Missouri politician Bill Eigel smiles while standing at a podium on a wooden stage, in a wooden barn. In front of him, people hold up Bill Eigel campaign signs.
info

Missouri State Sen. Bill Eigel, R-Weldon Spring, announces his bid for governor on Sept. 8, 2023, at the St. Charles County Regional Airport in Portage Des Sioux, Mo. The Air Force veteran and member of the legislature’s conservative caucus, Eigel has built a platform around limiting abortion rights, limiting the rights of transgender people and aligning himself with former President Donald Trump. 

×

Missouri State Sen. Bill Eigel, R-Weldon Spring, announces his bid for governor on Sept. 8, 2023, at the St. Charles County Regional Airport in Portage Des Sioux, Mo. The Air Force veteran and member of the legislature’s conservative caucus, Eigel has built a platform around limiting abortion rights, limiting the rights of transgender people and aligning himself with former President Donald Trump. 

×
A shirtless person with nipple piercings, a butterfly sternum tattoo and dyed blue hair dances with their face toward a bright blue sky.
info

Dylan Pierson dances in the sun on  June 24, 2023 during St. Louis Pride Fest in downtown St. Louis. “I think that right now is just an important time to celebrate who we are and being gay and being trans and being queer,” Pierson said. “I think it’s very crucial that we come out and we show ourselves and show that we’re not going anywhere.”

×

Dylan Pierson dances in the sun on  June 24, 2023 during St. Louis Pride Fest in downtown St. Louis. “I think that right now is just an important time to celebrate who we are and being gay and being trans and being queer,” Pierson said. “I think it’s very crucial that we come out and we show ourselves and show that we’re not going anywhere.”

×
Two young women lay on the ground appearing to be upside down, the woman on the right has her arms spread out in a cross position.
info

Hickman freshman Allison Weng, left, and junior Batti Camper rest between performances October 11, 2019 at Hickman High School. Both girls were members of the Hickman High School color guard. The color guard and band performed before the game and during halftime.

×

Hickman freshman Allison Weng, left, and junior Batti Camper rest between performances October 11, 2019 at Hickman High School. Both girls were members of the Hickman High School color guard. The color guard and band performed before the game and during halftime.

×
Three children look up into a blue aquarium tank as a shark swims overhead.
info

From left, Connely Zuber, 9, Tripp Zuber, 12, and Holden Basseen, 11, watch as a whitetip reef shark swims by on July 25, 2023 at the St. Louis Aquarium. The trio visited the aquarium during its Shark Week celebration, in preparation for a trip to Florida to swim with sharks later that week. 

×

From left, Connely Zuber, 9, Tripp Zuber, 12, and Holden Basseen, 11, watch as a whitetip reef shark swims by on July 25, 2023 at the St. Louis Aquarium. The trio visited the aquarium during its Shark Week celebration, in preparation for a trip to Florida to swim with sharks later that week. 

×
Two Black men wearing blue suits pray, the man on the left is kneeling over a chair, the man on the right is wearing a medical face mask and holding a microphone.
info

Rev. Anthony Woods, left, kneels while Rev. James E. Dunn, Sr. leads the congregation in prayer on  April 10, 2022 at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Columbia. COVID-19 protections and a shift to online ministry posed unique challenges for many historically Black churches, including Friendship Missionary, where physical touch is often central to the congregations's worship experience. 

×

Rev. Anthony Woods, left, kneels while Rev. James E. Dunn, Sr. leads the congregation in prayer on  April 10, 2022 at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Columbia. COVID-19 protections and a shift to online ministry posed unique challenges for many historically Black churches, including Friendship Missionary, where physical touch is often central to the congregations's worship experience. 

×
An extreme close up of a yelling face, painted to look like an American flag.
info

Jack Gietl screams while wearing American-flag themed face paint, after a U.S. Men's National Soccer Team match on June 28, 2023 at CityPark in St. Louis. 

×

Jack Gietl screams while wearing American-flag themed face paint, after a U.S. Men's National Soccer Team match on June 28, 2023 at CityPark in St. Louis. 

×
In the foreground an out of focus woman stands with her arms in the air, in the background a team of women cheer for her.
info

The University of Alabama gymnastics team celebrates after a teammate lands a tumbling pattern on Feb. 1, 2019 at the Hearnes Center in Columbia, Mo. Alabama won the meet against the University of Missouri.

