Mack Derick

One of the earliest Vermont photographers to establish a commercial reputation in both still and motion photography was Mack Derick. As a young farm boy in Tomifobia, Quebec, Mack was given a second-hand turn-of-the-century box camera. By the age of 21, he owned his own studio in Orleans, Vermont, purchased with a $300 borrowed down-payment. Within a short time Mack Derick was the name in portrait and events photography in northeastern Vermont. One fateful day, he enlarged a negative of a view of Lake Willoughby. The resulting 'scenic' became a popular and very saleable item, and soon Derick devoted himself to scenic photography. Eventually, he extended his scenic talents to the production of silent films, as Vermont's first professional cinematographer. During the second half of his career Derick accepted commissions for a number of film projects, most of them related to the state's early development efforts. Two of his most memorable films, now the property of UVM's Department of Special Collections, were 'The Vermont Special' and 'Seeing Vermont with Dottie and Glen.'