This is Gus. His smile is absolutely contagious, but don’t let this grin fool ya, he made me work for those smiles! I ventured about 14 miles northeast of Atkinson for this shoot, out into the beautiful open prairie. As I drove down the dirt roads, I caught myself yet again, dreaming of the day when we can move out of town and plant our permanent roots on a plot of land to call our own. When I got to Gus’s house, I immediately looked to the west and thought to myself how fortunate they were to get to watch such beautiful sunsets every night.
Gus came out to greet me, hesitantly looking at me while holding his mom’s hand. We took our time getting to know each other a bit, and pulled out the horse to be in his pictures with him. After awhile, with mom and dad’s help (along with a roll of Smarties), he must have thought the crazy picture lady wasn’t all that bad, because he warmed up, and we had a great time. Gus is a little Husker man through and through, and when he isn’t wearing his jerseys, he is wearing his favorite color…camo. LOL.
I had to include the image of mom and Gus, because while she didn’t intend on being in the pictures with him, I couldn’t pass on the opportunity to capture the beautiful moment where little one finds comfort in momma’s arms. There is so much “place” in these images, and when I look at them, I can’t help but feel even more connected to “The Good Life” here in rural Nebraska.
Thanks for having me out to your place, Gus, I had a great time playing!
PS- We are SO fortunate to have Erin, Tobin, and Gus in our community! Erin is a Nurse Practitioner at our local hospital, West Holt Medical Center, and Travis is the owner of Craftsman Creek, a local custom furniture shop where he creates AMAZING art pieces by hand. If you are ever in the vicinity, stop downtown and take a peek! You won’t be sorry!
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