Finding Home

I've been thinking a lot lately about what it means to be home. This week I will hit the road and move to Texas to start a summer internship at The Dallas Morning News. I am beyond excited for the next adventure. Here are some recent images from the places I've called home and the road in between them. All images were all shot on film or disposable cameras.

SEC Outdoor Track and Field Championship

I photographed the SEC Outdoor Track and Field Championship in Columbia this weekend. The participants of the meet were incredible athletes mentally and physically. Many of the athletes were Olympians and I was honored to be in their presence. I ran early in high school (before I quit because I’m slow) but I have watched my cousins train and grow from running.

My youngest cousin Elana Minsberg runs for Southern Illinois University. Throughout the weekend I couldn't help but picture her there. After watching her overcome injuries and battle the urge to push herself harder despite the consequences watching any athlete twist their ankle devastated me.

It also reminded me of that surge of accomplishment when athletes who trained before daylight broke and traded their personal life with practice accomplished their personal record at the event. I tried to think of my cousins in each athlete and capture what it’s like to give your whole body and mind to something that is much deeper than running in circles.

Rural Missouri

Rural Missouri can be incredibly beautiful. I visited the Burnett/Boggs family out in New Franklin. Lauren fed flowers to the cows in the backyard and Shelia cracked crab legs with pliers. I can't believe she is graduating high school already and will be off to college soon. Her prom dress hung on the wall next to her new matching boots. On the way back I stopped to pet some horse noses. The pasture is located where the pavement meets gravel and there's something peaceful about the dust that spins up behind you on a dirt road. I'm going to miss this place.

Making My Daughter Stronger

They missed it. She had an eight-pound tumor on her kidney and they missed it. Shelia Burnett of New Franklin, Mo. was diagnosed with stage IV Renal cell carcinoma in May of 2011. Recently her cancer reoccurred in her liver and is no longer curable. Burnett is preparing her family for her death. “There’s a lot of times I ask myself why am I having to go through this? I don’t know why I am going through this other than making my daughter a stronger person.” said Burnett. Burnett’s daughter Lauren Burnett, 17, has stepped up to help her mother with chores at home and at their family business Boggs Auto Salvage and Sale.

According to a study by Kathryn E. Weaver, assistant professor at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, rural cancer survivors reported more psychological distress, were more likely to be in fair or poor heath and unable to work because of a health condition than urban cancer survivors.

Burnett fears burdening her family with her emotion and she wishes there were more resources and support groups for people living in rural areas. “That’s part of a rural community we don’t have the resources a big city would have so you learn to use your family.”

* "Making My Daughter Stronger" recently placed 3rd in the Hearst Journalism Awards Enterprise Multimedia category and qualifies me to compete in the Hearst Journalism Awards National Multimedia Championship this June.

Mizzou Softball

Had thirty seconds of sun during the MU softball game.

Missouri Midnight

I've been playing around with a time lapse series of Missouri at night. Here are a few photos just for fun from Eagle Bluffs, Coopers Landing and Finger Lakes.

Mountains and Flatlands in Colorado and Kansas

Took a roadtrip with Ryan to Colorado for spring break. Some scenes from the adventures!

MSHSAA High School Basketball Tourney

Emotion was high at the MSHSAA basketball tournament for Missouri high schools. I shot this weekend for the Kansas City Star. Since I was there for most of the day I looked for little features in between games too.