Why I do what I do

My childhood home and current residence in south-central Nebraska has given me an appreciation and fondness for everyday people who live what some would call “mundane" lives. As I studied journalism at Chadron State College and later commercial photography at Metropolitan Community College, I discovered my passion to tell people's stories, especially stories of people and events that would not otherwise be told.  

Everyone has an important story to tell and I want to be the person to tell it. As a photojournalist, I have photographed a wide range of people including: farmers, teachers, business owners, artists and youths making a difference in their communities as well as notable Nebraska politicians, University of Nebraska leaders and popular high school athletes. I find individuals’ love for growing crops, small-town festivals and recreational activities equally interesting to high-profile court cases, political events and state sports tournaments. 

To tell the story about the human experience, I do not always need to photograph people. I photograph their beloved pets and places they visit and inhabit that were impacted by storms or disaster. I also have visited local restaurants they patronize and kitchens where they compose home-cooked meals and highlighted the food they love. Some of these images I shoot in the restaurant or the home. Others I stage the images in a studio but still tell the story with lighting and props. These photographs have been featured in the Kearney Hub newspaper and its lifestyle magazines. 

Through a single image or series of photographs, I tell the stories of people by giving a sense of place to images, capturing emotion and sometimes choosing the lighting, whether it be dramatic or soft natural light outdoors, a ray of light shining through a window or with a flash to soften shadows cast from direct sunlight or to illuminate a subject indoors. Other times I have time to stage a feature photo with studio lights. 

Oftentimes as a photojournalist, I must quickly work and react to the scene – the light at that time of day, how objects relate to each other in shape, color and distance - and make my photographic decisions in the moment. Sometimes I need to climb a tower for an aerial perspective or crouch low to get eye level with a child or animal. I’m not afraid of looking silly or getting too close to the subject.  

No assignment is the same, which allows me to constantly learn and challenge myself in different situations. I capture fast action for the Kearney Hub at an athletic event where I do not know exactly how a player is going to react physically or emotionally. On the other hand, I take the time to scope out a perfect setting for a feature photo to complement a story or a marketing piece for the University of Nebraska at Kearney. I also stage the lighting and design the scene for studio, still-life shots. 

 I have photographically documented other stories personal to me. In 2017, a collection of photographs featuring my grandparents were displayed in the Nebraska Arts Council Fred Simon Art Gallery. The project entitled “Grace” showed the care and love my grandma Grace gave to my grandpa Carl as he lived with and died from dementia. 

Photography has become part of my everyday thinking. As I am driving down the highway, I crop images in my mind’s eye. When I reach the peak of a hill, I see how the colors of the blue sky balance the warmth of golden cornstalks rolling over low hills. I notice the light and the shadows cast on the earth and highway by power poles lining my drive. When enjoying a time for reflection at a local coffee shop, I may envision a tightly cropped photo of steam rising from a freshly brewed cup of coffee and how it is illuminated by light shining through the south windows. Or I notice human interactions and how they express themselves, and think that moment would be a great photograph. At a sporting event, I look for evening light to glow on a players’ uniforms, their colors of blue, red, green or purple standing out from the nearby trees or open ag-land slowly falling into darkness.  

Because I see the world this way and am often “practicing,” I am more prepared to compose an image and am ready to click my shutter when I am on assignment. I also am able to make a beautiful image out of someone or something that others may not see.