Derek Blanks
Derek Blanks is a talent, unlike others who share his craft. Respected media brands like CoverGirl, ESSENCE, BET Networks, and Sony Music Entertainment, to name a few, frequently seek him for iconic campaigns and cover shoots while celebrities’ request him exclusively for personal photo sessions including the Alter Ego, as made popular by NeNe Leakes of Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Atlanta.
Though his client roster boasts some of the biggest names on the planet including Oscar Award-Winning Actors Mo’Nique, Viola Davis, Jennifer Hudson and Cuba Gooding Jr.; Olympian’s Gabby Douglas and Carmelita Jeter; Nicki Minaj, Wendy Williams, Steve Harvey, Janelle Monae, Chaka Khan, Kelly Rowland and Nick Cannon, Derek’s artistry is willingly available for anyone who desires to stand in front of his lens.
As a consummate visual artist, photographer, budding director and television personality with appearances on The Real Housewives of Atlanta, Don’t Be Tardy for The Wedding, The Insider, My Fair Wedding with David Tutera and more, Derek Blanks is the definition of a true renaissance man, a title sincerely earned as one of the hardest working, studied & disciplined photographers in the country. Born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi, Blanks’ talents were undeniable even at a young age, prompting his parents to enroll him in APAC, an academic and performing arts complex designed to nurture his budding artistic skills. Blanks went on to successfully graduate Magna Cum Laude from the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, MD receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration. In 2013, Blanks received the Alumni
Award from the Board of Trustees for outstanding achievements and contributions to the arts.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but when each shot is intentioned to be the perfect pairing of your image & the undeniable vision of a photographer like Derek Blanks, works so engaging can truly render you… speechless.