Always Bet On "YES"

I didn't want to go on this trip, but I'm glad I did!

Jerred Z

Nov 24, 2024

∙ Paid

When a designer reached out and asked if I had a photo that could stretch over 50 feet long, I told her: “heck yeah.”

But when she said it had to be a photo with:

1 - a body of water with some waves

2 - a sunset or sunrise

3 - a sandy beach

my heart sank. I had some old photos like this from years ago in California, but they were taken with an old Canon DSLR and wouldn’t have the resolution they needed. I asked her how much time I had, and she said: “a few days.”

Dang…

But… then I thought of a place in Nebraska called Lake McConaughy. It’s definitely the closest place that would, just maybe, work.

I checked the weather report, and it looked pretty decent! Lots of clouds but clearing near sunset… so probably a good opportunity to get this shot, expand my portfolio, and make a designer happy.

But… I almost didn’t go.

It was six hours in the car JUST to get to the lake, and I was feeling lazy. Couldn’t I just get this shot next year when I’m nearer to, you know: a REAL beach or something?

Luckily, I have the coolest wife on the planet, and she nudged me in the direction of going.

I’m so so so happy I listened to her!

The journey was a reminder to say “yes” as much as possible.

I’m in LOVE with the work I made during this trip, and while I’m not sure if I got the shot the client wanted exactly… I had an amazing time and found some cool photos. In total I was on the road for 17 hours. This includes stopping and taking photos, getting gas, etc., but it was still a brutal journey worth the effort!

You can check out behind-the-scenes and more photographs in my most recent video here:

On another note - did you know I had a photo included in a very cool art show at Gallery 1516 in Omaha? It’s a photo my wife named “Midwest Monologue” and it’s one of my favorites.