Hello!
My passion for photography started after my parents bought me my first point and shoot camera in Jr. High. With my mother being a native to Montana and my father spending most of his childhood summers in Minnesota, our family vacations were always in amazingly beautiful and scenic locations. That camera was always in my pocket and traveled with me thousands of miles around the country.
In 2013 I graduated from Northwest Missouri State University with a degree in Agriculture Business. After graduation I decided I wanted to pursue photography more seriously so I purchased my first DSLR camera, lens set, and a license for Adobe Photoshop. I spent the next 4 years watching YouTube tutorials, reading books, and traveling around the country learning the art of digital photography and editing.
In the fall of 2015 I married my best friend and the love of my life, Rebecca. We love to travel, fish, hunt, camp, and backpack. She also enjoys photography, but most of all she loves to travel and explore amazing locations around the world and watch me take pictures of our memories.
In 2017 my wife encouraged me to start selling some of my work. I had always been hesitant with this idea, but her encouragement made it easier. The demand for my photos were increasing thanks to Facebook and some of my work being displayed around my hometown of Oregon, Missouri. After much debate I took the plunge and entered my first art show at the Trails West Art Festival in St. Joseph Missouri. I was taken by surprise when I was awarded 2nd place in the 2D art category at the show and sold several prints of my work. I had always personally enjoyed my work, but never figured everyone else would enjoy them as much as me.
In 2021 I launched my website, and hopefully a career of adventure and photography with my favorite sidekick Rebecca. We have traveled to some amazing places, but I am most excited for the ones we haven’t even dreamt up yet!
2024 was a huge year for me as I officially became a published photographer. This milestone was a major goal for me, and fortunately Ducks Unlimited helped me fulfill this goal in the September/October edition of their publication!
I appreciate the support and help from all of my family and friends with this passion project of mine. And I thank you for stopping by and taking a look at my work. I appreciate it immensely.
God Bless,
Garrett Derr
