36 NEBRASKAland • JULY 2017
M
ost wildlife photographers
spend huge amounts of time
and effort getting photos of
animals. They scout locations, build
blinds and then try not to think about
needing a bathroom while they sit
in those blinds for hours and hours,
waiting for something to happen. Those
people are crazy.
I am mostly a bug and wildflower
photographer. Bugs and wildflowers
are everywhere, and I don't have to
plan ahead to photograph them. When
the light is good, I walk around with a
camera and take pictures. It's a pretty
good gig.
Despite being a bug and flower
photographer, I do take wildlife
photos now and then. Rather than rely
on extensive planning and patience,
though, I get wildlife photos primarily
because I have a camera with me on
the rare occasions when an animal
inexplicably decides to hold still long
enough for me to photograph it. Sure, I
don't get as many great wildlife photos
as guys like Eric Fowler and Mike
Forsberg, but I also spend a lot less
time trying to figure out how to pee
inside a tiny thatch-covered hut.
As inspiration to others who would
like to take wildlife photos but don't
want to dedicate their lives to doing
so, I'm sharing some examples of
how these shoots work in real life. I
sincerely hope this will help many of
you get great wildlife photos without
really working at it.
Prairie Dog
Before she headed off to start
college, my daughter and I spent
a couple great days up along the
Niobrara River. One evening, we
were meandering around The Nature
Conservancy's Niobrara Valley
Preserve and passed through a small
prairie dog town. As we drove the
pickup slowly into the town, we
enjoyed watching the prairie dogs
scurry back to their burrows, pause
at the edge of the hole, and then dive
to safety when we got too close.
However, one particular dog didn't
follow the pattern. As we drove closer,
it just continued to stand and watch
us, and we noticed it had two small
pups feeding nearby. Eventually, I
stopped the truck so Anna could get
Wildlife Photography
Through Pure Luck
Story and photos by Chris Helzer
(and curious animals)
A prairie dog contentedly chews on a leaf despite me crawling slowly toward it with a
camera.
