June 2026 • Nebraskaland 61
strobes. Bases were built with sand and gravel surfaces to
simulate the bottom of a lake or stream. Artificial plants,
and even plants collected from area waters, were added to
the tank to simulate a fish's natural habitat.
Bouc's underwater work wasn't all in the studio. He
also is believed to have acquired the magazine's first
underwater camera housing and went afield with a
snorkel and fins to capture fish images. The Fish Book,
a special issue published in 1987, is filled with these
images, many of which would have been difficult, if not
impossible, to capture in the wild when considering the
rarity of some of these species and the poor water clarity
in the state.
Some photos were created in the darkroom, including one
for a story Grier did on crow hunting. "I never could get a picture
of a crow flying," he said. For his story, they sandwiched
two images, one Grier took of a hunter with a shotgun taking
aim and another of a flock of crows flying overhead.
Old-school AI was also used to create photos of
trapshooting. In an October 1970 story titled "Getting the
Jump on Birds," pieces of clay targets were glued to a piece
of plexiglass and held in front of the camera with a shooter
in the background, a position no photographer would put
themselves in. Bouc recreated the idea in color for a July
1992 story on sporting clays.
Thanks to advancements in photography, including
camera traps, we can capture photos today that would
have been impossible in the past.
We continue to stage photos from time to time at
Nebraskaland, whether it is minnows in a tank or held
captive in a stretch of stream by nets, mussels in an
aquarium, or snakes in an enclosure. In some cases, this is
the easiest, or only, way to capture quality images.
But rest assured, the last image of a mounted pheasant
taking flight from grass appeared in the pages of this
magazine long ago.
N
Pieces of clay targets were
glued to plexiglass held in
front of the camera to create
this image.
Bouc's studio photo of male red shiners in
spawning colors graced the cover of The Fish
Book in 1987.
