Local resident's photograph earns magazine cover
Jeff Phelps says it started as an efficient way of photographing farm land, then developed into a creative outlet with a drone and a camera. His work is on the cover of Nebraska Life Magazine.
By News Channel NebraskaSIDNEY -- For one Cheyenne County resident, technical work evolved into awakening his creativity, and recognition by a statewide magazine.
Jeff Phelps says a camera has always been near him. However, necessity took him an unexpected direction a few years ago, resulting in statewide recognition he calls humbling.
"I've always had an interest in photography. In the late '80s, I bought a nice 35 mm film camera and experimented with it for a while, and didn't do much with it. But I've always enjoyed photography, whether with a cell phone, just for fun. But when I started with land sales in 2018, after my career at Cabela's, I needed a drone to get photos of properties from the air because when you're buying farm ground, it's better to see the property from the air than from the ground," Phelps said.
He bought a drone for land sales, which opened the door for other creativity.
"So I bought a drone to start taking photos for that. Then, I found my creative outlet: taking sunset photos, landscape photos, with perspectives from a drone you can't get from the ground," he said.
He said using a drone requires a specific Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) license. He needed the license to photograph for land sales, and decided to expand into creative drone photography.
"So I thought well, why not start a drone photography business. There's really nothing around here. So I started doing that in my spare time; started High Point Aerial Images at the time because that's all I focused on was drone. I have since changed the name to High Point Images because I do more than drone work. I do camera work now," he said.
He said he now does more work with a camera than a drone. His favorite photography is Nebraska landscape.
He had a photo in Nebraska Life with a story on life after Cabela's. A nighttime photo of Chimney Rock earned Editor's Choice in 2024. He entered several categories announced this year.
He said out of 1,500 submissions, four of his photos were selected. The current November/December issue shows half of the photos, and the January/February 2026 issue will show the other half, and photographer of the year. Three of his photos are in the November/December issue.
Phelps' photos can be seen on Facebook, Instagram and Highpointimages.com.