78 NEBRASKAland • OCTOBER 2016
P
hotos like this don't often make the cut, and for good reason. In an ideal world, the
pheasant's mouth is closed and there isn't a patch of grass covering the dog's eye –
grass that should have been removed by a more conscientious photographer.
Also, the image was captured in the late morning, away from that golden light that
the first hour or two allows and then, just as quickly, takes away, even at the end of
October.
However, despite these downfalls, when I came across this image today I couldn't help but
get a slight chill. I began to think about the day it was taken, a beautiful Saturday morning
during the combined hunting and football seasons, when photo excursions such as these start
with jackets and, usually by 11 a.m. kickoff, end with T-shirts.
I also remember the German wirehair pointer's owner, Leo Bowman of Lincoln, who was
guiding young hunters on what was the start of their hunting careers. His
patience and smile were infectious.
Lastly, I remember the sound of the gravel roads to and from my house
after this shoot, how summer's dust in the rearview mirror had all but
disappeared and the entire world held such great possibility for that day –
even if I had failed to remove that unsightly piece of prairie grass from in
front of the dog's eye. For fall was just starting.
Jeff Kurrus
August 5, 2016
Imperfection
