D. J. Hacker — photographer and teacher
Photography, creative instruction and book design—grounded in decades of making images and helping others do the work.
I’m a Queens-based photographer and one-to-one instructor. I’ve been making photographs since 2005, using Photoshop since 1990, and teaching photography and creative software for ten years. Sessions are practical and tailored to your work, whether we’re developing your photographic technique, refining an editing workflow, or solving a problem on your Mac or Windows PC.
Photographs, across two decades of looking
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.
Four ways to work together
Whether you need commissioned photography, individual instruction, help preparing a book for print, or original logo and vector artwork, the work begins with a clear brief and a practical conversation about what you need.
Commission a shoot
Commission photography for live music and performance, portraits, fashion/editorial projects, and food. From planning and lighting through careful post-production, the aim is a cohesive set of polished, ready-to-use photographs.
See the workLearn the craft and the tools
Private, one-to-one photography and Adobe software instruction, including film and digital camera technique, Lightroom Classic, Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator. Learn on your own files and your own Windows PC or Mac, in person across the service area or online.
See how tutoring worksMake your book
Book design and production support for authors, photographers, artists and small publishers: page layout, typography, image preparation, cover design and print-ready prepress files built to your printer’s specifications.
See how a book gets madeLogo and identity
Logos, lettering and vector artwork, created in Illustrator, which I’ve used since 1987. Often a focused project with a clear brief and scope.
Ask about a logoTen years of teaching, and it’s still the best part of the week
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.
What actually happens when you book
No fixed syllabus or generic course. We focus on what you need, so you can repeat the process confidently on your own.
Tell me what’s stuck. A message about what you’re trying to do and where it stalls. Then a five or ten minute call to check it’s a good fit, before anything is scheduled.
We work on your own files. You bring your files, your machine or your camera, and we work on the real thing. Nothing generic, and nothing you’ll never use again. If you’d like a record of the session, I can use a smart recorder.
You keep a record. On request I record our conversation with a Plaud smart recorder and send you the generated summary and notes, so you can repeat the steps on your own. I don’t record your screen, but you’re welcome to.
What people say after a session or two
5.0 from 586 ratings and 1,591 hours of lessons on Wyzant, where every one of these reviews was left. Read all 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
From scattered files to a book on the shelf
InDesign layout, image preparation, cover design and prepress—the details that help ensure the printer can produce the book as intended. I’ve been in these programs since the late eighties and teaching them for ten years. I can do it with you, or for you.
Sequence and structure. Deciding the order, and which pictures earn a spread.
Layout and typography. Grids, styles and text that hold together across 200 pages.
Image preparation. Profiles, sharpening and file sizes that survive print.
Cover and prepress. Bleed, marks and the printer’s spec, checked before they ever see it.
The things people ask before they book
If yours isn’t here, send it over. It’s usually a short answer.
Tell me what you’re working on
A shoot, a lesson, a book, or a question about which one you need. Based in Queens, I take photography commissions and teach in person throughout Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx (not Staten Island), Nassau and Suffolk counties, Westchester and Rockland counties, and northern New Jersey. Remote instruction is available nationwide and internationally.
Photography
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 imageryCommissioning a shoot
Tell 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.
Ten years of teaching, and it’s still the best part of the week
Taught on your own files and your own machine, Mac or Windows, at your own pace. The camera and the craft of photography, film or digital, plus Lightroom Classic, Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, and the computer they run on. In-person lessons are available throughout Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx; Nassau and Suffolk counties; Westchester and Rockland counties; and northern New Jersey. Remote instruction is available nationwide and internationally.
Learn photography itself
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.
Cameras, film and digital
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.
Composition
Framing, perspective, lines, shapes and timing. How to see a scene, and how to edit a shoot down to the pictures that work.
Light
Natural and available light, flash, simple studio setups, and shooting in low light without losing the mood.
Portraits, events and concerts
Working with people, reading a room, and the practical craft of fast, crowded, dimly lit shoots.
Critique and direction
Honest feedback on your own pictures, with assignments to push your work somewhere new.
From camera to finished file
Shooting with editing in mind, a workflow you can trust, and backups so the pictures survive.
Software, editing and retouching
Taught on your own files, in the programs you already have.
Lightroom Classic, since 2007
Importing, culling, editing, and a catalogue that stops becoming chaos.
Photoshop, since 1990
Layers, selections, masking and compositing, and retouching that holds up to a second look.
Editing and retouching
Color, tone and contrast, portrait retouching, and cleanup and repair that still looks natural.
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.
Output
Sizes, color profiles and export settings for web, email and print.
Your Mac or PC
Mac or Windows. Often it’s the same session as the software problem, because usually it is the same problem.
Setup and settings
A new machine set up properly, and the settings nobody ever explained.
File management
Folders, naming and a photo library you can actually find things in.
Backups
Simple, automatic backups, so nothing you care about is lost.
Troubleshooting
Slow machines, full drives, and software that won’t behave.
What actually happens when you book
Tell me what’s stuck. A message, then a short call to check it’s a good fit.
We work on your own files. You bring your files, machine or camera, and if you’d like a record of the session, I can use a smart recorder.
You keep a record. On request I record our conversation with a Plaud smart recorder and send you the generated summary and notes. I don’t record your screen, but you’re welcome to.
Questions
From scattered files to a book on the shelf
InDesign layout, image preparation, cover design and prepress—the details that help ensure the printer can produce the book as intended. I can do it with you, or for you.
Start early
It’s often better to talk before the manuscript is finished. Otherwise the layout gets decided for you by whatever program you happened to write it in.
Logo and identity
Marks, lettering and vector work, drawn in Illustrator. Usually a short, contained job.
The eye that takes the picture is the one that can explain it
I’m D. J. Hacker, a photographer and teacher based in Queens, New York.
I’ve photographed since 2005, with a focus on concerts, portraits and personal projects. I’ve edited in Photoshop since 1990 and drawn in Illustrator since 1987, and I’ve taught photography itself, film and digital, along with Lightroom, Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator, one to one for ten years.
My background is in film. I studied Film Studies at the University of Rochester, and from 1989 to 2000 I ran an interactive media company making CD-ROMs and interactive presentations. That’s where the layout, imaging and prepress habits come from.
Students find me mostly through Wyzant, where I hold a 5.0 rating from 586 ratings across 1,591 hours of lessons, and through referrals.
Tell me what you’re working on
Get in touch about a photography commission, private instruction, Adobe training, book design or logo work. Share a little about the project, location and timing, and I’ll let you know whether I’m the right fit.
Based in Queens, I accept photography commissions and teach in person throughout Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx (excluding Staten Island), Nassau and Suffolk counties, Westchester and Rockland counties, and northern New Jersey. Online instruction is available throughout the United States and internationally.
Schedule an introductory inquiry call
Use a short 15-minute phone call to tell me what you’re looking for, ask questions, and see whether we’re a good fit. This is an initial conversation only—not a booking for a photography session or a paid lesson.
15 minutes · Phone call · No commitmentOr send a message
Tell me a little about what you have in mind. I’ll get back to you by email.