The Advance

Issue date: 10/20/06 Section: News

Darryl Heikes has photographed many events over his 41-year-long career, covering a wide range of events such as presidential elections and many sporting events. He has worked as a photojournalist for United Press International, Associated Press, the Kansas City Star, the Topeka Capital Journal and the Salina Journal.

An exhibition of Heikes's work has been on display over the past month in The Gallery at Kansas Wesleyan University. "A Deadline Every Minute, The Photo Archive of Darryl Heikes" is a display of 26 of Heike's photographs spanning four decades.

Heikes' love of photography began when he was at Salina High School and got a camera and began taking photos for the school newspaper. As a journalism student at Kansas State University he continued shooting images. He recalls that he learned photography by taking photos from different angles. He would shoot features and put the photos on the Greyhound to send them to the newspapers. If a newspaper used his photo he was paid $5 for it.

Throughout his career Heikes covered many high-profile figures and events. He covered every national political convention from 1968-1996. He also photographed the presidential campaigns from 1972-1996. Heikes recorded one of the last images of John F. Kennedy in 1963 in an open-top car, minutes before the president was assassinated. He also shot one of the first images of the alleged shooter, Lee Harvey Oswald being held in handcuffs. Heikes photographed Olympic long-jumper record-breaker, Bob Beamon at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. Heikes was one of the few to capture this jump and his pictures were used all over the world the next day.

Heikes spoke of the competitive nature of the media which he worked within. The media are always trying to outdo each other. Newspapers often hire good investigative reporters to "dig dirt" on famous figures. Within politics, particularly, personal issues are now the news and the press is not afraid to write about it. Additionally Heikes pointed to the ever-expanding nature of the media today. Digital technology has totally changed photography; it has enabled anyone to become a photographer. Today Heikes' favorite subjects to photograph are his grandchildren.
Darryl Heikes' exhibition is now on display at Kansas State University, Manhattan until November 10.

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