Dom’s Triple-Shot is the first in a series of interview and photography features from various invite only photographers from around the World. Crossfire will introduce you to their favourite photography with a little inside of how they see skateboarding through the life of a lens. Enjoy the very first one of many..
Full name please sir? Dominic Marley
How long have you been a photographer?
I got interested in photography about five years ago.
How did you get into skate photography?
Through Skateboarding and getting into shooting photographs, also seeing Wig Worland and Leo Sharpe about and thinking they were cool!
What were the best and worst bits of advice anyone gave you in regards to photography?
Wig gave some amazing advice and help when I started getting into shooting photo’s, he really did take some time to talk things through and Leo has always given really good advice too. They are both inspirations.
Have you ever felt bad about taking a photo?
If I feel bad about taking a photo I won’t take it. There’s time’s where you feel it’s not right too take a photo. Personally I think a photo should be an agreed thing.
What image first inspired you to take up photography?
There wasn’t one particular photo that made me take up photography, but its definitely amazing to see great photo’s.
I can remember seeing a photo of Rick McCrank doing a kick flip out of that sculpture at La Defense on a Transworld cover in around 2000. The photo was amazing it was spot on, I think it was shot by Pete Thompson and if you’ve ever skated that spot you will know that riding up that thing is a mission in itself let alone getting the speed to pop a kickflip out of it! The footage was amazing too.
As for non skate photo’s David LaChappelle’s work is amazing. His photo’s are more like stills from a film, each photo has a narrative and is put together with a team of assistants and with amazing lighting.
It’s also amazing to see Nadav Kander photo’s, his photo’s are also the culmination of an idea and technically they stand out as fantastic. His portrait work is really great.
What are the best days shooting skateboarding?
It’s great sitting by a sunset….
What’s the relationship like between a photographer and filmer?
When it’s your mate its good because you’ve got someone to sit there and have a natter with.
What advice would you give to upcoming skate photographers?
Don’t carry too much stuff because its not good for posture.
Are there ways of getting better/free equipment as you continue to grow or do you have to fund everything yourself?
Well if there is any lighting company out there that is selling free flashes i’l definitely try and get down there.
What is your most favourite skate photo that you have shot over the years?
This would probably be a photo of Mark Skinner doing a front board at Fairfields in I think 2001 or 2. It was the first photo I had published in Sidewalk. Skinner’s such a laugh, he’s the boy, it’s always a laugh hanging about with him and always good times.
That was on one of the days where there was an amazing atmosphere at Fairfields, the place just erupted when he rolled away.
..and your most cherished photo that you snapped outside of skateboarding?
This would Be Hilder the Butcher and the Dog’s 2002, 5.30am.
Sometime’s as a photographer you learn that no matter how much time and preperation you put into shooting a photo, you can always get a pleasant suprise from just throwing everything together and having no time at all.
This photo was for a project we (Hilder in the photo) were working on and we had arranged to shoot this photo with John the Butcher from Shortlands. He told us to meet at Shortlands train station at 5am on a Sunday morning so we could go with him to the dog training facility in New Addington where he keep’s his dog’s.
We managed to turn up late and drove down to the Kennel’s to look for him. When we got there we bumped into him on the driveway there, he was heading back in with his dog’s, he literally gave us five minute’s to shoot the photo, so the flashes were thrown up there and then and we quickly started to shoot. It was fun shooting that photo and John gave us a good tip on the dog Shadwell Lemon!
If you were to buy a pocket snapper for capturing skating on a budget to get going, which camera would you suggest?
Fm2 all the way, it’s still a camera that holds the test of time today. Some skate photographer legends are shooting on them all the time and they are great cameras.
Would you recommend digital or film?
For sequence’s its definitely digital, its no stress you can shoot all day and not feel bad.
What are the benefits of using film or digital?
Film and digital both have their good points, digital is a really quick way of producing photo’s. It’s great to know that whatever you have shot worked out there and then.
Thanks for kicking off this series Dom, do you have a website address of your work if people want to see more?
Yeah, it’s www.dominicmarley.com
Dominic Marley regularly shoots for Sidewalk Magazine and also shoots photo’s for Blueprint Skateboards adverts.
