Dan Olson Photography

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Minden, NE
Dan Olson Photography

Offering photography services ranging from fast action sports to family portraits.

02/02/2026

Week 4: Ditch Blizzard - March 2024

The cold weather and dusting of snow this past week, which wasn't very photogenic, got me thinking about favorite wintery shots.

I snapped this photo with my iPhone on my way to work in March of 2024. The ever-changing, rippling edge of the snow drift cascading along the drainage ditch caught my eye.

One of these times, I'll have a fresh photo to post, but this has been a pretty boring winter, with the exception of a couple nights of northern lights, and I haven't spent much time looking for something photo-worthy.

I did see that we might have a chance for more northern lights this week. If they're out, I'll be shooting.

01/24/2026

Week 3: Northern Lights over Kearney County, Nebraska 1.21.26

Posting a bit later in the week this time. I've been busy with life and chasing the Northern Lights this week. Finally got some time to put this timelapse video together from the early morning hours of January 21st, 2026, the second night of the recent aurora activity.

I didn't get much the first night due to some user error with my main setup and limited battery life on my secondary camera. It ended up being cloudy here during some of the best activity that night anyway.

It was cloudy again the night I got the photos for this timelapse, but I kept checking the weather app and going outside with my phone to take test shots. Just before midnight it cleared up, so I set up and left the camera out the rest of the night.

I tried slightly different settings this time with a shorter shutter speed of 2 seconds, f/2.8, and ISO 6400 @ 12 second intervals. The faster shutter speed helped retain more detail in these fast-dancing aurora.

-Canon R5
-Tamron 24-70 f/2.8

Music from (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/dada/kodawari

01/12/2026

Week 2: Landscape Arch, Arches National Park, Utah 🌌

This week’s photo is a recent re-edit of one of my old favorites from 2018. ⏳

Some moments are worth staying up late for. ⏾

During our honeymoon adventure through Utah's national parks, my wife and I stood beneath this massive stone arch while the Milky Way painted the sky. Landscape Arch, one of the world’s longest natural arches at 290 feet, was framed by thousands of stars, creating a surreal experience. This shot helped inspire me to create more ambitious photos, especially of the night sky.

A kind, more experienced photographer helped me set up this shot—a blend of two photos: one before dark for the arch’s details and another after nightfall for the Milky Way. The photography community’s generosity never ceases to amaze me. All I had at the time was my Canon 60D with a fairly cheap EF-S 10-22mm lens on a tripod. I had to use the built in shot timer on the camera since I didn't have an intervalometer at the time.

There's something humbling about standing beneath something so ancient and vast, sharing it with the person you love most and a new friend made through photography. This is my kind of adventure. I look forward to returning to Arches NP in the future with more knowledge and better equipment.

01/05/2026

Starting 2026 with a creative challenge: one photo every week for 52 weeks.

Whether it's a golden hour moment, an unexpected detail, or a place that tells a story, I'll be sharing a mix of old favorites and new photos and maybe a time-lapse or two.

Week 1: Kearney County Courthouse, Minden, NE ✨🎄

This early 1900s courthouse stands proud at the center of downtown Minden, decorated with lights every year for Christmas. The starburst filter I used for this shot put an interesting twist on the Christmas lights.

Sometimes the most beautiful scenes are hiding in plain sight in small-town Nebraska.

Here's to seeing the world through a more intentional lens in 2025. Follow along for the journey! 📸

12/20/2025

Thull Family
November 2025

12/11/2025

The Christmas City🎄

📍Kearney County Courthouse - Minden, NE

15 vertical images stitched together resulting in a 70 megapixel image, after cropping (exported at 24 megapixels to keep the file size reasonable).

Canon R5 w/ Tamron 24-70 f2.8
0.4s @ f5.6 ISO 400

12/02/2025

Klahn Family November 2025

11/30/2025

Isaacson Family October 2025

11/27/2025

Olson Family October 2025

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Minden, NE
68959

Website

https://danolsonphotography.shootproof.com/, http://danolsonphoto.com/

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