Finding great small-town stories for 35 years

ELIZABETHTOWN — When people think of great photojournalism and compelling stories, they often think of big news, distant lands and exotic cultures.

But over the years that I have been volunteering as a writing and story coach at the Mountain Workshops, I have come to realize that some of the most compelling stories and photographs can be found right under a journalist’s nose.

The Mountain Workshops is an annual documentary photojournalism project run by Western Kentucky University. Each fall, participants spend a week documenting everyday life in a small town in Kentucky or Tennessee.

The workshop began when I was a WKU student. A few of my photographer friends and two of their professors went to the mountains to document the last one-room schoolhouses in Kentucky.

In the 35 years since then, the Mountain Workshops has grown into a major, nationally known training program in still and multimedia photo journalism and picture editing.

This year’s workshops came to Elizabethtown in late October. There were 70 “students” who had paid to brush up on their storytelling skills using photographs, video, words and audio. Some were students at WKU and other universities; others were working professionals at newspapers ranging in size from small weeklies to USA Today.

Their coaches and the support staff were an all- volunteer corps of photojournalists, writers and editors from across the country. This year’s faculty included Jahi Chikwendiu, a Lexington native who has photographed extensively in Africa and the Middle East for The Washington Post; Karen Kasmauski, who has photographed more than 25 stories for National Geographic magazine; and Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalists Rick Loomis of the Los Angeles Times and Mark Osler of the now- defunct Rocky Mountain News.

This was my 12th workshop during the past 18 years, and others have been coming even longer. Some regulars, including Loomis and me, are WKU grads. But others had no connection to Kentucky before they started coming to the workshop and fell in love with the experience. They include Mick Cochran, director of photography at USA Today, who teaches picture editing; and fellow writing coach Lynne Warren, a former National Geographic writer and editor.

Now that many of Kentucky’s small towns have been covered, the workshops have started going to larger towns. Besides, 150 people need a lot of motel rooms — not that anyone spends much time in them. With so much to do in a week, everyone works from early in the morning until early the next morning.

Three days before the workshops began, a volunteer technical crew turned a vacant industrial building into a state-of-the-art news-gathering and education center with dozens of borrowed computers and miles of Ethernet cable.

The workshop starts at noon Tuesday, when participants literally draw a story assignment out of a hat. The assignments are little more than leads, though, and participants spend the next four days getting to know their assigned subjects — figuring out what their stories are and how to tell them in pictures, words and sometimes audio and video.

By Saturday night, this around-the-clock learning experience has produced a Web site, about 70 picture and video stories, a framed gallery show and a book that will be published in a few months

The professional journeys that students make between the first and fifth days is amazing. And the faculty and staff always seem to learn as much as the students. The collective effort is a remarkable snapshot of a town.

I always come home from the workshops exhausted — and exhilarated. It is my annual reminder of the power of storytelling. And as digital technology advances, creative people find new and powerful ways to use it to tell stories.

“The Mountain Workshops reaffirms my belief in the value of age-old and priceless community journalism,” said Gordon “Mac” McKerral, a fellow writing coach and past national president of the Society of Professional Journalists.

“It’s not so much about the people the Mountain Workshop stories focus on — the barbers, the single father, the mother of an autistic child or the book mobile driver — but about how those people collectively tell a story about the world we live in,” McKerral said. “An inherently good world filled with people who do special things while not believing they are special at all.”

To see photo stories and videos from this and past Mountain Workshops, click here.

The 2010 edition of the Mountain Workshops is pleased to announce the dates and location for this years annual photography extravaganza. Reserve Oct. 19-23 and come join us in Elizabethtown for another exciting year. The workshop, which offers training in photojournalism, picture editing and multimedia, will be accepting applications in the next few weeks. All participants in this year’s workshop will have the chance to win a tuition scholarship to a workshop at Maine Media Workshops! Be sure to stay tuned to this blog or visit mountainworkshops.org to learn more and to gain access to our application process.

Every fall the WKU Photojournalism program invites Directors of Photography from newspapers across the region to spend the day with students reviewing portfolios and conducting intern interviews. Gary Hairlson, of the St. Louis Post Dispatch, addresses colleagues and students during a round table discussion.

WKU student Ben Severence greets Kevin Swank, Assistant Managing Editor, Visuals at the Evansville Courier & Press.

Mountain Workshops 2009

As leaves fall annually the Mountain Workshops draw a team of dedicated teachers and determined learners to a small Kentucky town, where together they explore the richness of community, the beauty of landscape, and the possibilities and challenges of visual storytelling. In 2009 the gathering place for the 34th workshops is Murray, Ky., in Calloway County.
The Photojournalism Workshop focuses on still photography, as coaches and participants explore individual character, the give and take of relationships, the deeply-felt sense of belonging to a place and the pride of participating in a shared heritage.
The Picture Editing Workshop draws on the design sensibilities and electronic publishing expertise of its coaches to help participants learn to weave photographs and text together into memorable narratives.
The Multimedia Workshop challenges participants to gather still images, record sound and shoot video, and then use cutting-edge digital and online tools to spin all these threads into stories that captivate.

Over the last 35 years, the Workshops has influenced thousands of people – many of them in life-changing ways. When asked what was the most important part of their experience, some talk about the spectacular beauty of the environment, others praise the excellence of the programs, the world-renowned faculty or state-of-the-art equipment. Many respond by acknowledging the staff and their dedication to creating exceptional experiences. The comment received most often, however, reflects what is created when all these essential elements coexist: an appreciation for the ability to completely immerse oneself in one’s art and become part of a community passionate about creativity.

There are many different programs at the Workshops. Some concentrate on lab or studio work where others involve field trips to view the enchanting scenery. What they all have in common is an opportunity to remove oneself from the demands of everyday life and join a passionate community committed to learning a new skill or improving one’s work. While discussions of theory, history and criticism may be part of any workshop, what sets these workshops apart is a dedication to making. Students learn by doing, by trying new things, by seeing what works and what doesn’t.

Besides the programs themselves, there is no shortage of other opportunities for growth at the Workshops. Whether waking before dawn to catch the early morning light, attending after dinner gallery shows or screenings of work from some of the world’s finest artists, or working into the night on projects or assignments, the Workshops experience is intense and all encompassing. It affords the participant the opportunity to live one’s passion 24/7.

Full days are punctuated with hearty meals served under the eating tent or in the dining hall. This is a time for informal discussions with classmates and faculty as well as to meet other people at the Workshops involved in related programs. The spirit of sharing that permeates the community destroys any pretense and breaks down barriers of age and experience. Participants end their rich days at any of a wide variety of accommodations both on- and off-campus.

The week’s end is capped by a traditional Maine lobster dinner complete with corn on the cob and baked potatoes (alternative choices are always available). The campus community then usually gathers in the sound stage to celebrate the week’s hard work. Expertly produced presentations premiere the creations of each week’s workshops. It is amazing to see the quality of what can be accomplished with such intense energy in just one week’s time!

Faculty members and staff have made a couple of trips this spring to Murray, Ky., sight of the 2009 Mountain Workshops. Just last week we toured Murray State  University’s basketball stadium, a possible location for the headquarters. While looking thru one of the storage closets we ran across this sign. Seems to me that the photo gods are speaking to us and telling us where we need to be. 

In the meantime, put Oct. 27 – Oct. 31 (Nov. 1 if you are in the picture editing workshop) on your calendar to attend this year’s workshops. We will begin taking applications soon. Check in often at mountainworkshops.org/apply for application updates, prices and for a list of this year’s faculty.