Derek Emge Photography

05/31/2026

Everyone's work space is unique to them. How did you design yours? I for one, like to match ocean blues with warm wood.
This image was captured before a rippin' storm hit the Dalmation Coast. It was a moment of stillness before chaos - sort of like an early morning before the work day starts!

05/29/2026

Sunsplashed and fun. Welcome to summer everyone!
"Teal Blur" is my way of remembering warm days at the beach.

05/26/2026

Current workspace status:
☕ coffee: questionable
📧 inbox: aggressive
🧠 attention span: under review

But at least the wall art is offering a little perspective.

There’s something helpful about working beneath old stone, open sky, and geometry that’s survived a few centuries longer than the average group chat opinion.

A reminder that not every problem needs a Slack message marked “urgent.”
Sometimes you just need good light, strong coffee, and a ceiling with better boundaries than your calendar.

05/23/2026

There’s an art to pairing images.

One photograph can make a statement.
Two photographs can create a mood.

The quiet shoreline cottage.
The solitary boat beneath the mountains.
Different subjects, same emotional language — stillness, depth, and just enough mystery to slow the room down.

That’s what I love about complementary pieces.
They don’t compete for attention.
They work together to shape how a space feels.

05/20/2026

Spring has a way of showing off in the ocean too. 🌈🌊

One minute it’s all power and motion… the next, the light hits just right and the whole wave turns into color, reflection, and spray.

That’s what I love about this season along the coast — longer light, cleaner mornings, and little moments that feel almost unreal if you blink too fast.

A reminder that even energy can be beautiful when the light catches it the right way.

Fine art photography
Pacific springtime

05/18/2026

Race photos now available at https://swellco.com/gallery/62784 SwellCo The Loop Race

05/13/2026

A little nod to San Diego’s historic Gaslamp District. These images are actually from the gas lamps on the corner of Market and 5th street. Their staying power is a testament to our history down in the southwest corner of the US. Have you seen them on the way to a Padres game?

05/10/2026

Some places stay with you.

Not because they’re perfect.
Because they’re layered.

Salt in the air.
Fog hanging low over the lineup.
Concrete on the bluff.
Surfers waiting quietly beyond it all.

Church has always felt like that to me — a place where nature and history kept sharing the same stretch of coastline, whether they wanted to or not.

The power plant is closed now.
The waves are still here.

And somehow that feels important.
Like a reminder that some rhythms outlast the structures we build around them. 🌊

05/09/2026

04/30/2026

Did you surf Tourmo on Wednesday morning? Your images are now uploaded here: https://swellco.com/gallery/62773
Check them out, download them, post them, print them…whatever moves you!