Workshop Co-Directors

MPW.57 Behind the Scenes is coming Soon!

"Don't go for the easy story. Find something that challenges you, that scares you."
—Lois Raimondo / MPW.57

MPW.57 Rangefinder PDFs

Photo By Juan Carlos / MPW.57
PHOTO BY SAMANTHA CLEMENS/ MPW.57

In the not so small town of Marshall, Missouri, just off the main town square, the Plastic Model Museum makes its home. There is no welcoming sign nor is the shop listed as a tourist attraction of the town. Truth is, even most locals don't know it exist. The museum has been in town for nine years and has had very few visitors. If your curiosity over takes you, and it takes you through the door guarded by two empty display windows, you'll enter Stanley's world.

Stanley is a 77-year-old senior citizen who lives in a world surrounded by plastic models, which he has collected for over the past fifty years. He has crafted a life of loneliness surrounding himself with plastic models dressed in dust. If you like, Stanley will take you along for the journey, drawing you deeper into the museum, where you will encounter the miniature railroad which, once in a while, runs through the plastic town surrounded by foam core that imitates the green hills of a mid western landscape. Boxes with models waiting to be assembled rest in the cold dark room There is very little human interaction in Stanley's world, the plastic models have taken the place of people in his life. He has lived so long alone, he says he no longer cares. Loneliness makes him company and sometimes its better than being alone.

If you ever stop by the town of Marshall, and have some time to spare, stop and visit Stanley and his models. He will be more than happy to show you around and don't forget to sign his guest book. The museum hours are 8-5 but Stanley's door is always open.

Photographs from the 56th Missouri Photo Workshop are available available online through the Year-by-Year page, or through the MPW.56 homepage

History of the Missouri Photo Workshop

The roots of the Missouri Photo Workshop are embedded firmly in a half-century of rich tradition; current workshops carry on principals present from the beginning.

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When the late Clifton C. Edom of the Missouri School of Journalism founded the Missouri Photo Workshop in 1949, he too, looked to the past to map the path for photojournalism's future. Inspired by the gritty, content-rich photographs of the documentary photo unit of the pre-WWII Farm Security Administration, Edom promoted research, observation and timing as the methods to make strong story-telling photographs. FSA director Roy Stryker and photographer Russell Lee worked closely with Edom in the creation of the Workshop and served as faculty members during its early years.

In subsequent years, faculty members have been many of America’s leading newspaper and magazine photographers and photo editors; a roster of faculty and students reads like a Who’s Who of photojournalism. Faculty of today includes some of the most energetic, productive and articulate documentarians currently working. All are experts dedicated to passing on the fundamentals of photo research, shooting and editing to those who hope to carry on these values and techniques in the future.

The workshop still follows Cliff Edom's credo:

"Show truth with a camera. Ideally truth is a matter of personal integrity. In no circumstances will a posed or fake photograph be tolerated."

MPW.57 Participants

TEAM A

TEAM B

TEAM C

TEAM D

TEAM E

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Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

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