Emancipation Station

After visiting the Emancipation Station, a shelter for women, I thought about it a long time afterwards. I was in awe of Pastor Alice Pigee-Wallack who runs the center. Her strength for dealing with the difficult and hard stories of these women. Sometimes it is a story of mental illness, sometimes drugs, abuse, or just hard luck. Just recently "Pastor Alice" as they call her, told me that the story we did helped them earn a $5000 grant. It motivates me to go out and do more photography like this.

Link to article

If you or someone you know would like to help the Emancipation Station, contact the Janet Brown Moss at janetbridgeworks@sbcglobal.net or call 816.531.6577. To contact the True Light Family Resource Center, please call 816.561.1700 or emailtruelightfrc@hotmail.com.

A Teacher of Note

I just finished my work at the MPW. We had our exhibition at the local library with a great turnout. Below is a quick summary of my story. It was a wonderful experience to work directly with some of the most talented people in the industry, Dennis Dimick and George Olson, and to see the end reaction of the town to our work.

©Rachael Jane

more here

Scott Taylor is a music-loving school teacher and softball coach at St. Pius X, a local Catholic high school in Crystal City.

Taylor, as his students call him, often uses music to motivate his students to be more engaged in learning, such as paralleling Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales with “The Battle of Evermore” by Led Zeppelin. He uses many musical euphemisms in class to make things fun, such as a weekly vocabulary list he calls the “greatest hits.” His walls and bookshelves at home and in his classroom are replete with music and sports paraphernalia.

Taylor is responsible for writing many of the songs by The Bottle Rockets, a rock band considered to be the godfathers of the '90s alt/country-roots rock revival originally from Festus and Crystal City. Some members of the band were his students at St. Pius X.

Missouri Photo Workshop

I just learned that I am accepted to the Missouri Photo Workshop starting next week.

It is "a remarkable documentary effort. Since 1949 more than 2,000 photographers from around the world have worked in more than 40 small Missouri communities to create a historic and unique archive."

It is run by the University of Missouri-Columbia's School of Journalism

Looking forward....

Crossroads Music Festival

More in Present Magazine

Kids are Back in School...

©Rachael Jane

This photo is from last year's girl scout trip to the Omaha Zoo. We were able to sleep overnight in the aquarium and view the animals in the dark. It was a treat, also to avoid all of the crowds of people usually there.

Now school has started again. The weather is getting colder. A few leaves have fallen and the alarm rings me out of bed at 6am. Kids are excited and learning new things everyday. Soccer, piano, drama and playdates..... the schedules go on.... but there is also some free time during the day. Everything is just... well more... scheduled... :)

Wedding Photojournalism

When I don't have an assignment to do, I have been doing wedding photography. I find it very satisfying because it's always a celebratory atmosphere. People are aware and want you to be there with the camera. Ample opportunities arise to find that documentary shot. For me I enjoy capturing the emotion. Very few of the photos are staged but of course there are times where deliberate photos are necessary for preserving the day.

©Rachael Jane

www.weddingjane.com

Quixotic Fusion

Their new Show is coming to the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art on September 12th


Lux Esalare

©Rachael Jane


Backstage at the Madrid Theater:

©Rachael Jane

©Rachael Jane

Interval Training

iphone photo

Running between powerlines and the river, great for a storm!



The running is going well. Lately I've taken up interval training on the 6th mile. Maybe last time was overdoing it a bit. I took a day off because my calves are tight. Just going up stairs gives me a "charlie horse".

New Photos Published in The Guardian UK

Here is the slideshow:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/interactive/2009/aug/21/us-health-insurance-kansas-city

Running up that Hill

Kate Bush - Running up that Hill
Uploaded by scopitones. - See the latest featured music videos.

So far I have now run up that %&## hill twice! In the spirit of full disclosure, I had to stop at the top to catch my breath...