Harrisburg, Missouri

After spending a stretch of this spring in Harrisburg, Missouri, I put together an essay on life in the small mid-Missouri town. If you haven't seen them already, you can view the collection here on my website.

You can find additional photos from Harrisburg on my blog, including more photos from the Harrisburg Elementary School's bike rodeo and Freeman Taxidermy. I've also included a few of the photos below that I enjoyed but didn't make it into the final project or earlier blog posts. Enjoy.

Fire Follow-up

After spending the first half of the summer with limited internet connection...I'm back. First up on photos from the last couple months is a quick follow-up on some of the prescribed fire photos from earlier in the year. If you followed the blog in the spring, there were photos from numerous fires around mid-Missouri (Like here, here, and here.) I checked back in on one of those burned areas in the Baskett Wildlife Area near Ashland and shot the photo below. The image was made within a few feet from the photograph that was shot just seconds after the fire passed.

 

This was shot from a slightly different angle, but it gives an idea of the intensity of the fire in the area now covered in wildflowers.

Harrisburg Bike Rodeo

Over the last few weeks, I've been continuing a project to document life in Harrisburg, a small town in mid-Missouri. Recently, Harrisburg Elementary School hosted their annual bike rodeo. While many small towns around Missouri have been slowly disappearing over recent decade, Harrisburg maintains an active downtown and community. Many residents attribute this to the strong schools located in the center of town. On a warm spring evening, 100 students from pre-school through sixth grade raced bikes and took part in contests ranging from obstacle courses to bike golf on the school playground.

Freeman Taxidermy

Yesterday, I photographed Clint Freeman as part of my project to document Harrisburg, Missouri. Over the last few years, Freeman, a Harrisburg native, has taken taxidermy from a hobby to a profession. On Monday, he was touching up two deer mounts.

Harrisburg Hazard House

For the next couple weeks, I'll be photographing in and around Harrisburg, Missouri. This photo is from the Hazard House just south of town. Named for the past owners, the home is flanked by a long fence filled with old scraps, deer skulls, dolls and more. For the last decade, Terry McBride has been renovating the 170-year-old farm house. When he bought the house, the previous owners had mostly abandoned the property and the home was filled with junk. This junk now fills the 50-foot fence, although McBride holds onto some of the more valuable pieces like an 1855 nickel. I'll be posting more photos from the Hazard House and Harrisburg in the coming weeks.  Enjoy this preview.

Who's Behind Your Burger?

For the last several weeks, I've been working on a project to document the farmers, bakers, and ranchers who are bringing a hamburger to your table. The stories are all together now on my website where you can browse the origins of your dinner. Go take a look and enjoy.

Covered-L Ranch

Kansas City Polar Bear

Last week we spent an early summer day at the Kansas City Zoo. Despite the unusually warm March weather, there was an extremely active polar bear by the entrance. Here are a few photos from the day. Enjoy.

Here are a few details from some of the other animals.

Prehensile tail porcupine

Straw-necked ibis

Straw-necked ibis