RANGEFINDER The Photo Workshop | September 24, 2018 | Volume 70, Issue 2

Sonny Byerley’s job is to keep the school kids of Mountain Grove safe. The 44-year old, 20 year veteran cop and father of fve is the new resource offcer in this small Missouri town. “You want to know what my job is about? It’s about 2,000 high-fves and 300-400 hugs a day,” Byerly says. Photo by Ioana Moldovan. Team Chapnick MaryAnne Golon & Randy Olson

John Happel Victor Hilitski Brooklynn Kascel Ioana Moldovan Marshfeld, MA Chicago, IL Marion, IA Bucharest, Romania [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Team Gilka Melissa Farlow & Bill Marr

Daniel Carde Thomas Hudson-Gomez Sarah Ann Jump Joyce McMurtrey Salt Lake City, Utah Vashon, WA Easton, MD Mountain Grove, MO [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Team Cox Kathy Moran & Torsten Kjellstrand

Jennifer Adler Chase Castor Vikesh Kapoor Troy Enekvist Gainesville, FL Aurora, MO Sunset Pines, PA Stockholm, Sweden [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Team Lee Alyssa Schukar & Kim Komenich

Brian Amdur Hunter Dyke Jennifer Guyton Taylor Irby Eugene, Oregon Columbia, MO Palmdale, CA Hammond, IN [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Team Cliff & Vi Mary Beth Meehan & Dennis Dimick

Javier Aznar Katherine Emery Barbara Gracner David Rodriguez Madrid, Spain San Francisco, CA Bellevue, WA Salinas, CA [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Angus Mordant Andrew Ryan Stephen Speranza Sree Sripathy Sydney, Australia Toronto, ON Long Valley, NJ San Jose, CA [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

Idris Talib Solomon Kanishka Sonthalia Madison Simmons Carlton Ward Brooklyn, NY Brooklyn, NY Georgetown, TX Tampa, FL [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

Jennifer Mosbrucker Becca Skinner Sijie Yuan Alex Snyder Nevada, MO Bozeman, MT Foshan, China Alexandria, VA [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

Keith Lane Stacey Rupolo Sahiba Chawdhary John Ewing Washington, DC Chicago, IL New Delhi, India New York City, NY [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

Nigel Rumsey Yasmin Tajik Kelsey Walling Gravesend, UK Fountain Hills, AZ Fort Worth, TX [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] DUANE’S WORLD Small Talk Leads Beyond Front Porch - by Duane Dailey

