What cameras and lenses does Starship Gazer use?

Canon R5 professional camera with 3 RF lenses and 2 telephoto extenders, Nikon P1000 Super Zoom camera and Samsung S23 Ultra cell phone. ~ $15,000 worth of planet Earth’s finest professional camera gear.

How do I view Starship Gazer’s Starbase Photos and Videos and Live Streams?

Subscribe for free to the Starship Gazer YouTube channel for Professional 4K Video footage from Starbase Texas and Join with a Patreon monthly membership to enable Discord server access where you can download Huge amounts of full professional resolution Starbase photos. I also post lots of professional photos on X but most of my content is posted on the Starship Gazer Discord Server.

Is Starship Gazer a business?

No. I have no registered business, I have never printed a business card, I have never sold any prints or merchandise of any kind. I am not at Starbase to be any kind of for profit business salesman or grifter. I’m documenting Starship and Starship purely as a lifelong passion. The vast majority of my time is consumed doing field photography and videography and video and photo editing work. I have no available time to run a business and also be a field photographer/videographer/editor and part time Uber/Lyft driver.

Has Starship Gazer had offers to be a photographer for any of the big popular Starship related YouTube channels?

Yes, I have had many offers to be a main photographer for all of the big for profit business groups covering Starbase and Starship including NSF, Marcus House, LabPadre, RGV Aerial, What About it and many others and I appreciate the offers but I turned them all down to remain my own independent self and own all of my own copyrights. I have spent my entire life very passionately tracking SpaceX progress towards Mars and will continue independently covering the progress all the way.

Do you edit your photos or use camera lens filters?

Very rarely. I want my photos to match reality as close as possible. Many photographers at Starbase make heavy use of photo editing/manipulating/a.i. software and camera lens filters to change the look of their photos in order to sell prints or appeal to the wider general public. Starship Gazer does not.

Do you agree with “Fair Use” of Starship Gazer content in YouTube videos and elsewhere?

Absolutely Not. It costs me a tremendous amount of money, time and effort to create my photos, videos and live streams. My content should Not be allowed to be used at no cost to help YouTube video makers or anyone else sit at home, edit into their videos and make money from my extremely expensive content.

How can I contact Starship Gazer?

Send me an email directly at operator@starshipgazer.com, send me a direct message on X, message me on the Starship Gazer Discord Server, message me on YouTube or meet me in person at Starbase.

Does Starship Gazer have a Discord server?

Yes! With an awesome community of fellow Starship Gazers. You can gain access to my private Starship Gazer Discord server and amazing community there by joining with a YouTube or Patreon or X monthly membership for as little as $2 month. I post massive amounts of exclusive full professional resolution photos and video footage not seen anywhere else.

When was your very first day photo/video documenting the Starship program?

May 14, 2019 - I created and posted the world’s first video footage of the Florida Starship build site at 850 Cidco Road in Cocoa, Florida and I have been documenting the Starship program ever since. See the video here.

When was your first day at Starbase Texas?

March 12, 2021

How long do you plan to photograph and film at Starbase, TX?

From 3/12/21 and for another ~ 3 decades into the future. I hope to live long enough to see the construction of the first self-sustaining Martian city and I will be at Starbase Texas covering it the whole way. 877 total unique days spent live in person on the ground at Starbase TX as of 10/6/25

Are you officially credentialed media by the SpaceX media department?

Yes I am. I have attended every official SpaceX media event and launch at Starbase Texas as an officially credentialed independent photojournalist.

Did you attend college?

Yes, I have completed 3 years of college with high honors and earned an associate’s of science degree in Pre-Engineering. I was attending college to study Chemical Engineering to work on in-situ resource utilization studies but that was severely disrupted by a car crash in late 2004. A negligent UPS truck driver was at fault and killed my 18 year old sister. I used every penny of my $38,500 military GI Bill college benefits plus another $29,000 in student loans.

Are you a military veteran?

Yes I am. I completed an 8 year contract in the United States Marine Corps from 9/98 to 9/06. 4 years active duty and 4 years inactive ready reserves while in college. I was an Embarkation Logistics and Combat Service Support Specialist for an aviation combat squadron and held a Secret security clearance. I participated in 4 overseas combat operations. I received an honorable discharge and I’m a VFW member. Oorah! Semper Fi!

How can I help financially support the Starship Gazer team?

Please read my detailed web page discussing my operating expenses and all of the ways to help. Thanks so much!

What is something that you are most concerned about?

Humans are on the verge of creating super dangerous and powerful Artificial General Intelligence. Other advanced intelligent alien civilizations might be closely monitoring human progress with A.I. and intervene or destroy us before it gets too powerful and out of control. A powerful enough A.I. would potentially be an existential threat to any other alien civilizations in the galaxy and universe and they would have to take preemptive action against Earth and humans to prevent it. So Earth might really be on the verge of an actual alien invasion to stop A.I. It might sound like science fiction or a joke, but it is absolutely a very real and concerning possibility.

Are you going to write a book about your time, experiences and interactions at Starbase, Texas?

Absolutely. I have a WHOLE lot to write about and say. ;)

Are you going to make a documentary or video series?

Absolutely. I have a colossal amount of professional photos and video footage that I own all copyrights for and it will all be used to make a documentary once Starship is a successful operational rocket.

Are there public restrooms or restaurants or public facilities of any kind at Starbase?

No, there are no public facilities of any kind available but a public Tesla diner is planned to open in the future.

Where is the best place to view Starbase launches from?

Isla Blanca Park on South Padre Island is exactly 5 miles from the launch pad and is a great public viewing location.

Are you Single and ready to mingle Ryan?!?

Yes! Yes I am! ;)