NEBRASKAland Magazine is dedicated to outstanding photography and informative writing with an engaging mix of articles and photos highlighting Nebraska’s outdoor activities, parklands, wildlife, history and people.
Issue link: https://mag.outdoornebraska.gov/i/1542285
54 Nebraskaland • December 2025 photos weren't great. "I have taken so many bad pictures, it's unbelievable," Elmshauser said. "I used to be happy to get them just sitting in a tree in sharp focus. But you just keep going. "It's been a slow progression of better equipment, getting a little bit more comfortable with camera settings and learning." Following her most recent camera upgrade, Elmshauser now refers to herself as an amateur with professional equipment. "It's embarrassing, a little bit, but it's OK," she said. "I work hard and spend my money on stuff like this. It's my hobby." The camera is only part of the equation. Through many winters, countless hours and thousands of images, Elmshauser has learned how to track the birds in flight, anticipate their next move and capture tack- sharp images of eagles or, in their absence, gulls snatching fish from the water. "Lots of good practice comes from the gulls," she said. The result is beautiful photos of eagles, some perched, some in flight and some snatching fish from the water, filling the walls of her home. Elmshauser prefers wildlife photography to landscapes. On weekends, when the eagles are done feeding for the day, or when they aren't around, she cruises backroads between Lewellen and Paxton looking for subjects. During the summer, she and Rubi cruise the beaches at Big Mac watching the "different kind of wildlife" that flocks to the lake. And with her husband, she has traveled to photograph elk in Rocky Mountain National Park, sandhill cranes on the Platte River and bears and eagles in Alaska. Only Alaska tops Lake Ogallala for eagle photo ops, which is why, in the winter, she stays close to home. "It's kind of hard to venture out when you've got this," she said. Most weekday mornings provide good photo opportunities, Elmshauser said. She arrives before sunrise and stays until she goes to work. She would come after work, too, if it wasn't already dark. She will go out on weekends, but they usually aren't as good, partly due to people coming and going from the eagle viewing center, including some who ignore the signs and walk the banks of the spillway, deterring birds from feeding. She once saw people try to climb a tree that eagles were sitting in. "You can't pet the eagles, and they're not going to stay there, so I'm really not sure what you're doing," she would've liked to tell them. Every day is different, be it the light or the action, which is part of the appeal. The best action, by far, is when water and fish are flowing through the hydroplant, producing what must sound like a dinner bell to the eagles. "It's unexplainable what happens when the water turns on and it's Elmshauser traveled to Alaska to capture this photo of an eagle feeding on carrion.