Celebrity photographer turns Mankato into a portrait studio for everyday people
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When photographer Josh Madson moved to Mankato, Minn., it wasn’t because he needed a change of scenery.
“I was actually really reluctant to go there,” Madson said.
The Los Angeles photographer had built a career taking photos of models and celebrities. But after the pandemic, his business dried up and Madson moved to Mankato to live with his mother. He was in a coffee shop when he got the idea that would him on a new trajectory.
He would offer to take pictures of the everyday people in town for free.
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“It was a bit of like coming full circle back to why I originally got into photography,” he said. “We had so much interest in the project, we shot 850 people in three days.”
The result was an enormous collage, showcasing more than 5,000 faces. The large-scale black-and-white photos served as a way to bring the community together after a time of isolation said, and in the process, he got a fresh start. He grew a business, met his life partner and now considers Mankato his home.
His work caught the attention of the Mayo Clinic where he has taken photos of their staff in a similar project.
“It’s been absolutely transformational for me,” Madson said.
Now a movie is being made about the “Mankato Community Collage” project, which can be viewed at the Madison East Center in Mankato. The documentary “Community Collage: The Bright Side of Community” will premiere Saturday, Oct. 26, at 1625 West End Blvd. in St. Louis Park.
To listen to the conversation that aired on All Things Considered, click the player above.