SARPY COUNTY, Neb. (KMTV) — He calls it quiet beauty. And, in the springtime, wildlife and nature photographer Derrald Farnsworth-Livingston says we're surrounded by it in Nebraska.
"Part of what I like to get across with my photography is not only that nature is beautiful, but also to have a deep respect for it, as well," he explained.
During our visit at Chalco Hills Recreation Area in Sarpy County, Farnsworth-Livingston snapped shots of buds and birds, including his favorite discovery that day, a sandpiper.
He fell in love with the art of photography early on as he traveled to several national parks with his parents.
"I always thought it was cool, some of the vistas I would see. I would go into the shops and see postcards and thought, 'That's cool. I want to take a picture like that.'"
Farnsworth-Livingston started with 35 mm film, but with time and technology, his work has evolved.
"Usually, I'm looking for interesting landscapes, interesting colors," he shared. "Cool sunrises, cool sunsets. When I go up to western Nebraska, they have a lot of rock formations up there: Fort Robinson and Toadstool. And I'm trying to get a different Nebraska shot. People are very familiar with the farm shot or the plain shot. I'm trying to show kind of a different view of Nebraska up there."
"I think it's important because Nebraska has, I would say, an underappreciated, or maybe a better word is a quiet, beauty about it. And I want to show people that the state has more to offer on the nature side than just plains and farms," he continued.
Farnsworth-Livingston's business is called Journey of Light. For him, understanding light requires research.
"I usually go out for a couple days and try to figure out how the light's going to hit and what the weather's going to be like and try to set up shots to make it look as beautiful as possible," he divulged.
Each season provides unique opportunities.
"Spring in Nebraska is beautiful," he remarked. "You have all the trees that are popping. You've got all the flowers, the wildflowers that are popping. You've got the birds that have come and are singing."
Farnsworth-Livingston says a natural place to start is by photographing what you already know. In honing his craft, he's learned to create a mood or an experience.
"I'm always very thrilled when somebody says, 'Wow, I didn't know that that existed in Nebraska,' or 'I didn't know that was so close.' And it gets them to motivate them to get out and to look at it and to just explore the nature of Nebraska."
Farnsworth-Livingston's work has been featured in about 20 publications and websites. See thousands of his images here .
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