Every one of us has run into someone that made our lives better when we weren’t expecting it. It was a teacher, celebrity, coach or someone that opened a window in our mind when we weren’t even in the market for such an event. It happens more frequently in the younger age groups, I think. At my age, cynicism and suspicion are necessary elements of our lives to survive the news of the day.

I have recently been surprised to have a person that I have never seen or spoken a word to become a very important part of my life. I don’t know very much about him, but I will introduce you to him and tell you why he is an important part of our lives in our marsh in Hoisington Kansas.

His name is John Hoffman. I hope he is related to our Hoffmans in this area because they would complement each other very well. His job description is “Photo Editor” for the national Ducks Unlimited magazine. That is a huge responsibility. Managing the pictures that appear in the national Ducks Unlimited magazine is beyond my comprehension. I have had some success in the state Ducks Unlimited calendars and fundraising events. It is a huge honor to be able to have your pictures in the state DU calendar that is involved in fundraising and promotions and I have made some very special friendships in this area. The national DU magazine is a duck of another breed. Getting a picture in that publication is a stupendous honor. I think John Hoffman did me a favor by using one of my pictures in a very small way of that magazine – but it is a stunning honor to have one selected.

That isn’t the point of this story. He takes the time to answer every email and comment on every picture I have sent him. He sends out a wish list of pictures needed for upcoming publications. His craft requires the best pictures he can get. I still have a copy of the magazine a couple of issues ago when he designed the cover and I look at it every two or three days and watch my jaw drop every time. He teaches the photographers that contribute to the magazine in a very unique way. I will give you two examples.

He wanted a picture of a Northern Shoveler with food in his mouth. There are lots of shovelers in the Bottoms and I thought that would be a simple task. I spent about six hours total and approximately 400 pictures of feeding Northern Shovelers and never got one with food in its mouth. They feed on the bottom and swallow the vegetative food before coming up to the surface. I don’t know if anyone ever got a picture of a Shoveler with a mouthful. He made me study Northern Shoveler feeding habits, which I would have never considered to be pertinent.

Just last week, I sent John a picture of a couple of Wood Ducks sitting on a pretty log at the Bottoms. It wasn’t that good, but they are beautiful birds. John commented that it was a nice image (he is polite beyond any expectation) and then said “Check them out! Have they already been through eclipse plumage?” I’m sure the astute birders that I know could answer that question in a heartbeat. I don’t have a clue. I’m still reading and wondering why I sent him a picture without that information in the description. His gentle nudge to be better is always present. His ability to make all of us better is so unusual and that organization is so much better by having him on board. I can only express my personal gratitude to him for taking the time. It is on my bucket list to have dinner with him at some point in time before my camera and mind become obsolete.

Take an extra minute to look at the pictures and cover of the next DU magazine. There is a genius in there somewhere. He is almost under the radar, but you will be amazed! He makes us better!

Thank you, Mr. Hoffman!

Doc

Doctor Dan Witt is a retired physician and nature enthusiast. He can be reached at danwitt01@gmail.com.