×

The University of Alabama gymnastics team celebrates after a teammate lands a tumbling pattern on Feb. 1, 2019 at the Hearnes Center in Columbia, Mo. Alabama won the meet against the University of Missouri.

×
A person in yellow and green jacket, hat and backpack stands in front of a mannequin. The mannequin is dressed like Chance the Rapper, wearing red overalls and his icon "3" hat. A light illuminates the two figures, with the background in complete darkness
info

D’Frantz Smart looks at Chance the Rapper's hat, showcased in “The Culture: Hip Hop & Contemporary Art in the 21st Century”  on Sept. 13, 2023, at the St. Louis Art Museum. The multimedia art exhibit showcases the history and context of hip hop since the year 2000. 

×

D’Frantz Smart looks at Chance the Rapper's hat, showcased in “The Culture: Hip Hop & Contemporary Art in the 21st Century”  on Sept. 13, 2023, at the St. Louis Art Museum. The multimedia art exhibit showcases the history and context of hip hop since the year 2000. 

×
A girl's eye is large on a phone sitting on a chair.
info

My friend Dasha Vilchinskaia gets a closer look at me during a WhatsApp video call on March 27, 2020. Vilchinskaia and I met in Denmark — she was the international program’s sole student from Russia. In the two months we were both in Europe, we became quite close. When the COVID-19 pandemic began, I was forced home to Missouri while she stayed in Denmark. I miss her dearly.

×

My friend Dasha Vilchinskaia gets a closer look at me during a WhatsApp video call on March 27, 2020. Vilchinskaia and I met in Denmark — she was the international program’s sole student from Russia. In the two months we were both in Europe, we became quite close. When the COVID-19 pandemic began, I was forced home to Missouri while she stayed in Denmark. I miss her dearly.

×
In a dark room a man's face is projected on a screen, throughout the rest of the room a few men sit among mostly-empty chairs.
info

People watch a projection of Governor Mike Parson as he gives the State of the State address, Jan. 27, 2021, in the rotunda of the Capitol in Jefferson City, Mo. Hours before his speech, Parson was stopped from giving his address inside the House of Representatives, fueling an ongoing feud between him and fellow Republican Speaker of the House Rob Vescovo. In a letter later sent to lawmakers, Parson called the decision to move his speech to the Senate a “purposeful and disgusting scheme to embarrass” him by House leadership.

×

People watch a projection of Governor Mike Parson as he gives the State of the State address, Jan. 27, 2021, in the rotunda of the Capitol in Jefferson City, Mo. Hours before his speech, Parson was stopped from giving his address inside the House of Representatives, fueling an ongoing feud between him and fellow Republican Speaker of the House Rob Vescovo. In a letter later sent to lawmakers, Parson called the decision to move his speech to the Senate a “purposeful and disgusting scheme to embarrass” him by House leadership.

×
Amidst a crowd of people with their fists in the air, two young Black women embrace. Both are crying.
info

Cheyenne Green, left, hugs Ohun Ashe on  Aug. 9, 2023, during a memorial commemorating the ninth anniversary of Michael Brown Jr.’s killing by a White police officer outside of Canfield Apartments in Ferguson, Mo. Community members say little has changed to stop police shootings of Black people since Brown's death and they want lawmakers to make stronger laws against police officers who kill people during incidents.

×

Cheyenne Green, left, hugs Ohun Ashe on  Aug. 9, 2023, during a memorial commemorating the ninth anniversary of Michael Brown Jr.’s killing by a White police officer outside of Canfield Apartments in Ferguson, Mo. Community members say little has changed to stop police shootings of Black people since Brown's death and they want lawmakers to make stronger laws against police officers who kill people during incidents.

×
A Black woman wearing a green jacket and black bandana in her hairs leans forward while looking into a car window. Inside the car are two dogs. The woman is crying.
info

Hadah McCoy says goodbye to two of her dogs on Oct. 3, 2023, outside City Hall in downtown St. Louis. As city employees took down the tent they'd been living in, McCoy and her husband learned they would be unable to bring their three dogs to the temporary housing the city set up for them. They were forced  to leave two of the three behind with a volunteer.

