CLIFF EDOM, WHO ALONG WITH HIS BELOVED WIFE VI CREATED MPW AND DIRECTED RANGEFINDER IT THROUGH THE FIRST 38. The Missouri Photo Workshop | September 26, 2016 | Volume 68, Issue 2 Children pray at the beginning of the main service yesterday, before being led to their Sunday school class at the Cuba United Methodist Church. PHOTO BY EMMA CHIANG Go Naked on Route 66 by Duane Dailey Cuba police blocked the street for photographers covers their week. to mingle with community leaders. Photojournalists, Your goal: Get inside an active, even vibrant, reporter pads in hand, took names and numbers. situation. Many folks in this town have stories, even What a strong start to Missouri Photo Workshop 68. astounding stories. They blocked Historic Route 66 the original Impossible you say. But, the beauty of small-town highway to the West. Lacking America is that people open was theme music from up to curious photographers. the TV series “Route 66.” That’s when people skills Millennials have never heard not photo skills make the the tune playing in my head. difference. The mixer was step one in a story search – not homes below the poverty line than above. Seek a greater but contacting people who challenge. Find stories of know Cuba stories. Research leaders, bankers, owners, comes in many forms. CEOs, the unseen top layer. When Route 66 was a They make Cuba what it will busy link to an expanding become. America, there wasn’t a ‘net. In traveling Missouri, The web can give a glimmer visiting farmers, I found them of an idea. But real stories willing to share. Many want come from feet on the their stories told. ground, notebook in hand People know you’ve and knocking on doors. That arrived. They have stories, works. but they will never call you. The evening program in They will say, oh not me. Recklein Auditorium rained a Modesty ranks high here. deluge of tips, more than any If you don’t follow up and mind can hold. get their story, they’ll be Recall the story of an older disappointed. Photo by Michael Cali lesbian couple in Macon, Mo. “Where is my The workshopper used the ‘net to capture a story photographer?” Those calls come to the co- spark. It took knocking on the front door to open a directors midweek. world for us to see. That’s research. That’s making personal Or, better, they’ll convince you to drop a dull one. connections. “What else do you have?” Alan Berner, Seattle Times, shared methods that Best tip of the night. Write down your story idea in a short word picture. The faculty doesn’t need the in a beautiful blue pool. Wow. Or, lead him to a tale of your struggles. They need the results -- your combine demolition derby. That’s what farmers do story hypothesis. for fun? When a friend heard I was going to Cuba Mo, she Follow his tip. Start with the Cuba newspaper. Find said: “How boring.” The only Cuba she knew was ideas and names that lead to photo stories in this the chaotic I-44 exit. A mile south of New Cuba is an time and place. Now, it’s your charge to open doors. Old Town. I used to urge people to walk the streets and talk Bring us photos of that complex culture. There’s to people. But, that’s a hazard. When people are sitting on their front porch waiting for you to come Remember: Go naked. Leave most of your photo entertain them, they might not be the dynamic baggage behind. subjects you need. One photo on the porch about Faculty give advice on pitching stories Compiled by Kelsey Walling and Nadav Soroker, Photos by Michael Cali Dennis Dimick Jim Richardson National Geographic Environment Editor, Retired Freelance Photographer “Can you actually take pictures of “Tell us what the story is, not how what you’re proposing, and is you found it.” anything happening?” Melissa Farlow Alan Berner Freelance Photographer Photographer at The Seattle Times “They should have clarity, sincerity, “Be concise, do your research, be articulate. That’s it.” compassion.” Mona Reeder Bill Marr Photographer at The Dallas Morning News Consultant (Formerly National Geographic) “Tell me why I should be interested, “It takes more than just having an and why it matters.” idea, you need to know your subject.” Lynn Johnson Kim Komenich Freelance Photographer Assistant Professor at San Francisco State “The most important thing is to “It really is about an honest have done research, and to make assesment of whats going to be sure you offer stories to the right happening this week.” person in the organization.” MaryAnne Golon Randy Olson Director of Photography