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 Erin Grace Trieb / MPW.57
PHOTO BY SAMANTHA CLEMENS/ MPW.57

Crystal Meyer and Bobby Harman dated steadily throughout their four years at Marshall High School, but they didn't expect to become parents before they graduated. During Crystal's junior year she unexpectedly became pregnant with Erica Lynn. Now, a little over a year since graduation with a new addition to their relationship, 11-month-old Erica Lynn, they are forced to juggle schedules, work three jobs between them, sleep little, and take care of an infant.

Crystal works two part-time jobs in order to help pay rent. She starts her day mid-morning at the Sonic drive-in restaurant down the street from the Harman household, waiting on customers, and then she continues the workday at Kasey's convenience store, which is across the street from the Sonic. Bobby, on the other hand, has a 45 minute commute to his construction job, which starts at 4:30 AM. Although their schedules are very different, they both end up exhausted at the end of the day, craving sleep, with little energy to do chores, run errands, or play with Erica. And living in the back room of the Harman household, owned and also occupied by Bobby's parents, often builds stress between the couple with little time to find resolution.

During the shuffle of job changes throughout their day, Crystal and Bobby take turns getting Erica to and from the baby-sitter's house. Sometimes Erica stays with the neighbor across the street, who also has grandchildren of her own to watch, or with Bobby's parents, who also work night shifts.

Raising a daughter has not proven to be an easy task for Crystal and Bobby, who are 18 and 20. However, Crystal says in regard to having Erica, "I'm glad I had Erica. I wouldn't take anything back." Amidst their daily routine, Crystal and Bobby discover the often pressure-filled responsibilities of raising Erica, while they learn for themselves the "baby-steps" of parenting.

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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