A lot of online photography culture is built on envy and making us feel inferior.
Not getting those sweet likes on Instagram? Maybe you need a trip to Iceland, New York City, or some huge mountain.
I live in Nebraska. It’s not exactly known to be a mecca of photographic beauty, and in fact, a lot of people diss this place.
Flat. Repetitive. “Flyover Country.”
“All that’s out here is a bunch of dying small towns,” someone posted recently in a Facebook group for Nebraska photographers.
“Boring,” is how someone else put it.
I mean, c’mon! Nebraska has endless stories to tell, and these are not dead towns. They have vibrancy, texture, and heart.
I freaking love it here.
Last weekend I headed out to the Sandhills with a small group of photographers - and we had a blast. The weekend was an exercise in looking deeply and finding beauty in the commonplace.
I’ve grown up here, and learned photography in these fields.
I think it’s made me appreciate small things, like the light inside the lodge we stayed at in Valentine, NE.
It was a hunter’s lodge, so the decor was distinctly “hunter friendly” and worth taking the time to photograph a few details:
A few cars parked in front of a shed? PURE VISUAL GOLD:
Roadside scenes ask us to slow down and notice things, like this weird mix of new and old brands:
And small-town people can be some of the best you’ll ever meet - also worth noticing.
Small hikes on a nature preserve reveal scenes like these near Valentine, Nebraska:
We drove by dozens of small lakes and open range. The serenity of hearing the wind drift through these grasses is hard to describe.
Here’s a cow with a cooler-than-mine haircut:
The light, man. The light is amazing out here.
We also went on an amazing visit to feed Buffalo on the Golden Prairie Bison tour (highly recommended.)
We were all pretty dialed-in to this single tree near the Bison:
We saw some burrowing owls:
A Kestrel hovering in the wind:
And some of the most beautiful sunrises and sunsets I’ve seen in a while.
Boring? Flyover Country?
Nah. Not boring.
I think photographers who can’t find beauty here aren’t in a boring place - they just need to learn to “see.”
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Oh - and this post is 100% AI-free. Every title, sentence, misspelling, and mistake is mine, and I love that.
DEATH TO THE ROBOTS.
Comments? Leave them below or email me: jerredz@gmail.com
Are you kidding? I would love to visit someday! Everything about it matches my shooting style these days. And these images were so beautiful!! I thoroughly enjoyed every single one. While it's hard to pick just one of my favorites, the cormorants in the trees took my breath away. I also found it interesting to see which camera you decided to use and when. And all the full frame shooters!! It must have felt good to walk around with a more nimble pack. Well done, Jerred!
They cannot see. I love that. It is so true. I often stop when I am out taking pictures and force myself just to appreciate the scene without the camera in front of my face. Appreciate it and think about what it means to me, or what it might mean to someone else. Once I see with my heart, the result has more meaning. Thank you for sharing these breathtaking photos and thank you for advocating for the communities you photograph. And, I agree - that cow has a very cool haircut indeed!