Photographer Erik Johnson has been fascinated by landscapes from an early age, particularly the sweeping vistas of the Great Plains of the American Midwest, a sometimes-overlooked region where, he believes, “there are incredible scenes to be discovered that are just as striking as anything found elsewhere.”
Erik sees the power of photography to “spark emotion and reveal worlds that might otherwise go unseen.” When he takes a photo, his goal “is to preserve the moment exactly as I experienced it and be able to share it with others. Ultimately, I want my photography to show a world worth caring for.”
It was on a work-related trip to the Konza Prairie Biological Station [https://kpbs.konza.k-state.edu/] in Kansas, installing and photographing environmental monitoring equipment, that Erik captured one of his favorite images. He explains how “Konza Fog” was created:
“Konza is in a region called the Flint Hills, which is characterized by rocky soils and sweeping tallgrass prairies. When the ground cools at night, particularly under clear skies with calm winds, the lowered temperatures cause the air near the surface to cool and condense into fog. This is referred to as “radiation” or “ground” fog. On one of the mornings, we awoke to a thick fog covering the landscape around us—so heavy that anything farther than a stone’s throw vanished from sight.”
“I had the idea to take a self-portrait. I set my Z 8 and NIKKOR Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S on a tripod and activated the built-in interval timer shooting function. I walked forward through the dewy grass and stopped at a point that I estimated would fit within frame.”
“I really love the way fog seemed to swallow the scene and soften the surroundings, and I was pleased with the subtle balance of my figure on the rolling hillside beneath the textured clouds above. By placing myself into the image I hope I was able to give the viewer a sense of scale—I think it makes the scene more personal and immersive.”
So what’s next? In addition to his continued photographic exploration of the Great Plains, Erik is planning a camping trip to Wyoming and Idaho, including stops at the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone National Park. And naturally, his Z 8 and NIKKOR Z lenses are coming along for the ride.
Erik’s gear
Erik started his photographic journey with a smartphone, before moving on to a Nikon D7000 and later, a full-frame D810. After shooting with the D810 “for over a decade” Erik upgraded to a Z 8, saying “it’s incredible. It does everything I could ask for—from great image files to high resolution video.” He also invested in a set of new NIKKOR Z lenses: the f/2.8 ‘professional trio’ of the NIKKOR Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S, NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S and NIKKOR Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S, plus the NIKKOR Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S macro and NIKKOR Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR for wildlife.
Editor’s note: You can find the Interval timer function in the camera’s shooting menu. Check your camera manual for details on setting it up.
Erik Johnson
Erik Johnson is a photographer based in Nebraska, who specializes in the landscapes of the Midwest, especially the Great Plains region. While he spends a lot of his time driving the backroads of his home state, Erik believes that great photos can be found anywhere. In addition to in various Midwest publications, his work has been featured by NASA and the Smithsonian.