My Favorite Plains Photographers

Photographers have been capturing the stark beauty and vibrant wildlife of the American Great Plains since the days of covered wagons and sod houses.

One of my personal favorites, Forsberg is a Nebraska-based photographer most famous for his stunning images of Sandhill Cranes. His gallery is a birder's paradise all the way around, in fact. Grand Island, Nebraska is considered one of the finest spots for birding in the world, and Forsberg's gallery includes a cornucopia of species, from Canadian Geese to Cardinals to Prairie Chickens and Burrowing Owls. Forsberg also has beautiful shots of other prairie flora and fauna, and a range of spectacular plains landscapes.

Thomas Mangelsen is a Nebraska born and raised wildlife photographer most famous for his work with polar bears and grizzly bears in the Arctic. However, he also has many beautiful photographs featuring his native state, including a lovely series on the Sandhill Cranes, and has also worked in Wyoming and other Plains states, photographing cougars and other native wildlife.

Recently, he has been working in Africa with Jane Goodall on projects relating to the conservation and protection of chimpanzees and other African wildlife. You can read Jane's account of her visit to Nebraska with Mangelsen here. Mangelsen is also involved in many other conservation projects and organizations, including Vital Ground, which works to conserve grizzly bear habitat, and The Cougar Fund, which he co-founded.

A professional nature photographer, Joutras specializes in Great Plains photography, and his work appears in many books on the Plains.