I have a favorite vantage point at The Niobrara Valley Preserve. From the side of particular hill, I can get a great view of an ‘S’ curve of the Niobrara River to the east. Over the last decade or so, I’ve taken quite a few photos from (roughly) that same spot. Each was taken at a different time of day and/or under very different lighting conditions. I love how different each image looks – it’s a real testament to the importance of light to photography.
When people see a photo they really like, they often remark, “wow, that photographer must have a really good camera!” It’s interesting that the same doesn’t happen with painting or drawing. I’ve never heard someone say, “wow that painter must have a really great brush!”
The quality of camera matters much less than the ability to recognize light and capture it with whatever camera is at hand. There’s a certain skill involved in manipulating the controls of a camera to get the desired results, but the quality and attractiveness of an image starts and ends with light.
It also helps to find a favorite vantage point and the time to return to it over and over…
The Prairie Ecologist 
It’s also the person behind the camera, just as it’s the artist beind the brush. Have to have eyes that see the beauty and the willingness to slow down in this fast-paced world. Thanks for doing that!
Years ago, when I was studying photography and production in a midwest university, they took our cameras away from us, and handed each of us an Instamatic®, from which we were supposed to produce a publishable news photo (it was a J-school) along with studio, landscape, architecture (spoiler: two-point perspective only), and portrait photography. The shots were amazing, proving the point the professor was trying to convey: the most important element in photography is the photographer.
Moody, autumnal, mesmerizing, storied.
Great point regarding light! I am an aspiring nature photographer, in addition to my real job, and I still have so much to learn about all the camera settings. Thanks for posting your so we can see the effects of different settings!
Brent E. Moon
HORTICULTURE MANAGER
Chair, Horticulture, Greenhouse, Facilities Community-APGA
Houston Botanic Garden
brent@hbg.org
713.715.9675 ext.142
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Enriching life through discovery, education, and the conservation of plants and the natural environment.
And here it is: the photographic version of your square meter project. I’m going to find a spot, and follow your example.
I was amused a few days ago when I had reason to consult a map of a Pflugerville subdivision (outside of Austin) and discovered that, among the scenic spots they’d chosen for street names, they’d included the Niobrara River.
Wow – the Niobrara has flowed (flown? flowered? flied?) all the way to Pflugerville, TX?? That’s pretty fantastic.
I hope you find a good spot for your project – send pix!
The best camera is the one you have with you. Some of my best shots have been with a Panasonic FZ300.
Of course photographers are artists, you’re right. Thank you for making it so clear. I love every one of these shots and could not possibly choose a favorite. Someone should design an exhibit with many interpretations of the same view. The Mono Lake committee shows many ways of enjoying the tufa, but I don’t know anyone else who has done what you did right here.
Exquisite. An astonishing ‘scape captured skillfully by an attentive and talented artist.
Thank you!
Your photographs are lovely.
Beautiful photos, beautiful spot:) It really is all about the light. I, too have taken and retaken same-vantage point photos in different times and weathers. I, too, have bee perplexed at that all-too-common question: “what kind of a camera do you have?” Well, the answer depended on which photo they were looking at at the time. I’ve used lots of different cameras over the years, and not one of them could see like a human can. They are tools. It is nice to have a good tool, but a good tool doesn’t matter if you don’t know what to do with it.
Lovely series of shots and your point well made.