person and every animal that crosses in front of our camera has a story and has a lot of hard work, time and dedication involved in reaching the show ring. A photo captures a moment for those individuals forever and we are constantly reminded that people hang their favorites in their homes or use them for marketing purposes or share them on their social media. I’ve always been aware of the value of the work, but I know this even more as our little ones begin their show careers and the photos of their moments in the ring are priceless! Who/what has INFLUENCED you the most? This is a hard one to narrow down. I’ve always been influenced by the beauty of the world around me - I’m one of those people who can take an extra hour checking cows simply to soak up all the gorgeous views and study all the calves and analyze cows. Wanting to commit all the moments I can to memory is part of my passion for what a photo can do. And there are so many people I can credit with influencing me career wise - Linde gave me my first opportunity to photo a show and taught me so much about kindness and positivity within this work, Joelynn Rathmann inspired me to consider show photography, Bruce Kuehl and Pearl taught me many of the basics of a good backdrop, hours spent shooting alongside Cindy & Darla taught me even more about getting the most out of each animal while having fun interactions with exhibitors, and so many of the photographers I have worked with over the years left their mark and influenced how I see things and how I take pictures. My lifetime raising cattle started my love for the industry. The Jensen family and my time at K-State furthered my livestock knowledge and connection to agriculture and the show community. Over the years I have continually learned from the people around me - breeders, exhibitors and fellow photographers. My wonderful circle of people around me now make me a better photographer and a better human and I LOVE the ability to work with people who constantly teach and build one another up. And of course my husband and my kids. Matthew is a never ending sounding board wether it be looking at cattle in the pasture or rehashing a show I just shot, discussing all the livestock and occasionally analyzing what I could do to make my photos better (sometimes overanalyzing if you ask him…) and Adalynn and Aksel are full of questions about photos and about livestock and it keeps me pushing to be my best in order to be a wife & mother they can be proud of. What 's NEXT ? Hopefully a continuation of what Next Level has become. Throughout the years I have spent working in this industry, I have developed a strong sense of what I believe the livestock photo industry needs in a good photography company - livestock oriented people first and foremost
with a deep knowledge of the species we photograph; high end photographers capable of seeing all the moments you want captured forever; and a friendly, fun, passionate group of people to work with. I love this industry and I love the magic of getting a photo just right. I love the people we meet and connections we make. I love knowing that we are there for people to help them preserve their biggest moments wether it be winning a show or winning a class or exhibiting at a dream show for the first time or a final time - we have felt those moments and know their value and take immense pride in being trusted to capture those moments. It fuels me and it fuels our team. A judge recently told me “God made you for this work” and I feel that in my soul. I hope to continue to grow the amazing team we currently have and our goal will always be to provide the best in show coverage for any event that would like to work with Next Level! •
76
Powered by FlippingBook