D. J. Hacker · Photographer · Instructor · Book designer
I’m a Queens-based photographer and creative instructor offering photography commissions, private one-to-one instruction, and book design. The work is grounded in decades of making images, solving creative problems and helping people build skills they can use with confidence.
These are the things I most enjoy doing: making photographs, helping someone learn something that once seemed difficult, and bringing photographs and words together on the page. They’re different kinds of work, but they all start with curiosity, care and a good conversation.
I love the process of making photographs: finding the right light, noticing the small details, and working with people to make images that feel considered and alive. My work ranges from portraits and fashion to concerts, editorial and food.
Explore the photography
I work one-on-one, at your pace, with your camera, your photographs and the questions you actually want answered. Whether you're just getting started, trying to master a particular technique or struggling with a piece of software, we'll work through it together. In person or remotely, the lesson is built around you.
Explore private instruction
I enjoy helping a collection of photographs and words find its shape. From the rhythm of the images to the flow of the text, typography and page layout, I can help bring the pieces together into a book that feels like a whole.
Explore book designExplore live music and performance, portraits, fashion editorials and food imagery. Photography commissions are available across New York City (excluding Staten Island), Nassau and Suffolk counties, Westchester and Rockland counties, and northern New Jersey.
Learn on your own files and your own computer, Mac or Windows, at a pace that suits you. We can solve a specific problem or build a reliable workflow from the ground up.
Lightroom Classic, since 2007. Import, cull, edit, and a catalogue that stops becoming chaos.
Photoshop, since 1990. Selections, masking and retouching that hold up to a second look.
InDesign. Page layout for print: text, grids and styles that stay put.
Illustrator, since 1987. Vector work: logos, lettering and shapes that scale without breaking.
Your own Mac or PC. Setup, file management, backups, and the settings nobody ever explained.
Your camera, film or digital. Exposure, focus, metering and manual mode, so the camera does what you intend.
Composition. Framing, timing and seeing, and how to know which frame is the one.
Light. Window light, flash and simple studio setups, and shooting in low light, from a dim room to a concert stage.
There’s something satisfying about seeing a body of work become a book. The photographs need room to breathe, the words need to find their place, and the pages need a rhythm that carries the reader along. I enjoy working through those decisions—sequencing images, balancing text and photographs, shaping typography and making the whole thing feel considered.
You might have a clear idea already, or a folder full of photographs and notes that you’re not quite sure how to turn into a publication. Either is a good place to start. We can talk through the possibilities and work out what the project needs.
5.0 from 586 ratings and 1,591 hours of lessons on Wyzant. Read the reviews on Wyzant.
“A lifetime of images (~100,000) from my camera, iPhone, videos, and emails were a total mess and I couldn’t find anything. DJ has been incredible about helping me to bring order out of chaos by migrating all of the images into Lightroom and creating a file structure that will serve me going forward.”
Ann, 7 lessons, Wyzant review
“DJ did a great job helping me de-tangle my Lightroom catalog without making me feel stupid for the mess that it was. He also showed me new and different ways to do things.”
Shannon, 2 lessons, Wyzant review
“DJ came to my house, he traveled 1 hour. I am a professional photographer. I needed to have some lessons about Lightroom and Canon before I switch my camera and software. DJ is super nice, super professional, I learned what I needed to know.”
Raya, 1 lesson, Wyzant review
A photography commission, a skill you want to develop, a book taking shape—or simply a question about where to begin. Based in Queens, I serve New York City (excluding Staten Island), Long Island, Westchester, Rockland and northern New Jersey. Remote instruction and creative services are available beyond the area.
Explore concert and live music photography, portraits, fashion editorials and food imagery. Photography commissions are available across New York City (excluding Staten Island), Nassau and Suffolk counties, Westchester and Rockland counties, and northern New Jersey.
FanfareLive music & performance
FacesPortraits & people
FashionStyle, form & editorial
FoodFood & culinary imageryTell me what you need. The occasion, the date, and where the pictures will be used.
We agree the plan. Location, timing and deliverables, settled before the day.
