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Observe and Admire

Appreciating the Small Things

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Milkweed seed blows in the wind at Pawnee Lake State Recreation Area. Photo by Joshua Redwine.

Photos and story by Joshua Redwine

Landscape photography often means finding that perfect moment by trusting your instincts and the direction of the wind, following wherever it takes you.

I began my career as a civil engineer, and my desire was to protect the environment by focusing my education in environmental engineering. In 2007, I was offered the opportunity to travel to Haiti, a once-in-a-lifetime journey. Armed with a few amenities from home and a sleek, new 5-megapixel, point-and-shoot camera, I boarded the plane that summer, arriving in Port Au Prince and settling in a small village on the southern coast.

While there, I wanted to capture the sights and sounds of the incredible Haitian landscape. I took long walks with our group through the mountains, starting at dawn and returning at dusk. Along the way, nature became irresistible, and I would come back every day with a memory card full of images. When people ask me where my love for landscapes came from, it was in Haiti, skipping across rocks jutting out of the rushing rivers near me.

A tattered barn gives up the ghost on a warm fall afternoon near Union. Photo by Joshua Redwine.

School led me away from the camera for a few years, but after graduating from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2011, photography pulled me back. I remembered how it felt to be completely engrossed with creating the perfect scene and wanted that feeling again. I picked up my first DSLR camera, with its seemingly infinite number of dials and switches, and found myself struggling to even hold the machine properly. Yet that didn’t deter me.

I wanted to dive into every inch and detail of this new field. I sought out resources, watched videos, asked other photographers, all the while taking hikes on the trails in and around Lincoln.

There were hidden gems and unseen beauty in Nebraska that I wanted to capture through my eyes, so I have set out to witness this state at its most remarkable. Photographing Nebraska has become my passion, and I have gladly accepted the challenge of going whichever way the wind takes me. It has never failed to lead me to something incredible.  ■

Joshua Redwine

About Joshua Redwine

Realizing that engineering wasn’t a fulfilling career, Joshua Redwine set out on a new path to capture nature at its most remarkable. Inspired by greats such as Ansel Adams, Gordon Parks and Edward Weston, Redwine’s photography strives to capture the essence and emotion of inspiring landscapes.