Photo taken through a glass window showing a person in a yellow jacket, holding a phone or camera, standing outside in a parking lot with cars visible. The scene is blurry with some reflections and a person's hand visible in the foreground.

Artist Statement

My photographic practice explores the emotional weight of structural spaces. I am interested in the tension between intimacy and isolation, utilizing the urban landscape as a theater to investigate human vulnerability.

I approach this through two distinct visual languages. In my color work, I treat color, motion, and barrier as the primary subjects to obscure literal forms and create atmospheric, self-contained narratives. In my monochromatic work, I take a reductionist approach. Stripping away the noise, I force the viewer to confront the raw geometry, tone, and profound silence of the composition.

Rooted in a formalist discipline, I rely on heavy negative space and ambiguous light to build enigmatic compositions. My work captures the psychological atmosphere existing within the physical reality of a place.

Biography

Derek Ronald (b. 1986) is a fine art photographer based between New York City and Washington, D.C. Specializing in the contemporary urban landscape, his practice documents the architectural and atmospheric tensions of modern cities. Ronald's work bridges large-scale formalist studies of urban infrastructure with intimate, color-driven observations of street life. He does not capture the city as it is. He captures it as it feels: suspended, fragile, and temporary.

He is currently scaling his broader urban practice for monograph publication and commercial exhibition.

Derek Ronald exhibits internationally. His recent selections include PH21 Gallery (Barcelona & Budapest), Glasgow Gallery of Photography (Glasgow), The Salmagundi Club (New York), Black Box Gallery (Portland), Praxis Gallery (Minneapolis), Hill Center Galleries (Washington, D.C.), Decode Gallery (Tucson), The Art League (Alexandria), and Visionary Art Collective (Brooklyn)

He is an Artist Member of The Salmagundi Club.



Selected Exhibitions

2026

  • Color | Decode Gallery | Tucson, AZ

  • Between Here and Becoming | Visionary Art Collective | Brooklyn, NY

  • Square | Decode Gallery | Tucson, AZ

  • Vision: Color Photography (On-Line Annex) | Black Box Gallery | Portland, OR

  • Composed: Balance, Repetition, Disruption | Praxis Gallery | Minneapolis, MN

  • Monochrome | Glasgow Gallery of Photography | Glasgow, Scotland

  • Significant Colour (Honourable Mention) | PH21 Gallery | Barcelona, Spain

  • Open Theme | Praxis Gallery | Minneapolis, MN (Guest Juror: Ann Jastrab)

  • Taking Pictures (On-Line Annex) | Black Box Gallery | Portland, OR

  • Upside Down | PH21 Gallery | Barcelona, Spain

  • Regional Juried Show | Hill Center Galleries | Washington, DC

  • Focus: Shadow and Light (On-Line Annex) | Black Box Gallery | Portland, OR

2025

  • Invitational Summer Exhibition | The Salmagundi Club | New York, NY

  • Significant Colour | PH21 Gallery | Budapest, Hungary

  • Blue | Decode Gallery | Tucson, AZ

  • Square XVII | Decode Gallery | Tucson, AZ

  • Color | Decode Gallery | Tucson, AZ

  • May Open Exhibition | The Art League | Alexandria, VA

  • New Member Exhibition | The Salmagundi Club | New York, NY