A little about Derek Latta

Born in Michigan to a Scottish-American father and a Colombian mother, I grew up in four different countries. Moving so often in my childhood forced me to make friends quickly and adapt to my new surroundings by appreciating what new vistas and cultural norms lay before me. Although frustrating for a kid to have to adapt and make new friends every few years, it has served me well in photography and in life. As a kid I made pictures of anything that crossed in front of my plastic, but functional, camera. My parents spent a lot of money on film developing (thanks mom and dad, by the way). My subjects were people, animals, flowers, mountains, street scenes, clouds - you name it, I clicked it. I learned and mastered all the technical 'stuff' and how to approach people. If you master lighting, composition and people skills, you can shoot anything and make it look good.

Who am I as a photographer and how would I classify myself? A Generalist? A Specialist?  My success has come from a conscious decison to embrace photography as a whole and not concentrate on one area. There's just too much out there to photograph. If I really had to narrow it down to one genre, I'd say I am a People photographer.

My images bring out the muscle, grit and finesse of my fitness subjects; capture the true essence of anyone I'm lucky enough to have in front of my camera making their portrait; record the space and function of beautiful architectural structures; the subtle but powerful physical beauty of a swimwear model; the 'connection' subjects have with each other in my lifestyle images; and the beauty and power Mother Nature places in front of us when we step outside of our homes, and ourselves. I love it all.

My portfolio is a small sample of a mix of genres and styles in fitness, portraits, architecture lifestyle, swimwear and nature, and also of what lies within me. After all, I'm a Human :)