The Portraitist

Derrik Ollar ~ Portraitist

Derrik Ollar is both the owner and the principal photographic portraitist at Ollar Photography. Established in 1994, his retail portrait studio is conveniently located in beautiful Lake Oswego, Oregon. His studio specializes in creating distinctive artful portraits of children and their families that romance the heart, delight the soul, grace the home and leave a beautiful legacy of love.

Being born into a family line of artists that goes back several generations, Derrik Ollar’s training in art began at a very young age (including his first photography class at age seven) and continued into high school. His grandfather was a photographer in the Forest Service, his mother was a children’s photographer, and his sister currently owns a successful portrait studio located in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Derrik Ollar’s higher education background includes graduating with national honors from the University of Oregon with a BS degree in Liberal Arts and a minor in Science. After his undergraduate work, he went on to do his post-graduate work at Portland State University in both photography and communications. Mr. Ollar is also schooled as a custom picture framer and specializes in the archival presentation of photographic materials.

Each year, Derrik Ollar invests extensive hours into his own continuing education. Having a firm belief in ongoing professional growth, he has had the fortunate opportunity to study under many other noted national and international photographers over the years. Derrik Ollar’s professional associations include his membership in both regional and national professional photography associations. He has even served multiple times on the board of directors for these organizations.

Sought after by his peers and sponsored by manufacturers in the photographic industry, Derrik Ollar delivers lectures at professional photography seminars, appears at trade shows, writes articles for industry publications and has even judged national photography contests. As a portraitist, Mr. Ollar is recognized for his personal style of attentiveness, elegant timeless artistry, and technical expertise. His caring and open personality makes every session pleasant for both children and adults.

Derrik Ollar’s portfolio of work is very broad. He has done commercial photography work for the high tech industry, executive portraiture for large corporations like American General Life, and advertising and editorial photography for international companies like McDonalds. His work has appeared in exhibitions, advertisements, newspapers, catalogs, magazines, and books.

Although his photographic background is very broad, Mr. Ollar’s primary creative love is expressed through producing an elegant and timeless style of portraiture for children, individuals and families. He is passionate about creating his recognizable style of personalized art for his studio’s clients, and he is just as passionate about helping them to build a beautiful and lasting legacy of their lives. In his personal life, Derrik Ollar’s world revolves around his four wonderful children who are a constant source of love and inspiration to him.