June 2026 • Nebraskaland 69
My early years with Nebraskaland shaped me more as a
photographer than any other period in my life. Beyond the
nuts and bolts, I learned how to track animals and gauge
their movements, build blinds, manage extreme heat and
cold and get trucks unstuck from a variety of circumstances
without the assistance of AAA.
I acquired simple truths, such as leaving the fence gate
the way you found it; if a rancher tells you it's just over the
hill, you better pack a lunch; and the land you are standing
on is not just someone's property but a family's livelihood.
It also taught me how to approach and work with people
when access and acceptance are necessary to tell a story,
and those things are built on trust. And trust takes time.
Most importantly, my work with the magazine helped me
to see the often overlooked and underappreciated beauty of
one of the most ecologically diverse states in the Union. In
short, I fell in love with wild Nebraska, and that love has
instilled in me an unwavering responsibility to conserve
and protect it for generations to come.
Shot with a camera trap, a pronghorn herd on
the move crosses a wildlife-friendly fence on the
A Bar A Ranch near Encampment, Wyoming.
