In an area like rural Nebraska, farming is a major industry. My grandparents raised their family on a farm outside of Bladen and fifteen years ago, my family moved into the farmhouse where Dad grew up. Grandma and Grandpa built a house down the hill and my aunt and uncle built a house next door to us. I loved growing up surrounded by family.
Within the last ten years, my dad and uncle have expanded the family farm into a growing company called Green Cover Seed. They recognized the need to conserve and replenish the nutrients in the soil that we farm. Cover crops and soil conservation have been their focus of research. Check out this short video (made by yours truly!) for more information on that.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgcmx_WlUo4
I am far from being an expert on cover crops but I can tell you that farming with cover crops increases soil health, biological life, and drought resistance.
I’ve been thankful for their hard work in many ways. Green Cover Seed provides a full-time job for my husband and part-time work for me. I freelance as their graphic designer and photographer.
Typically I’m taking pictures of plants. LOTS of plants. I think we have over 60 different varieties of plants now? I lose track.
Anyways, I do try to sneak in some ‘artsy’ shots when I get the chance.
I love closeup (macro) photography. It allows me to focus on one little detail of a bigger picture. A texture, a color, a leaf, or a ladybug! Anything to which we normally don’t pay much attention – yet there is such incredible detail to be seen.
I think I took about a million pictures of butterflies while trying to get one or two that were in focus. Dad was not impressed with a million butterfly pictures.
Photographing cover crops is a refreshing change from studio or portrait work. It reminds me of the beauty of God’s creation and how precious we are to Him.