I’m Derek Trimble, a photographer, creative director, and visual storyteller based in Knoxville, Tennessee. I’ve spent more than two decades working across photography, video, graphic design, and creative production, helping local and national brands turn ideas into images and stories that connect with people.

My design background has always shaped the way I work. Before building my career as a freelance photographer and filmmaker, I spent years working in-house with talented creative teams, overseeing product photography, art directing lifestyle shoots, developing campaigns, designing packaging, producing retail graphics, and creating content for national retailers. That experience taught me to think beyond the frame—to understand how an image needs to work across a campaign, a website, a package, a social feed, or a national advertising effort.

Today, I work with brands, agencies, production companies, and editorial clients across photography and video, with a particular interest in products, food, lifestyle, and the people and places that give the South its character. I’m equally comfortable building a controlled studio set, documenting a working farm, producing a commercial campaign, or stepping onto a larger production as a photographer, DIT, or drone operator. My work has included projects for brands and organizations such as Blackberry Mountain, Patricia Nash Designs, Bad Boy Mowers, Cirrus Aircraft, Zaxby’s, the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, Food Network, HGTV, Warner Bros. Discovery, Sally Beauty Supply, Kincer Chassis and more.

I love the intersection of good photography and real stories. I’m drawn to work that has a sense of place—particularly the rural landscapes, agricultural communities, independent businesses, food, and people of the American South. I want my images to feel polished enough for a national campaign while still feeling honest, specific, and human.

Whether I’m photographing a single product in the studio or spending a week chasing a story across Tennessee, I bring the same approach: thoughtful preparation, strong visual problem-solving, and a genuine curiosity about the people and ideas behind the work.