I shoot and finish the files. You receive edited, ready-to-use images, not a folder of raw frames.
Want to learn rather than commission? I teach photography one to one, film and digital. See how tutoring works.
Learn photography and creative software through private, practical sessions using your own camera, your own files and your own computer. I teach one person at a time—in person across the New York metro area or remotely, wherever you are.
No group classes or preset curriculum. We start with what you want to learn, where you're getting stuck, and what you want to be able to do next. Lessons are paced around you and use your own equipment and projects.
Bring a camera, a folder of photographs, a stubborn Photoshop problem, or a computer that needs sorting out. We work through it together.
Not just the software. I teach the camera and the craft, with film or digital, from a first roll of film to a confident digital workflow.
Aperture, shutter speed, ISO, metering, focus and manual mode, and how each choice shows up in the picture. Film bodies and digital ones, including choosing a camera or lens.
Framing, perspective, lines, shapes and timing. How to see a scene, and how to edit a shoot down to the pictures that work.
Natural and available light, flash, simple studio setups, and shooting in low light without losing the mood.
Working with people, reading a room, and the practical craft of fast, crowded, dimly lit shoots.
Honest feedback on your own pictures, with assignments to push your work somewhere new.
Shooting with editing in mind, a workflow you can trust, and backups so the pictures survive.
Studio lighting, camera setup, tethered shooting and working methodically through a shoot are easier to understand when you can see the decisions being made. We can work through practical exercises and build skills you can repeat on your own.
Learn the tools through real projects—not generic exercises. Bring your own photographs, documents or design work, and we'll focus on the skills that will make the biggest difference.
Importing, culling, organizing, editing and managing a catalogue that stays useful as your library grows.
Layers, selections, masking, compositing, retouching, cleanup and repair—understanding not just which tools to use, but why.
Page layout, master pages, paragraph and character styles, text flow, image placement, long documents and print-ready book files.
Practical help with your computer, files, backups, peripherals, everyday workflows and getting your creative tools working smoothly—on either platform.
Vector drawing, logos, lettering and shapes that remain clean and flexible at any size.
Tell me what you want to learn. A message, then a short call to check that the subject and format are a good fit.
We work on your own files. Bring your files, machine or camera. Lessons are individual and focused on your goals.
You keep a record. On request I can use an AI note taker to provide a generated summary and notes. I don't record your screen, but you're welcome to.
If yours isn’t here, send it over. It’s usually a short answer.
A good book is more than pages placed in order. It is a considered reading experience: clear typography, thoughtful pacing, well-prepared images and production files that give the printer what it needs.
I help photographers, authors, artists and small publishers turn manuscripts and image collections into well-structured books. That can mean designing the book from the beginning, refining an existing layout, or preparing a nearly finished project for print.
We can work collaboratively, or I can take on the design and production work for you.
Page architecture, grids, margins, pacing and a consistent system that supports the content.
Type selection, hierarchy, readability, paragraph and character styles, and long-document consistency.
Image selection, sequencing, resolution, color handling and preparing photographs for reproduction.
Front cover, spine and back cover, designed to work as a complete object and meet the printer's specifications.
Bleed, margins, embedded fonts, color profiles, export settings and production-ready PDFs.
Review and repair of a layout that's already underway, or focused help getting a project over the finish line.
A successful book is more than a collection of images. I can help balance photographs with captions, essays, introductions and longer passages of text—so the reader moves naturally through the story.
We review the manuscript, photographs, intended format, approximate page count and what you want the finished book to feel like.
Establish the visual system, create sample pages, then develop the layout and refine it with your feedback.
Check the files against the printer's requirements and deliver a carefully prepared package for production.
It is usually worth talking before the manuscript is finished. Early decisions about trim size, image count and structure can save substantial reworking later.
I provide the book design, layout and print-ready files. The physical printing and bookbinding are handled by your chosen printer or bookbinder; I do not print or bind books myself.
Alongside book design, I offer independent logo and visual identity design: marks, lettering, and supporting vector artwork developed into clean, scalable assets. It is a focused design service, not a full-service branding agency.
