Background
After documenting a West Coast road trip for pleasure, I was sent back on the road to capture the spirit of Missouri as we prepared to pitch the state’s tourism account.
Challenge
I had lived in Kansas City and St. Louis and had spent time in the Ozarks, but I had not explored the northern and southern edges of the state. So I planned a perimeter journey that took me to St. Joseph and Hannibal via old state highway 36, then south through St. Louis to Poplar Bluff and across to Springfield and back to Kansas City.
Solution
I had five days to complete the trip and no advance scouting to rely on. I drove from dawn to dusk each day and stopped anywhere and everywhere that looked interesting. I kept a journal of the trip and used those notes to write a narrative that accompanied the images.
Later, I designed a series of magazine-like spreads that were used as chapter dividers in the Request for Information book.
Art direction, writing, design and photography // Chris Ralston
