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derek@jecxz.com | 215-435-1374


1 min read
American Graffiti
I first visited Three Rivers, New Mexico in 2007, during a snowstorm and made Into the White. I had hiked in the snow and climbed the...


5 min read
Making a Photograph
People often ask, “How did you make this photograph?” There is no short answer, no secret recipe; I genuinely wish I could say, I did A,...


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What Is It?
While studying a scene or subject in my viewfinder, I often ask myself, What is it? What am I looking at? What is the subject? I want to...


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Creative Block
Sometimes I have periods of lackluster or limited creativity; authors call it writer’s block. It is quite frustrating to lose the ability...


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After Sunset
One of my not-so-secret secrets for a dramatic sky or brilliant colors is to remain in the landscape long after the Sun has set; the...


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Wide Angles
Camera lens technology is incredible; with a 300mm, 400mm or 600mm lens, I am able to make a crisp photograph of an object that is very...


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Fill the Viewfinder!
Did you ever look at one of your photographs and feel it was not what you originally saw? When I am in the landscape, working on a...


1 min read
Nebraska Dawn Lake
My game plan was to juxtapose the lake reeds with the emptiness created by the fog; an exposure of several seconds would smooth the lake.


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Do Not Xerox
If I ever wanted to be more than a landscape Xerox machine, I had to bring my A game to creativity.


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What Are You Doing?
I am an artist. I am in pursuit of creativity with the goal of making a work of art photograph.


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Previsualization
Previsualization is seeing the final photograph before making exposures with a camera.


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Fluid Sunset
I made this colorful windswept sunset photograph while exploring a remote region in northern Quebec. While driving along the shore, I...


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Escaping Brilliance
As an artist, I am not content with merely duplicating the landscape; I seek to portray it from my perspective.


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Did it really look like that?
I am often asked, “Did it really look like that?” My answer is always the same, “Yes, it looked like that to me.” I am not being snide,...


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Shore Rocks
I was uncertain about the cloudy sky, unsure whether the Sun would peak through; I had already checked out several locations on the...
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