Heartland

Kansas, 2023

Limited edition fine art print of 6 – In the fall of 2023, I took a road trip west with my dog, Dozy, to Telluride, Colorado, to photograph fall colors. The journey was filled with many laughs and brilliant memories of my furry best friend. After spending a few hours driving across Nebraska chasing storms, I crossed into Northwest Kansas just as the sunset started showing. Many powerful storms ripped through the area that evening, leaving the sky full of beautiful clouds. I could see a grain elevator in the distance. I thought, “This would make for a perfect subject for the scene unfolding in front of me.”  Dozy and I turned down a long dirt road until we positioned ourselves where it would silhouette the grain elevator when the sun hit the horizon. We waited ten minutes, she sitting on the car’s roof, me lining up the shot. Then it hit perfectly. I’ll never forget how beautiful that sunset was, nor how fun it was to share it with Dozy. Photo © copyright by Derek Nielsen.