Marcus Thornton is a professional travel photographer with a specialisation in Hong Kong cityscapes and urban night photography. He trained at the London College of Communication and holds a fellowship from the Royal Photographic Society. With 18 years shooting for publications including National Geographic Traveller and Condé Nast Traveller, he now leads photography workshops across Asia.
Marcus Thornton discovered his passion for photography during a gap year in Hong Kong before studying for his BA in Photojournalism at the London College of Communication. His early career saw him assisting legendary Magnum photographers before establishing himself as a specialist in Asian urban landscapes. Marcus has been commissioned by National Geographic Traveller, Condé Nast Traveller, and the South China Morning Post to capture Hong Kong's evolving skyline across different eras. His distinctive style balances technical precision with emotional storytelling, whether shooting the Symphony of Lights from a junk boat or documenting the disappearing neon signs of Kowloon. He was awarded a fellowship from the Royal Photographic Society in recognition of his contribution to travel photography and has exhibited at the Hong Kong International Photo Festival three times. Marcus has photographed Victoria Harbour from virtually every accessible angle over nearly two decades, developing an encyclopaedic knowledge of vantage points, lighting conditions, and crowd patterns. He now divides his time between commercial assignments and teaching workshops that help amateur photographers achieve professional results with modest equipment. His writing demystifies the technical challenges of shooting in Hong Kong's unique conditions, from managing humidity on lens elements to capturing motion in crowded markets.