Today we’d like to introduce you to Derek Bauer.
Hi Derek, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started out chasing a childhood dream of becoming a professional baseball player, and it wasn’t until college—during a lighter semester to accommodate the season—that I stumbled into a theater class and fell in love with storytelling. The stage, the lights, the suspended reality—it all opened something up in me. I changed my major from pre-architecture to theater and dove in headfirst, eventually earning a spot in an advanced directing program where I spent two years staging one-acts by the likes of Sam Shepard, Tennessee Williams, among others.
My creative journey shifted again when I combined my love for the outdoors with visual storytelling, studying fine art landscape photography at the Rocky Mountain School of Photography. After college I moved to New York, where I began experimenting with 16mm black-and-white film at the New York Film Academy. Soon after, I found myself unexpectedly working on CBS’s The Fugitive in Seattle—as a stand-in and body double for Tim Daly—which became an informal cinematography boot camp. I took notes obsessively: camera setups, lighting diagrams, f-stops. I built a playbook that the producers actually used during pickups.
Eventually, I moved to Los Angeles and did what so many do—hustled. I worked unpaid gigs, shot indie films, and took commercial acting jobs through a sports agency to make ends meet. In 2003, a trip to Malawi with The Hunger Project changed everything. What started as a documentary assignment turned into a seven-year chapter focused on building an organization and film series aimed at addressing global hunger.
When I returned to cinematography full-time, my work gradually expanded into digital series, commercials, and narrative features. In 2016, I shot the streaming series Mr. Student Body President, which ran for four seasons. That opened the door to more films—including Two Yellow Lines, a motorcycle road trip drama I wrote, directed, and shot, released by 101 Studios and Universal. Since then, I’ve shot the Western Where the Wind Blows and the dark comedy Don’t Tell Larry. In addition to films I have been able to find success commercially shooting for such brands as AT&T, AirBnB, Audi, Royal Caribbean among many others.
Filmmaking found me unexpectedly, but once it did, I never looked back. I continue to pursue stories that move me—both emotionally and visually—and I feel like I’m just getting started.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I wouldn’t call my career “smooth”—far from it. This industry is incredibly competitive, and as a cinematographer, your trajectory often depends on variables outside your control. No matter how talented you are, so much hinges on the success of the projects you’re part of, the vision of the director, or whether a producer is willing to take a chance on you. It can be frustrating at times. That said, while it’s definitely been a grind, it’s also been deeply rewarding. The journey has been full of unexpected turns, rich experiences, and a diversity of work that’s shaped not just my career, but my life.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
First off, I really don’t like to put myself in a box, but generally, my work as a cinematographer has been rooted in a visual philosophy that favors restraint, emotional truth, and storytelling over spectacle. Maybe that’s influenced by the stories I’ve had the privilege to tell or my background in the northwest, but all that being said, I’m always looking for motivation and some truth, wether through story, character, or environment to guide my creative and lighting choices. It has to feel grounded in some way. That could be something more wild and absurd, like the dark comedy thriller, “Don’t Tell Larry” or capturing the quiet heartbreak of “Two Yellow Lines.
I”m really proud of “Two Yellow Lines”. That was a film I made with 3 of my closest friends. It was a self-financed passion project that was full of heart, sweat, tears, above all else, tremendous generosity from our colleagues and the amazing people of Montana and Wyoming. To make that film, shooting almost entirely chronological, was a unique experience that I will cherish forever. The grit, perseverance, and belief it took to see it through continue to define my approach to filmmaking.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
I’ve been in this business a long time, and my career has seen its share of highs and lows. Through it all, I’ve continued to evolve—constantly learning, growing, and deepening my understanding of the craft. In my 30s, I thought I had it all figured out and saw myself as an expert. But in my 40s, I came to understand just how much more there is to learn. That realization has been humbling and motivating.
There have been moments where it’s been tough, especially watching friends and peers rise to levels of success I’ve yet to reach. But I always come back to this: I genuinely love the work. It challenges me, inspires me, and pushes me to grow. That, to me, is what makes this career so worthwhile.
If there’s one thing I’d tell anyone pursuing this path, it’s that doing something you love, something that fulfills you, makes life incredibly rich and meaningful. The industry is changing rapidly. Technology, distribution, everything is in flux. But what keeps me hopeful is that there are still passionate, creative people out there determined to tell powerful stories. And as long as that’s true, I’ll keep doing everything I can to be a part of it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.derekbauer.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/derekbauerdp/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derekbauerpictures/
Image Credits
Derek Bauer
