The Photowalk

Today is our annual Scottish retreat edition, featuring the voices and thoughts of those who joined me across two weeks in the glorious Highlands. The fifth Photowalk Retreat revelled in, I think, the spirit of our podcast community, and I thought you might enjoy hearing what we all got up to. This year, we added some new experiences and micro-workshops into the weeks, such as a creative writing day led by a celebrated writer, Merryn Glover and a sound workshop to understand how potent images and sound can be as a storytelling tool together. We also went back into the darkroom and visited some of our favourite places including the beautiful Loch Maree. Links to all guests and features will be on the showpage, my sincere thanks to MPB who sponsor this show and the Extra Milers without whom we wouldn't be walking each week. WHY: A Sketchbook of Life is available here.

In celebration of those who inspire us, those who become either knowingly or unwittingly our mentors and greatest teachers, today’s episode revisits the show’s archive to take a photowalk with former British Army and documentary photographer Giles Penfound, my dear friend and mentor for two decades. Giles is currently on a sabbatical from social media and digital posting, although his projects such as Home Town Stories continue to be a feature of his personal photographic story; pictures made about the people of the town his lives in, often within walking distance of his home.  We talk about that project, the ‘rules’ of documentary photography, his life making pictures in areas of conflict, plus his conflicted mind over some of the images he made and witnessed. Our conversation for the podcast was part-made walking the ridge above England's famous Watership Down and his garden exhibition space. This is the second special to air as I spend time in the Highlands on the Scottish Photowalk Retreat 2024. Links to all guests and features will be on the showpage, my sincere thanks to MPB who sponsor this show and the Extra Milers without whom we wouldn't be walking each week. WHY: A Sketchbook of Life is available here.

For the next two weeks whilst I am on location with the 2024 Scottish Photowalk Retreat, a brace of special editions, where I revisit the archive to feature the work of women in photography. Guests include Nancy Borowick, an acclaimed photojournalist known for her deeply personal and emotional work, particularly the intimate documentation of her parents' simultaneous battles with cancer, which has resonated with audiences worldwide for its raw honesty and humanity. I also talk with Lynzy Billing, an investigative journalist and photographer known for uncovering untold stories in conflict zones and human rights crises, Susan Goldberg an influential American journalist who became the first female editor-in-chief of National Geographic, where she expanded its focus on science, the environment, and social issues like climate change and diversity and from the UK, Nicky Heppenstall who helped found Remember my Baby, a charity organisation that offers remembrance photography services to parents experiencing the loss of their baby before, during, or shortly after birth, providing them with cherished memories during a deeply difficult time. Links to all guests and features will be on the showpage, my sincere thanks to MPB who sponsor this show and the Extra Milers without whom we wouldn't be walking each week. WHY: A Sketchbook of Life is available here.

A special feature-length interview episode today featuring Jason Edwards. Having spent the last three decades travelling around over 70 countries being clawed, chased, shot at, diseased, lost, injured, incarcerated, and getting his finger stitched back on, twice, award-winning photographer, TV host, and conservationist Jason Edwards knows what it takes to get the perfect shot. And the photo editors at National Geographic agree, featuring his stunning photos time and time again. His imagery has also appeared in hundreds of other publications, including BBC Wildlife, Australian Geographic and The New Yorker. His new book, Icebergs to Iguanas features a collection of his National Geographic photographs and behind-the-scenes tales. Also on the show today, the winning images from the last two months of assignment pictures and a new challenge for September set by Gary Williams. Links to all guests and features will be on the showpage, my sincere thanks to MPB who sponsor this show and the Extra Milers without whom we wouldn't be walking each week. WHY: A Sketchbook of Life is available here.

