Facebook page connecting Nebraskans through photographs

A place to escape, without going anywhere; "Nebraska Through the Lens" is a Facebook page for all things Nebraska.

"It's a nice vacation away from the everyday stressors," said Robyn Sawyer, a page administrator. 

The group was started by Steve Evans in 2013.

"He and a couple of buddies of his, there might have been about ten or fifteen photography friends of his, started this page," Sawyer said. 

She said they never expected it to grow this much.

"It spans all over the United States, worldwide as well. People who have lived here before and have moved away, they love seeing the memories of the small towns, the ranch life, the city life."

This year the page reached over 250,000 members, with no signs of slowing down.

They receive hundreds of member requests every day.

"It's interesting too if you check area state's like 'South Dakota Through the Lens', 'Iowa Through the Lens', 'Kansas Through the Lens'. They haven't taken off nearly as well as Nebraska Through the Lens has," Sawyer said.

With an average of 5,000 photos each month, the page is racking up millions of reactions. 

The success stems from members following the rules.

"We're pretty clear on not wanting any drama on the page," Sawyer said. "We don't allow political posts."

The Coronavirus is also not allowed to be discussed on the page.

Now the question is: who can join? According to Sawyer, anyone can.

"We have novice photographers who just use their phones, amateur photographers who are just starting out with cameras wanting advice, and then we have professional photographers."

To join the page you can make a member request on Facebook.