Derek Nielsen Photography

10/30/2026

Movement Shaped by Awareness - The Wild Within

Leopards move as if the world is listening. They test branches before trusting them. They adjust their weight mid-step. They adapt instantly to terrain, light, and sound. Their elegance is born from attention to a constant dialogue between body and environment.

You begin to notice how often human movement is rushed or unconscious. The leopard teaches that awareness refines motion. When you are fully present, even the simplest action can carry dignity and power. A simple tail flip speaks volume.

10/28/2026

Sometimes we just need to take a moment and acknowledge one another.

10/27/2026

I love writing articles that help collectors discover my work and navigate the purchasing process. Buying artwork for your home should not be scary or nerve-racking; it should be fun! This guide helps collectors navigate where to buy large fine art images and what to consider when doing so.

Derek Nielsen Photography is the online gallery of fine art photography | Where to Buy Large Fine Art Landscape Photography Prints for Your Home | Derek Nielsen Photography

10/27/2026

Moody fall evenings make for really fun photography conditions. The Chicago Theater is always fun to photograph. Today I went there looking for more story elements in the photo. So, I used the nearby Redline stop and a passing bus that said Navy Pier. Two other Chicago symbols all in one frame.

10/26/2026

I decided to do a little fall photography walk this evening in Chicago needing to scratch my creative itch.

10/23/2026

While traveling through the Pacific Northwest, I came across several "managed" forest where tons of life once inhabited rich ecosystems only to be left stripped bare in smoldering wastelands of ruin.

You couldn't help but feel the heaviness left behind.

10/22/2026

This was the first snow of the season, and the colors were still in peak form. I drove out of town in the darkness, a cup of coffee in hand, the car still not warm enough to turn on the heat. The road was icy, as were my windshield wipers. I pulled off the road far enough not to get stuck in the fresh snow, but far enough so no car would hit me.

Wind howled through the mountain tops. I knew these conditions would only last the morning before the warm sun melted all the fresh snow.

I placed my tripod on the pond's edge, looking to find the composition that spoke to me the most. I took four photos. This was one of them. The rest of the hour I just sat there with my warm coffee, living in the scene I would look back on for years as one of the more beautiful fall photographs in my collection.

10/21/2026

Chicago was recently voted the most beautiful city in America. I happen to agree.

10/21/2026

When the elements line up perfect, no artificial intelligence can ever replace that feeling.

Telluride, Colorado

10/20/2026

In 2018, I traveled to a large Island called Borneo. Some of you may have heard of it, but you may not know what exactly is happening to the third-largest island in the world. In a place where the jungles are estimated to be over 130 million years old, making them among the oldest continuous primary rainforests on Earth, their biodiversity is staggering, housing 10% of the world’s plants, 16% of reptiles and amphibians, 17% of birds, and 12% of mammals, including the iconic and critically endangered orangutan; there are fires raging.

Since January, at least 895,657 hectares have been burned in Indonesia, caused mostly by

intentional, human-set land-clearing practices combined with the severe drying of carbon-rich peatlands and extreme drought conditions from a Super El Niño.

Who is to blame?

Mostly palm oil and pulp and paper companies like Kencana Agri Ltd., Bumitama Agri Ltd., and the APP Group, using these illegal slash-and-burn techniques to decimate forests. This is compounded by layers of corruption within the industries, stemming from weak governance, political collusion, illegal land conversion, and regulatory noncompliance.

Why should you care?

Carbon-Rich Peatlands: Many fires burn deep underground in waterlogged peatlands, releasing massive stores of ancient carbon dioxide into the atmosphere when drained and burned.

Accelerating Global Warming: Deforestation and land clearing for palm oil and pulpwood make Indonesia one of the world's largest greenhouse gas emitters, intensifying global climate change.

Ecosystem Destruction: Hundreds of thousands of hectares of crucial rainforests and wildlife habitats (such as in Sumatra and Borneo) have been scorched, threatening endangered species

What can you do to help?

Support Local Relief and Clean Air Efforts: Donate to or volunteer with local grassroots groups, civil society organizations, and community shelters in affected areas (such as Kalimantan and Sumatra) that distribute N95 masks, oxygen kits, and set up clean-air rooms.



Reduce Demand for Unsustainable Commodities: Be mindful of supply chains by avoiding or boycotting products tied to illegal deforestation, uncertified palm oil, and industrial land clearing on peatlands. READ YOUR LABELS FOR PALM OIL

Raise Awareness and Pressure Corporations: Call on multinational brands and regional companies to enforce strict zero-burn policies and hold suppliers accountable for land-clearing practices.