Kansas Pictures

After living in Colorado and Seattle, Washington, family ties brought me back to Fairway, Kansas, a suburb of the Kansas City metropolitan area. Since then, I have spent a great deal of time obtaining Kansas pictures, particularly from the dramatic landscape photographs of the Flint Hills region.

Many people draw their impressions of the Kansas landscape from time spent traveling the interstate highways. The famous television journalist Charles Kuralt once said, “Thanks to the interstate highway system, you can now travel from one coast to the other and see absolutely nothing.” This is especially true in Kansas. Often the most interesting terrain in Kansas is nowhere near the interstate highway. The interstate occasionally cuts through an intriguing landscape, but prairies must be walked to be appreciated, not driven by at 70+ mph!

Prairie photography in Kansas is some of the most challenging photography I have ever attempted. At places like the Konza Prairie, or the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, there is a wonderful feeling of open country, big sky, and freedom of spirit. Unfortunately, the landscape doesn't translate well to a small print, unless you use a combination of compositional elements that are rarely all in the scene at the same time. Grassland pictures can look flat and un–interesting without all of these compositional tools in the frame. Perhaps that's why extraordinary Kansas photos are not all that common!

Flint Hills Photography

I have found that the Flint Hills region of Kansas, which runs north to south in the eastern third line of the state, has yielded some of the best Kansas photographs in my files. The terrain is very hilly with occasional steep slopes that keep compositional lines flowing and interesting to the eye. During the spring and early summer, dramatic storm clouds offer depth and mood to the skies that translates well into the photograph. Also, during the spring the ranchers burn the grasses for optimum soil conditions, and the spring burns offer a tremendous opportunity for unique prairie pictures.

In addition to the prairie landscape photographs, there are a number of towns with wonderful rural charm and character. Places like Cottonwood Falls, Council Grove, Manhattan, Matfield Green, Alma, Eskridge, and many others are great places to investigate for hidden treasures on the prairie.

The Flint Hills area is also interesting because of the rarity of its ecosystem. The tallgrass prairie is the most diverse ecosystem in North America. It is second only to the rain forest as the world's most diverse ecosystem. In my Kansas pictures from this region, you can see the huge amount of biomass that takes in massive amounts of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and serves as a 'carbon sink' for this greenhouse gas. The tallgrass prairie of Kansas is truly a national treasure worthy of expanded conservation efforts. I hope my Kansas photography is of benefit to that cause!