Linoma Lighthouse
Linoma Lighthouse
travelphotographers.net
Text and Photography Copyright Dave Uhlig - All rights reserved.
When you're planning your next photography adventure, you're probably not putting Nebraska at the top of the list! I live in Nebraska and it seems to rarely be at the top of mine. My last planned ultimate weekend adventure included, climbing Longs Peak in Colorado, white-water rafting through the Royal Gorge, and a free day in the middle for photography in Rocky Mountain National Park. This promised to be photography nirvana! But the plans fell through, and left a pretty hollow pit in my photography driven stomach.
Editor's Note: Thumbnails are links to larger images
It quickly became a choice of a lost weekend or breaking the camera out and shooting locally. I had to do something, so the challenge was a photographic self-assignment: pick an area close to home, and take the best possible images I could make, all in one morning. With a bag full of camera gear, a full coffee thermos, and a blessing from my wife, I was off for a wonderful morning of image making - in Nebraska!
The chosen target was the Platte River Valley about 20 minutes drive from our house. If you know a place that you drive past regularly and think "If I just had the time, I could get some good images there" then you'll understand my relationship with the PRV. Well here was my chance. I had the time, the subject, a wonderful sunrise, and some very nice light. They were the perfect ingredients to fill that hollow pit.
The first stop was the Linoma Lighthouse. Yeah, that's right, a lighthouse in Nebraska. It's one of the few in the middle of a landlocked state! Linoma has one of the best swimming areas in the state, with a long beach and plenty of drinks just a short walk across the sand. This was my first target because it presented a great recognizable silhouette shape to place in front of a predawn sky.
Safety was the greatest consideration when setting up on the shoulder of a very busy highway at 5 in the morning. Cars were screaming past as the caffeine worked its way thru the veins of the people off to work in Omaha. A situation like this can be a recipe for disaster. I was on the side of the road tucked behind my vehicle working the tripod to keep safe from the mad dash to the desk. The image of the lighthouse featured a bright sky with a poorly lit foreground, and required a graduated neutral density filter, one of the few filters I use. Using a slow shutter speed, I was able to time the drivers and get a nice taillight trail to accent the lighthouse.
The next stop on the PRV tour was a small gravel road that runs parallel with Interstate 80. There are two beautiful old barns that sit just off the roaring road. I have several shots of these buildings, but not under the ideal lighting conditions provided by this sunrise. It is amazing what good light does for an image. In a diversion from my previous images of these subjects, I included the gravel road in the shot, giving a feeling of foundation to the foreground. Leaving the area, it felt great to not only have taken images of familiar subjects under great lighting conditions, but also to have improved on previous work with a new perspective. But there were still more photographic challenges ahead!
There is a new glass church that sits just above the valley on a bluff overlooking the area. It was recently built with private funds and is quite an example of modern architecture. The gates were locked, (and I don't recommend this), I hopped over and made a couple of quick images. The sun was now turning the sky into a brilliant fiery orange, so the best option was to put the glass church into silhouette against the brilliant colour display. This was one of those images when you hope the photo adequately conveys the beauty of the original visual.
On the way back to the truck, another opportunity presented itself. There were native wildflowers growing at the gate entrance. A traditional shot wouldn't work here as the sky would be overexposed, even with the ND filter. So the best option had to be a panoramic crop. The image was composed in the field with that in mind, placing all the elements into the lower portion of the frame for the most impact.
So far, all these images were made within the course of 45 minutes, and I had been given a hall pass for the whole morning. The possibility was there to take advantage of one of the longest lasting sunrises in a long time. So, back in the truck for quick trip over a couple of hills to my bonus location: one of the oldest cemeteries in the area. It turned out that an old barbed wire fence and dirt road were really all that this area had to offer. While shooting there, an old farmer drove by three times just nodding and waving as he checked his corn. It was ironic that I was in the 'middle of nowhere' and had to keep getting off the road every time he came by.
The light was getting a bit more challenging at this point, but I refused to give in and go home. I kept repeating to myself, "simple compositions, with no sky included", and tried to come up with something 'different'. It is amazing how a little self determination and some really hard looking can bring out the best in an area.
So, if you ever get that hollow feeling in your photography driven stomach, just say to yourself, "At least I don't live in Nebraska!" And if you do happen to live in Nebraska, no excuses! Get out there and shoot!
About the Author
Dave Uhlig is a staff member of TPN, and more of his work can be seen on his website, Photo Omaha.
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