Tell me what you're making, what stage it's at, and where you need help. We'll start with a conversation about the project and the best way to move it forward.
I’m D. J. Hacker, a photographer, creative instructor and book designer based in Queens, New York. I bring the perspective of a working image-maker to both the creative work I take on and the one-to-one instruction I provide.
I’ve been making photographs since 2005, with work spanning concerts, portraits, fashion, editorial and food. My approach is grounded in looking carefully, understanding light and making deliberate choices—not simply relying on equipment or presets.
I teach photography from both film and digital perspectives. Lessons are private and tailored to the individual: your camera, your interests, your current experience and the kind of photographs you want to make.
When instruction turns to editing, I bring the same practical approach to Lightroom Classic, Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign.
I studied Film Studies at the University of Rochester. That background informs how I think about images: composition, sequence, pacing, atmosphere and the way individual frames work together to tell a larger story.
My photographic interests range from the energy and unpredictability of live performance to the more considered environments of portrait, fashion, editorial and food photography.
I have worked with Photoshop since 1990 and Illustrator since 1987. From 1989 to 2000, I ran an interactive media company producing CD-ROMs and interactive presentations. That work brought together image preparation, typography, layout and the practical details of getting digital projects finished.
Those skills now inform my software instruction and book-design work, where the details matter just as much as the overall visual idea.
I prefer a direct, collaborative process. We start by talking about what you want to accomplish, what you already know and what is getting in the way. From there, I focus on useful steps you can understand and repeat—not a one-size-fits-all lesson plan.
For photography commissions and book projects, the same principle applies: understand the purpose, establish a clear direction and make thoughtful decisions throughout the process.
Instruction is one-to-one, either in person in the New York area or remotely. I work with both Mac and Windows users, and I’m happy to start with the problem or project rather than assume you need a particular piece of software.
A photography project, a lesson, a book, or a question you’re not quite sure how to frame yet—this is a good place to start. Tell me a little about it, and we can work out the next step together.
I’m based in Queens and work in person across Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx (excluding Staten Island), Nassau and Suffolk counties, Westchester and Rockland counties, and northern New Jersey. Remote instruction and creative services are available nationwide.
We can start with a 15-minute phone conversation. Tell me what you’re considering, ask whatever questions you have, and we’ll see whether it makes sense to work together. It’s just an introductory chat—not a booking for a shoot or a paid lesson.
15 minutes · Phone call · No obligationA few details are helpful, but you don’t need to have the whole project figured out. I’ll reply by email.
Rates are being revised for the new year, so they’re quoted when you get in touch rather than posted here. In-person sessions cost more than remote ones, because the travel and the tolls are part of the trip.
That’s the most common place to start, and it isn’t a problem. Tell me what you’re trying to achieve and I’ll tell you which tool does it. Sometimes the answer is that you don’t need the one you were about to buy.
Yes. I teach the camera and the craft: film and digital cameras, exposure, composition, lighting, and shooting people, events and concerts. Bring your own camera, or we can talk through choosing one.
No. A good deal of what I teach starts from a first import or a first blank document. Sessions begin where you actually are, not where a course assumes you are.
Yes. Plenty of people come once, for one thing that has been quietly annoying them for months.
If you can, yes. Learning on your own work and your own gear is the difference between remembering it on Monday and not remembering it at all.
Yes, if you ask. I use an AI note taker to capture our conversation, then send you the generated summary and notes. I don’t record your screen, but you’re welcome to record it yourself.
Either. Some people have me come to them, and I’ve driven an hour for a lesson before. Online sessions are a phone call with simultaneous screen sharing. No video and no video-conferencing awkwardness, so you can join in your pajamas.
Yes, and it’s often better to talk early, before the layout is quietly decided for you by whatever program you happened to write it in.
Yes, Mac or Windows. Setup, file management, backups, and the settings that keep getting in the way. It’s often the same session as the software problem, because usually it is the same problem.
I’m based in Queens and visit students in person across New York City, Nassau, Westchester and northern New Jersey. Further out is possible, it just takes a little planning. Remote sessions work from anywhere: I teach students across the US, Europe, Asia and Oceania.