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

Ashley Gifford is a vivacious 13 year-old. Although her mother, Deborah Skaggs, describes her as the "wild child of the family," she is a cheerleader and constantly surrounded by friends. One wouldn't expect the complex family situation behind her playful and positive persona.
Ashley and her three sisters are being raised by their single mother. Her father has been in and out of prison since she was two. Monthly visits to the prison are reminders of her turbulent past.
In an already challenging phase of life, Ashley is seemingly well adjusted to handle anything that comes her way.
Photographs from the 56th Missouri Photo Workshop are available available online through the Year-by-Year page, or through the MPW.56 homepage
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.

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."
Copyright © 2005 MPW. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.
Home | About | Apply.58 Jan. 2006 | MPW.56 | Contact Us | Year By Year
MPW.55 | MPW.56 | MPW.57 | Photoessay.57 | Students.57 | Faculty.57 | Webmaster