Derek Halkett Photography

Derek is one of the most talented photographers I’ve ever seen. We still don’t know how we got so lucky to have him photograph our engagement and wedding photos. His photos speak for themselves, but he has such an eye for how to get great shots. Our photos all turned out stunning. Every time we show them to others they are amazed. Not only were the photos great, but the turnaround time was insane. We had sneak peaks the day of/day after, and our entire album was ready in a week. On top of being very skilled, Derek is just a fun person to be around and work with. He makes people who aren’t very comfortable in front of the camera at ease. He also is a dog lover and captured shots with our dog at the wedding too. We highly recommend Derek to anyone, as he is truly the best.

Derek is a phenomenal photographer! He does not only make you feel comfortable but also makes you laugh to get some actual candid shots. He has such a talent for lighting and amazing shots! On top of that he is extremely professional and will not keep you waiting to get your pictures back! We got our engagement pictures back less than 48 hours and our wedding photos back in less than a week!! You won’t find that anywhere else!! Hire Derek for your next event, I promise you won’t regret it!!

I have nothing but amazing things to say about Derek. He made the day so special and truly captured everything we wanted. If you’re looking for a photographer. He is the one!

If you want the best, Derek is definitely your photographer!!! He made Jenna and David’s day so special!!!

If you are looking for a wedding photographer, stop right here and pick Derek. He was the best possible choice for our smokey mountain wedding. He worked so well with us and with the on and off rain on our wedding day. My husband and I were absolutely blown away when we received our wedding gallery and all of our friends asked who took our photos. I will recommend Derek time and time again. He is also the NICEST guy!!!!

We were thrilled to have Derek as our wedding photographer for our June wedding at The Magnolia after seeing his work, and we had a great experience with him from beginning to end. He is highly responsive, personable and made our wedding day relaxed, natural and very enjoyable. He captured many amazing shots and is a true professional that is very familiar with the Magnolia venue. Our close friends and family are blown away by how many different incredible shots he captured. He also sent us our entire album before we returned from our honeymoon. My husband and I would highly recommend him to anyone.

I spent countless hours browsing photographer portfolios and reviews before I came across Derek’s website. His photos weren’t like every other wedding album you see and that is exactly what we wanted. Not only is his work gorgeous, but he is easy to get along with and made the whole experience fun. If we had to do it all again, Derek would still be our number one choice!

Derek is a true artist. He takes the most amazing photos. We got married at the Magnolia and he took some incredible photos. We couldn't be happier with how they turned out. He was a lot of fun to work with and gave us great direction. If you want some incredible photos, hire Derek!!

Derek is incredible. I don’t even know how to describe it but it’s so clear that he is doing what he loves and is meant to be doing. He sent me these the morning after our wedding and I just want to scream: “LOOK AT HOW TALENTED HE IS!”

A little context: we booked our wedding at The Magnolia completely sight unseen. We never met a single vendor in person until the day of our actual wedding. I saw Derek listed on the preferred vendor list for The Magnolia and instantly fell in love with his work. I reached out to see if he was available, he said yes and we signed a contract and paid in full.

Given the circumstances, we had no idea what to expect when meeting but it was instantly clear we made the right choice. Derek is one of those people you feel like you’ve known for years. He is fun to chat with and honestly just a really positive energy to be around.

Throughout the evening, Derek balanced taking advantage of when the lighting is best at different spots in the venue while also making us feel like we weren’t missing out on time with our guests. When he took our photos we felt lost in our own world.

Derek we can’t express enough gratitude for documenting the most incredible experience in the most stunning place. I’m in awe of your talent to capture the people in the photos every bit as much as the scenery. You are a magician.

We loved Derek’s portfolio and knew when wanted to hire him but it was no match to how much we adore our photos and are so in love with them! Scrolling through them is like reliving the day all over and the love leaps out of the pictures. He did a phenomenal job.

My husband and I are so grateful we hired Derek for our engagement photos and wedding day. He captured the most beautiful moments of our love, and we could not be more grateful. Derek was professional and personable from the first day I spoke to him up until our wedding day. Our wedding was postponed due to the pandemic, and Derek was very accommodating throughout the process. Our wedding party and guests complemented how personable Derek was at our wedding, and how in awe they were seeing our wedding photos. We received our photos back in less than a week for both sessions! He is very knowledgeable in his field and has a beautiful eye for lighting. We felt comfortable and confident throughout all of our photography sessions. Derek’s artwork will cover our home forever, and we cannot wait to work with him again in the future. Derek, we truly cannot thank you enough. You will always come highly recommended by us.

From the first email to the day of our session, Derek was a phenomenal person to know and to help us capture our special day. He was always professional, honest and straightforward with his directions. I was a bit nervous since I didn’t have everything planned out and had never been to the smokies, but Derek was able to offer his advice and had a back up plan just in case. This made me had a lot more ease the day of our session. When it came to our session, Derek was awesome! He was super conversational, funny and was up for capturing our vision at every stop. The photos he captured exceeded our expectations and we couldn’t ask for anything better. If you’re looking for a rock-solid photographer and human being, definitely hire Derek!

Derek did an exceptional job on our wedding and engagement photos! I have never seen any photographer in the Knoxville area use lighting the way he does. If you want your pictures to be breathtakingly beautiful, end your search, this is your wedding photographer!

My husband and I chose Derek to photograph our Oceancliff wedding in Newport, RI on 2/20/21. We fell in love with his work on his Instagram page and from the moment we spoke with him on the phone, we knew he would be the perfect person to capture our special day. Derek was so incredibly easy to work with--the perfect example is the first time we met for our engagement shoot. We figured out, about 20 mins before we were supposed to meet, that the place I chose required a paid license to use the grounds. Derek had just flown in from TN and I was so worried he'd be upset with us. Instead, he quickly pivoted and chose another beautiful spot without batting an eyelash. Throughout the entire process--engagement photos, navigating a pandemic wedding together, to our big day, Derek was an absolute pleasure to work with. He made us feel so comfortable in front of the camera and our photos are truly beautiful. We get constant compliments on them. If you want gorgeous photos combined with an all around awesome person to work with, choose Derek Halkett Photography. You will not regret it!

Working with Derek was an amazing experience for the whole wedding party. The professionalism and quality of work are unmatched. The photos are absolutely breath taking and the entire process was smooth and surprisingly easy. He was really good at making everyone feel comfortable in front of the camera and we couldn't be more pleased. It wouldn't have been the same without him!