Without small talk, big talk becomes harder to reach. I knew that. But, I’d never read it before. People skilled in small talk become better photographers. A part of is an ability to meet subjects as a person, not a camera-laden photographer. Be yourself. Be the kind, gentle, caring person that lurks inside. Let that person show this week in Mountain Grove. An appeal of small towns is openness and acceptance. I recall a workshopper from New York City being amazed: “People greet me on Jim Curley talks about the history of the Missouri Photo Workshop during a meeting the street.” on Sept. 23, 2018 in Mountain Grove, MO. Jenna Kieser photo. Yep. Friendly people live in small lots of born storytellers. Stories are Rees challenged workshoppers to towns. Tat isn’t everywhere? In part of the culture. fnd stories across the diversity of small towns it seems easier. Tat made it easy for a semi-lost this town, top to bottom, young to Here, people know just about journalist to do stories. Later, I read old. everybody. You as a stranger are the folklorist tale: “We Always Lie If you came with a common false welcomed. to Strangers.” start that poor people make better Tere may be economics behind If you aren't from a small town, photo stories, start over. Poor, that. Early in my travels across the you need to know a fact: take care unemployed people may have time state as an MU extension specialist, when talking in public about who to spend. But, there are good stories I noted the friendliness of you just met. If you are in a local of those working hard, too busy to Ozarkians. I formed a hypothesis. café telling fellow workshopper stop for you. Take the challenge. Tey grow up hardscrabble. about who you met, be aware Get beyond the front porch. Get It’s difcult making a living on people nearby may know who you inside. Show what makes this town rocky hillsides. People from rich talk about. work. farmlands have more to draw upon. If you say “I met the weirdest guy Start by fnding out what makes Te land gives more. today.” Know that folks in booths people proud, what they want to Ozarkians learned that strangers on both sides of you are related show you. Tey will take time to coming here were tourists bringing to that person. Tere are lots of share. It just takes more work on cash. It’s nice having them here, “almost kin” in low population your part. spending money. places. Tey may be second Learn patience. Wait for closed Tat built tourism here. Not so cousins, twice removed, but they’re doors to open. Make lots of small much where I grew up near the kin. And don’t mess with my family. talk. Ask questions. Ask: what’s Iowa state line. Tere’s a reason the book good in small town America? Te culture up North accepted “Hillbilly Elegies” stayed on the best Do hard work before making as true that hillbillies down south seller list over a year. Many readers pictures. Much learning will be were low class. Whoa! I found lots are kin to hillbillies. I am. up front in this Missouri people of wise folks here. Also, there are Words from last night. David workshop. Show the truth. HOMETOWN PHOTOGRAPHER McMurtrey shares insight on community - by Maddie Davis Joyce McMurtrey, workshop a chance for me to pay back a debt photographer and Mountain Grove to the universe, but I didn’t realize resident, did not initially see the that’s what I was doing until about Missouri Photo Workshop as an a year into it. When I was in the opportunity that was meant for her. fourth grade, I had an African- “Originally I saw a piece in the American friend. She and I went to newspaper about the workshop,” my swim club, and we were asked McMurtrey said. “I thought to leave because of the color of her to myself, ‘Oh, I can house skin. Tat was in the early 1960s. I somebody.' I was not thinking of wanted to do something to repay it as something for me. I’ve never that bad event.” applied for anything like this, ever. Bonnie Wright, longtime friend I’ve had a fear of failure.” of McMurtrey and manager of It took a lot of convincing from Doc Davis is a descendant of King Davis, Meadowbrook Natural Foods, two friends for McMurtrey to even an African-American farmer in the said McMurtrey has always been apply. One friend, a painter from Ozarks who, in the early 1900s, owned involved in the local community in more than 1,000 acres in Wright County. Connecticut, sent her a link to the Photo by Joyce McMurtrey. a positive way. workshop application. McMurtrey “Joyce tries not to get tied up in said she ignored it. Another friend, and started taking pictures of her divisiveness,” Wright said. “She’s a local reporter, also tried to family. However, about ten years always positive and sees the good in convince her to apply. ago, McMurtrey said she wanted everything. She bridges gaps.” “She sent me the link, and she to start to photograph things with According to McMurtrey, the challenged me to do it,” McMurtrey “more depth.” three most important values of said. “She said, ‘You do this Joyce, “All along, ever since I was people who live in Mountain Grove or else.’" young, I realized the Ozarks were are faith, family and community. McMurtrey has lived in a diferent place,” she said. “As “When the chips are down, Mountain Grove since August 1976. the years go by, we are losing our the barriers also come down, and Afer graduating from Colorado culture around the . everybody helps each other,” she State University with a degree in I wanted to archive the culture of said. “One of the reasons people horticulture, she said she came back the Ozarks, but it’s been a tough can stay here is because there are to the area to work in her father’s task. People in the Ozarks are very people here who will help you.” vineyard because she needed to careful, so it took me a long time to McMurtrey said getting to decide what she wanted to do with gain trust.” participate in the workshop is a her life. McMurtrey has worked on dream come true. In addition, “[Working in the vineyard] various long-term projects. She has she said the bonus of the whole became the rest of my life,” documented the lives of women experience is that her ties to the McMurtrey said. “I fell in love, so in the Missouri Ozarks, her life town mean she is in a unique I farmed grapes for the next 42 working at the vineyard and, more position to help everybody. years.” recently, a multi-generational “My photography has always McMurtrey’s interest in African-American family that has been more of a mission to listen to photography started later in life been homesteading in the Hartville people,” McMurtrey said. “I realized when her daughter was born in area for centuries. many years ago that there’s a lot of 1986. Afer her husband gave her a “I recently concluded a project people who are never heard. I’ve camera, McMurtrey said she took called ‘King of the Ozarks,’” made that my life’s goal — to hear some basic photography lessons McMurtrey said. “Te project was them.” FAMILY REUNION Nikon celebrates 25 years at MP - by Baylee Konen In the past 69 years of the Mis- today’s profession- souri Photo Workshop, Nikon als, it also focuses has been here for 25 of them. Te on the next gener- Workshop focuses on visually doc- ation of photogra- umenting small towns in Missouri phers, providing and emphasizes the art of visual loans to students storyttelling. and gear to universi- Nikon, Inc. has provided gear ties throughout the to the Missouri Photo Workshop country through its for 25 years and has provided 628 School Locker Pro- pounds of gear for the 70th work- gram, including at shop. Kris Bosworth, this year's the Missouri School Kieser photo Jenna Nikon representative, has now of Journalism. atended the workshop for 6 years. “Nikon has chosen the workshop of the students and staf return. “I think the best way that Nikon because of the methodology and Tat is what makes the workshop has contributed to the art of telling history of all the photographers special, Bosworth said. a story is that we are fully commit- that have come through. It helps us “It is like a family reunion each ted to the working photographer. build relationships with the profes- year. All the coaches, students, and We are committed to those who tell sionals and the students,” Bosworth staf want to come back. Out of the the stories of our lives,” Bosworth said. three workshops I go to each year, said. Because of the strong relation- I can say for Nikon that it is one we Nikon, Inc. not only supports ships built at the workshop, many hold close to our heart,” she said.

IMPRESSIONS #MPW70

First impressions of Mtn. Grove FINDER - by Hannah Musick Facebook: MoPhotoWorkshop Instagram: mophotoworkshop RANGEFINDER CREW

Maddie Davis Jessica Belle Kramer Hannah Musick

David Rees Ray Wong editors

Duane Dailey editor emeritus RANGE