To me, it gives off classic L.A. vibes and I had it set as my phone wallpaper for a long time.
Check out Marker-Moore’s Through the Lens episode below:
