Fire Close to Home

Last Saturday while watching a movie with some friends we heard several sirens that sounded really close so we grabbed our cameras and went searching. This was the scene we came upon two blocks North of my house.


Manhattan fire fighters were already on the scene working diligently to put out the flames.


Fire fighters worked there way inside the house from the back to the porch.


The fire fighters with the hose alternated between spraying the burning house and spraying trees and the house next door to prevent the fire from spreading.


Lights from the many emergency vehicles splashed everywhere, joining the warm light being cast from the ablaze home.


One of the residents, Skylar Sheppard, sits in an ambulance, uninjured but in shock as her room and possessions burn through the night. Skylar said she woke up to flames in her home and ran to alert her roommates immediately, then fled the house.


While one team hit the house and roof from the front another worked their way up the side of the house with a ladder to windows on the top story, breaking out windows and lugging a hose up the rungs as they climbed.


The whole scene was pretty chaotic between the emergency workers running about, neighbors taking to their lawns to watch, and surprisingly frequent inquiries from people asking about my camera.

On an unrelated note, I would like to state my lack of posts lately is because I have started shooting for K-State's Communications and Marketing department and we have pretty strict privacy on our work.

Bridge Black and White

I took this shot this morning at a walking bridge in town. Hoping to get some early commuters on foot I just waited and shot a bunch of side shots to fill the time.

Bison Bison

Today I went to the Konza Prairie research area and had the opportunity to shoot some of the bison. There are about 350 head of bison over 2500 of the prairie's 8500 acres. They were originally introduced to the research area to examine the impact of both fire and grazing on grassland. This particular bison was the largest one in the group I came across.

The Next Big Indians

This is a shot I took for the paper's high school football tabloid. I just liked the lighting with the clouds.

On the playroll

This is an illustration I did for a story about possibly paying college football players. I made the clock-in box out of an old clock and a cardboard box and had my buddy Eric Brown model for me.

K-Skate

Yesterday I went cruising for a feature shot for the paper and came across this skater at Manhattan's only skate park (as far as I'm aware). His name is Stephen Calovich, he is a K-State student in mechanical engineering and has been skating for over ten years.

The Shadows of Giants

This is a shot I got at a graduation ceremony at K-State 3 years ago and just came across it recently. The flash from the grad-images photographer would cast these giant shadows on the background of the stage so I slowed my shutter down and caught this frame.

Stampede 2011

For my coverage of Stampede I basically focused on the headliners, we had another photographer, Logan Jones who covered the people side. This is Brad Paisley, the main headliner of the festival.


Brad Paisley.


Man there are some interesting people at this thing.


Blake Shelton.


Jarrod Niemann.

Juneteenth 2011

This is the shot that ran in the Sunday Manhattan Mercury with a story on Juneteenth. Juneteenth is a festival that celebrates black independence marking the day the South discovered slavery had been made illegal. Every year there is a Gospel fest, a parade, and several booths of vendors and phenomenal BBQ. This shot is of the Kansas City Marching Falcons during the parade on 11th St, the guy in the foreground, Charles Sanders, is doing a backflip.

What a Gusher

I go cruising for news for the paper most days, and in a town the size of Manhattan you start to know the hot spots for action. I had checked this area out by the dam a week before after some heavy rainfall and the outlet tubes were closed because relief area waters had risen too high. I came back the other day and they had one tube open which was letting out the most OUTRAGEOUS amount of water! This was what I turned out from it.

Phoenix Flair

I'm pretty sure these are vultures, they were circling around the sky by the lake so I stopped my car to catch a few frames and was happy how they turned out. I really like the color from the sun flare in the top one.

Mechanic Mommy

I covered this lady, Nicole Moore, for a profile about her for the paper. She is a graduate from the local technical college and got hired at an auto shop in Junction City after graduating. This tattooed lady mechanic is also a mother of a four year old girl. These two were great to photograph because the mom didn't mind me being around and did a great job keeping her daughter busy with some intense tickling so I could capture some great smiles. It always works out best when your subjects are comfortable around you.

Tennis for fun and exercise

These guys were playing tennis one morning at the main park in town. I was looking for a feature photo anyway, and this just really spoke to me, I'm always thinking about the future and as a retired old man I hope to enjoy life as much as these guys seem to enjoy themselves.

State Track 2011

These are some of the shots I took at the 2011 state track tournament at WSU.

Apartment Fire

This lady and her baby were trapped on the top floor of their apartment building as a basement apartment burned, filling the halls and stairways with smoke.


The fire fighter took the baby from the woman then went back to assist her out the window.

My Mercury Debut

These are my first photos for the Manhattan Mercury!


This is a local Manhattan High track runner named Reid Buchanon, he will be competing in the state meet Friday and Saturday.


This shot was for a story about a few dirt roads in Pott County getting paved.

A different kind of Binter Art

My little brother is a puzzling one, in the twisty puzzle kinda way. He 3D designed all the pieces for this unique, one of a kind puzzle, had them 3D printed and sent to him, then he dyed, assembled, and stickered it. I was so proud of his creativity and figured since the blog is called "Binter Art" his unique creation was not only qualified for, but also deserved a spot on the site. Awesome job Ryan! Here are a few more shots of the puzzle.

The panCAKE is a lie!

For anyone that doesn't already get this, don't try. Hooray Portal!

Woodland Web

My eyes are like hunters, looking for the next prey to shoot. They caught this frame last night outside the campus pool. It had been raining all day so the tree was very reflective, and with the street light at the perfect place the reflections on the wet branches looked like a spiderweb of light.

One Packed Place

Nelson's Landing, a restaurant in Leonardville, KS, is owned by Green Bay Packer Jordy Nelson's parents. Needless to say in this small town Nelson's Landing was the place to be Sunday night for the Superbowl. The restaurant was filled with fans showing their support for the local celebrity.