Derek Cookson Photography – Royal Oak, MI Wedding and Portrait Photographer bio picture

  • WELCOME!

    My philosophy of "Life, Laughter, and Love" was inspired by my wife when she had it engraved in my wedding ring, always there to remind me what's important. It's also what guides me to capture what I do, when I have a camera in my hand.

    Friends will ask me if I consider it work, but I ask, how can it be? When I am blessed to be able to share such wonderful moments in peoples lives, to be shared forever, I can't call it work, but I can tell you it's the best job in the world. And I would love to share it with you!

    -Derek

Amy and Ray were only in town for a few days from Victoria, BC, (she was a bridesmaid in Sarah and Jason’s Wedding!) and we lucked out with a beautiful evening that looked more summer than fall…except the HEAT was brought on by THESE TWO!

We went for a little walk around downtown Windsor, stopped in at a cool bar, (Villians!) and just generally looked smoking hot along the way. Wish the happy couple a huge CONGRATULATIONS towards their upcoming wedding, and don’t forget to check it out on the facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/derekcooksonphotography so you can hit ‘LIKE’ on them all!

Filed in: Engagements
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1. I’ve always wanted to do a cyber-monday sale! (technically, this sale lasts a week…but I wanted to give more than ONE DAY for everyone!)

2. The DEBUT of my new logo! There’s a LOT of changes to come around here soon, so stay tuned!

3. If you would like to place an order, please email me the file name and the size you would like, and I will bill you separately.

4. If your session has already been photographed, but you are (patiently) waiting for the finals, I will honour these prices for one week after delivery, just for being awesome and allowing me to catch up!

Filed in: Discussions
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It is a little unusual to not be able to meet the groom until the wedding day itself, especially since Katie and I had chatted for half a year before then…but when the groom is a US Marine stationed overseas, it is an HONOUR to meet him on his wedding day – and the wait was worth it!
Katie and Chris are two beautiful people inside and out, and I enjoyed every moment of sharing their wedding day with them! You could just feel the sizzle between them, from the moment he laid his eyes on her, on to the very end, they had a passion for each other that most should learn from! PLEASE send a huge congratulations to them in the comments, TAG your friends in the photos, check out the facebook page over at http://www.facebook.com/derekcooksonphotography for more fun wedding photographs, and PLEASE remember to thank the service men and women in your life for their service to their country!

Filed in: Smiles | Weddings
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Alex was a little quiet when we first started shooting….I couldn’t tell if it was him being nervous or me being excited when I found out he has an interest in film-making;  I was rambling on about camera gear and films! haha But he rocked the shoot and was a complete natural, taking beautiful Downtown Milford by storm! He also gets the honour of being my FIRST male senior portrait session! So wish him CONGRATULATIONS in his graduating year, and don’t forget to check out the FACEBOOK PAGE for more fun portraits at http://www.facebook.com/derekcooksonphotography !

Filed in: Seniors
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*Due to the *Mature Rating* of some of these photos, I just wanted to put them on a private page.If you’re here, I’m assuming you made a choice to be here and view these – if not, then please don’t click and just move on to other photos!  Please remember, this was a Halloween Celebration, so the images may have graphic costumes or not much costume on at all, (Burlesque dancers!)  – In short, it’s all in good fun! But all in all, it was an amazingly cool experience, and one that made me proud to see accomplished in Detroit. There is such a vast well of creativity and performers in this area, and it’s nice to see their hard work culminate in something so grand.

Theatre Bizarre is a One-Night-Only Celebration that happens once a year in Detroit. This year’s title was “The Summoning.” To attempt to explain it would never do it justice. (Just go HERE to their official page and read all about it and it’s colourful history..it’s practically a Detroit landmark on it’s own!). This year, my friend Miranda Hopkins (another talented photographer herself!), being a Theatre Bizarre veteran, grabbed me a ticket, and brought me along on the journey, both os uf with cameras in tow. UNFORTUNATELY, unbeknownst to me, she was not allowed inside with her camera due to an overzealous security guard who said “I’m not supposed to let those kinds of cameras in here.” Despite him NOT seeing mine, and despite there being only about 400 other cameras and cell phones inside, I was not going to let it sway me from my goal… I was a man on a mission, wearing a luchador mask and ready to record some amazingness that night! Nothing would get in my way!

And so, here is the fruits of my trip. My goal wasn’t to create anything to sell, my goal wasn’t to be disruptive. Indeed, I travelled with only my trusty 5D Mark III and a single 35L F1.4 lens, no flash, nothing more to slow me down. (I even left the grain purposely in many of the photos as, other than a few adjustments for exposure and white balance, I wanted to preserve the feeling of the night in the photosso they are as raw as I would like them to be.)  I wanted to photograph cool things and share them with others, to push myself to be creative without being hired to do so, to stretch myself to the confines of only one lens and one focal length.  To put it bluntly, I wanted to shoot something just for me. And I hope you enjoy them too!

To borrow a quote from Theatre Bizarre’s ringleader and “Mascot” of sorts, the undead Zombo wrote on the official TB Facebook page the morning of October 20, 2012:  ”At long last, the day has arrived. Blood runs hot in our veins – pulsing in our ears. Our dark hearts are drawn to The Temple – each beat pulling us nearer. The waiting is almost over, minions. Tonight, we truly live…”

**To see the photos, please click HERE, but as stated before, keep in mind there may be some (tiny) mature content.**

Here’s one for a preview:

Filed in: Events | Smiles
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Monica and Adam were getting married, and MAN did they show me how they do it in Northern Michigan – Alpena to be exact!
Even though the weather was determined to keep us wet, they grabbed some umbrellas and didn’t bat an eye. Even though my time in Alpena was mostly a rainy one, they showed me what troopers they are by taking photos in the rain, having a huge party in a church, and taught me that couples that hunt together STAY together!
It was a wonderful night of fun and family, and I couldn’t wish the happy newlyweds a bigger CONGRATULATIONS! Check it out on the facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/derekcooksonphotography so you can hit ‘LIKE’ , leave your well wishes in the comments, and tag your friends!

Filed in: Weddings
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