“Show truth with a camera. Ideally truth is a matter of personal integrity. In no circumstances will a posed or fake photograph be tolerated.”

Clif Edom’s words remain the credo of the Missouri Photo Workshop that he founded in 1949, and this week 45 photographers from 12 nations are gathered in the north-central Missouri town of Trenton. They are here to find and create a picture story that documents the life of this town.

No assignments are handed out. Unless photographers find their own story, pitch it, and get it approved, they will take no pictures. This is a “storytelling with a camera” workshop, and it demands independent thinking, initiative, and self-reliance.

Robert Gilka, National Geographic’s legendary director of photography, served on the