Congratulations to Tracy Raver and Kelley Ryden!

I had to post this when I learned (via Beth Jansen's blog) that Tracy Raver was interviewed by Meredith Viera on the Today Show! She and her twin sister, Kelley Ryden, are fantastic and inspirational photographers based in Omaha, Nebraska. I'm so happy I got to spend a day working with and learning (a lot) from them earlier in the summer. I included the shots from that day in this post. Kelley and Tracy, congratulations on this recognition. It's well deserved!

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Here are a few from the day I spent with Kelley and Tracy. They rock!

Beautiful Nebraska | Raleigh Fine Art Photographer

I was excited to go to Nebraska so I could work on this session. What I didn't know was just how beautiful I would find Nebraska to be. I was staying in Blair, so I had a pleasant drive to and from Omaha a couple of times. To me, it was like driving through a Dale Nichols painting. It felt truly American to drive past rolling hills and open fields, to see deer walking through the grass or horses running just past a weathered barn. The roadside was dappled with clover and the sky was dappled with clouds. To me, it was perfect.
I was fortunate to have a quick trip to the Joslyn Art Museum so I could see the Little Golden Book exhibit. Walking past the original drawings gave me the feeling of wrapping myself in a warm, much-loved blanket. It was instant comfort and contentment. It reminded me how much I loved some of those books (I certainly didn't read all of them--there were hundreds) and I have already purchased a few for Talah's birthday in August. Shh! Don't tell her! I also had a few minutes to walk through the American section of the museum, where I saw Grant Wood's, "Stone City, Iowa." I was reminded of some of the early Disney animation that featured sweeping landscapes before honing in on the main character. It made me want to watch Dumbo, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and Johnny Appleseed.
Here are a few examples of the beautiful things I saw during my very short trip.