at The Washington Post Freelance Photographer “Don’t just go for the fringes, look “Be able to tell your story in one for the vibrance of life.” declarative sentence.” Lois Raimondo Eric Seals Professor at West Virginia University Visual Journalist at Detroit Free Press “Make sure as a potential reader thoughts before presenting your that I’m going to learn and be idea.” inspired by your story.” Team Gilka Dennis Dimick & Jim Richardson Andria Hautamaki Andriana Mereuta Hyungcheol “James” Park Guillem Sartorio Connor Stefanison Prasenjeet Yadav Zoë Meyers Loveland, CO Hallandale Beach, FL Ottawa, Canada Barcelona, Spain Vancouver, Canada Nagpur, India Oakland, CA [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Team Garrett Melissa Farlow & Alan Berner Micah Bond Meredith Goldberg Ryan Jones Andrew Mangum Matt Rahner Jordan Starr Joana Toro Ottawa, Canada Chicago, IL New Port Richey, FL Baltimore, MD Marshall, MO Cannington, Ontario, Canada New York, NY [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Team Lee MPW.68 Mona Reeder & Cuba, MO Bill Marr September 25- Keith Birmingham Tim Carroll Peter Alan Gignoux Lisette Poole Dotan Saguy David Jackson Tanya Fabian October 1, Pasadena, CA Barrington, IL London, UK Havana, Cuba Los Angeles, CA Doylestown, PA Eganville, Ontario, Canada Fort Collins, CO [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] 2016 Team Eppridge Today, 46 Lynn Johnson & photographers Kim Komenich from around the world begin their Linnea Bullion Juan Cristóbal Cobo Wesley Du Jon Lemons Phu Nguyen Griselda San Martin Jovelle Tamayo Gabe Wolf documentation Los Angeles, CA New York, NY/Bogota, Colombia Los Angeles, CA Des Moines, IA Brookings, SD Barcelona, Spain South Brunswick, NJ Kempner, TX [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] of residents of Team the Mural City. Chapnick MaryAnne Golon & Randy Olson Minying Kong Daniel Dreifuss Charles Fox Parker Michels-Boyce Benjamin Norman Roland Reinstadler Tim Tai Guangzhou, China Santa Barbara, CA Yakima, WA Lynchburg, VA Montclair, NJ Passeier, Italy St. Louis, MO [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Team Cliff & Vi Lois Raimondo & Eric Seals Emma Chiang Clare Fieseler Elise Jacob Youngrae Kim Christian Lee Jake Rutherford Alex Scott Dougal Brownlie San Francisco, CA Washington, DC Montreal, Canada Seoul, South Korea Chicago, IL Washington, DC New York, NY St. Joseph, MO [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Small Town Storytelling by Davis Winborne the Cubas are special from a storytelling It’s important to note that while Richardson “It certainly, to me, is one of the most standpoint because of the “microcosm important places on earth. It’s always a place Jim Richardson sees a lot of parallels effect.” looks more deeply into a community than that I can go home to, because I wasn’t an between Cuba, KS and Cuba, MO. Asked “Things that are taken as self-perpetuating them in a week in Cuba, MO. what might appear on the surface. A small what made Cuba, MO different he said “it’s trends in cities come down to individual Richardson also had some advice as to a town, thanks to its seemingly uninteresting awhile that certain stories were not accessible 400 miles east.” personalities in a small town,” he said. mindset photographers can seek to cultivate landscape, can force its people to carve an if you didn’t become involved, so that you “The opportunities are very much the same Photographers, then, should pay special when entering a small town. interesting lifestyle. and the impediments are very much the attention to these small-town “movers “Don’t assume that it’s slower. Don’t assume Translating that kind of emotion from a live same,” he said. This means that Richardson’s and shakers,” as Richardson calls them. that it’s simple. Really don’t assume you know presentation to a video wasn’t an easy task. Richardson said that there are three what the hell is going on,” he said. “Very landscapes that are essentially a blank slate. Poore said that he and Hawasly spent an valuable resource for photographers in Cuba, characteristics photographers should look to often the bias is, ‘I don’t see what I recognize, entire day recording Richardson’s narration MO. therefore this is a simpler place,’ and that’s wishes and desires and needs, and evolve a over and over, until it was perfect. Richardson said that small towns like and accessible.” simply not true.” “It was what you call a labor of love,” Rees their lives.