×

Hadah McCoy says goodbye to two of her dogs on Oct. 3, 2023, outside City Hall in downtown St. Louis. As city employees took down the tent they'd been living in, McCoy and her husband learned they would be unable to bring their three dogs to the temporary housing the city set up for them. They were forced  to leave two of the three behind with a volunteer.

×
A young boy holds a cat up above his head. They are outside, on a foggy morning.
info

Bowen Cox, 6, and Pumpkin the cat play together on the morning of Sept. 24, 2020 at the Cox’s family home in Marshfield, Mo. 

×

Bowen Cox, 6, and Pumpkin the cat play together on the morning of Sept. 24, 2020 at the Cox’s family home in Marshfield, Mo. 

×
A group of nurses stand alongside the road, holding picket signs. They are framed by the green leaves of a tree overhead.
info

ICU nurse Hannah Schomburg, front left, stands with other nurses at the picket line on Sept. 25, 2023, outside SM Health St. Louis University Hospital in Midtown St. Louis. Nurses at the hospital held a 24 hour strike, looking for a contract that addresses staffing shortages, increased pay and workplace violence prevention. “In the ICU, patients need such frequent monitoring,” Schomburg said. “And sometimes if we’re understaffed, then the patients aren’t being monitored to the extent they deserve.”

×

ICU nurse Hannah Schomburg, front left, stands with other nurses at the picket line on Sept. 25, 2023, outside SM Health St. Louis University Hospital in Midtown St. Louis. Nurses at the hospital held a 24 hour strike, looking for a contract that addresses staffing shortages, increased pay and workplace violence prevention. “In the ICU, patients need such frequent monitoring,” Schomburg said. “And sometimes if we’re understaffed, then the patients aren’t being monitored to the extent they deserve.”

×
Missouri politician Tishaura Jones sits at a table. She has a worried, apprehensive look on her face. A beam of light illuminates her face and hands, with shadows framing her head and shoulders.
info

Mayor Tishaura Jones awaits the start of a community listening session on gun violence prevention on Aug. 22, 2023, at Friendly Temple Church in the Wells Goodfellow neighborhood of St. Louis. At the session, Jones announced a new push for city  laws that would close loopholes in Missouri's loose gun regulations. That previous weekend, a shooting in the city left one dead and two injured. 

×

Mayor Tishaura Jones awaits the start of a community listening session on gun violence prevention on Aug. 22, 2023, at Friendly Temple Church in the Wells Goodfellow neighborhood of St. Louis. At the session, Jones announced a new push for city  laws that would close loopholes in Missouri's loose gun regulations. That previous weekend, a shooting in the city left one dead and two injured. 

×
A young boy carries a white soap box derby cover out of a brightly lit hallway and into a darkly lit one. The boy's upper body and face are hidden behind the cover, but his legs are visible as he walks.
info

Javon Greenwood Jr. carries the cover of his soap box car to an art room on June 9, 2023 at the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation building in East St. Louis. Given the opportunity by the JJK, Greenwood was constructing his first-ever boxcar. He would go on to place third in the city's annual derby. 

×

Javon Greenwood Jr. carries the cover of his soap box car to an art room on June 9, 2023 at the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation building in East St. Louis. Given the opportunity by the JJK, Greenwood was constructing his first-ever boxcar. He would go on to place third in the city's annual derby. 

×
To the right, a White woman with long blonde hair leans down to kiss a young boy on the cheek. In the foreground and out of focus, a man with his back to the camera lights a young girl up into his arms.
info

Anna Allaria, right, kisses her son Collin, 8, goodbye as he heads off to his first day of third grade, while Dave Allaria, left, picks up their daughter Vivian, 3, on  Aug. 16, 2023, at Albert Cassens Elementary in Edwardsville, Ill. The family was one of many dropping children off that morning, but enrollment at Albert Cassens has been on the decline since the COVID-19 pandemic, reflecting a trend throughout Illinois.

×

Anna Allaria, right, kisses her son Collin, 8, goodbye as he heads off to his first day of third grade, while Dave Allaria, left, picks up their daughter Vivian, 3, on  Aug. 16, 2023, at Albert Cassens Elementary in Edwardsville, Ill. The family was one of many dropping children off that morning, but enrollment at Albert Cassens has been on the decline since the COVID-19 pandemic, reflecting a trend throughout Illinois.

×

© 2023 Tristen Rouse | 417.631.3200 | tristenrousephoto@gmail.com

Using Format