66 NEBRASKAland • AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2017
I
n my house, periodically watching the afternoon sky is a family affair. Often, the formation of clouds
before sunset forces me to leave the house in search of a vantage point from which to shoot.
What becomes the challenge is looking for a foreground. A windmill, a lake, an animal – all can
provide another element to a photo to further enhance an awe-inspiring sky. Yet I can't use the same
foreground repeatedly.
On June 16, a storm came through eastern Nebraska that brought strong winds to the area. When the
storm left Gretna, I left my basement with my family and walked outside to assess our house's damage, and
then saw many neighbors with their cell phones pointed toward the sky.
When I turned I saw the reason why – the clouds were amazing.
Barefooted, I grabbed my keys and cameras and headed toward gravel roads looking for a foreground,
only having a few minutes before it was entirely gone.
Unable to find what I was looking for, I stopped on the side of the road and began shooting, then started
adding some off-camera flash to the road and an adjacent cornfield in an effort to create some sort of
foreground.
I failed. The attached image is the best that I have from this shoot, one where my
last-minute prayers of a deer, or turkey, or even Bigfoot, were unanswered.
It's the sky that got away, for the foreground I couldn't find fast enough.
Jeff Kurrus
June 19, 2017
Foreground
