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 Amanda Lucier / MPW.57
PHOTO BY SAMANTHA CLEMENS/ MPW.57

Terri and Darren Facen are a couple living in Marshall, Missouri with four kids under the age of nine, one income and substantial credit card debt. Like so many other low-to middle-income families, the Facens are finding that the income of a single wage earner is no longer sufficient to cover the rising expenses in health care and housing. With four children, childcare is not within reach of their budget and Terri left the work force to stay home. The Facens face their days with faith and humor. "God is a way-maker," says Terri, "and we just know he's going to find a way for us."

Theirs is a rich life, if not a wealthy one. The Facens are an integral part of their community; Darren is an associate pastor at his church, the director of two gospel groups in which Terri sings soprano and he is the Childcare Services Manager at Butterfield Youth Services. While Darren's 17 years of work experience at Butterfield and master's degree would qualify him for a more lucrative position, he has found meaningful work there and Butterfield is almost a second family. Darren has a commanding presence. With the style of a preacher, he teaches by example the quick responses and boundless compassion the job demands.

With four kids headed for high school, college, and marriage, the Facens have a long road ahead of them. They have begun saving money for a larger house through a matching savings account run by the Missouri Valley Community Action program. Terri looks forward to rejoining the workforce in a few years, when the last of her children have entered school. "God has taken us this far," says Darren, "and we trust that he will continue to show us the right path."

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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