During the pandemic, international vocalist Gary Williams decided to retrain himself to become a professional photographer, building on existing street photographic skills and interests that he’d developed touring the world as a musician. During this time, closer to home in the UK he found Camden Passage, a charming, narrow street in Islington, London, known for its antique shops, vintage quirky boutiques, and market stalls. This place was to become Gary’s photographic playground where over a number of years he befriended the shoppers and shopkeepers of a unique famous street, eventually producing a book featuring those he met called The Litte Book of Camden Passage. Today he talks about designing, sequencing and producing a book, plus choosing a publisher. From the mailbag, Bill Marriott finds that photography can culturally connect in a magical way, Peter Upton is in a race against time to photograph some famous landmarks before the rising tides lay claim to them, Chris Hughes is embracing his inner Daidō Moriyama, Harriet Langridge has some street photography thoughts and I have some unexpected Scottish news so pack your travel bag, your camera bag with a fully charged camera. There’s a Shutter Sync and last opportunity to join in with August’s photo assignment set by Emily Renier. Links to all guests and features will be on the showpage, my sincere thanks to MPB.com who sponsor this show and the Extra Milers without whom we wouldn't be walking each week. WHY: A Sketchbook of Life is available here.

My guest, Toby Binder is a German photographer renowned for his socially engaged documentary work. He focuses on marginalized communities and global social issues, capturing the raw realities of life in conflict zones and economically deprived areas. His photographs tell stories of fragility, authenticity and vulnerability. How important is vulnerability, and can it actually be a photographer’s superpower? From the mailbag as we walk together, Wallace Shackleton is on a motorbike with a camera, in howling wind and the kind of rain that makes you wish you’d stayed in bed that day, Bob Rose takes us to a lake in Nebraska at sundown, Corey Cooper shares a film about the why of this thing we do, Don Ridgway is in Ontario with William Shakespeare, Christopher Harrison shares his perspective on vulnerability and Susan Larsson is under a beautiful Northern Lights sky. Also, today, our street mentor Valérie Jardin returns with Visual Stories, and this month, she’s going to a state fair. Links to all guests and features will be on the showpage, my sincere thanks to MPB.com who sponsor this show and the Extra Milers without whom we wouldn't be walking each week. WHY: A Sketchbook of Life is available here.

Today on the show, two photographers, Patrick Stubbs and Sean Gallagher recount stories about the father-figure mentors in their lives and the pictures they made upon their passing. We discuss the mental health benefits of having photography during the more challenging times of our lives and how projects can bring meaning to our work. We also learn what it takes to make set photographs on some of America’s top-loved TV shows and why the everyday objects around us can be photographic gold. From the mailbag, one of our Extra Milers Mat Bobby has found a project that requires you to stay behind the safety fence at all times, bringing back a memory or three for me. There is the most incredibly potent story and picture from a good friend of the show, Marissa Roth. Hegaard the Dane has landed in Italy and found a snake in paradise, as have I, although many thousands of miles away in Miami, and there’s a reminder of this month’s assignment from Emily Renier. Links to all guests and features will be on the showpage, my sincere thanks to MPB.com who sponsor this show and the Extra Milers without whom we wouldn't be walking each week. WHY: A Sketchbook of Life is available here.

Today, I spend time with Mike Crawford, a dynamic London photographer and master printer. For four decades he has worked with the world’s most highly regarded photographers, including Martin Parr and Brian Griffin, one of the music industry’s most prominent photographers. More recently, he was chosen to print hitherto unseen photographs for the celebrated late photographer Elliott Erwitt for his ‘Found, not Lost’ book. As a photographer, Mike Crawford’s captivating work, featuring urban landscapes and portraiture, is predominantly shot on film and crafted in the darkroom. I visit Mike on location at his company Lighthouse Darkroom, within the building that was once home to Russia’s Zenit UK operation. With the arrival of August, there’s a new assignment too, set this month by social and street photographer Emily Renier, one of Fujifilm’s newest ambassadors. Links to all guests and features will be on the showpage, my sincere thanks to MPB.com who sponsor this show and the Extra Milers without whom we wouldn't be walking each week. WHY: A Sketchbook of Life is available here.

Today’s show explores captivating encounters and stories that turn fleeting moments into meaningful connections with people through the lens. Four guests who are experts in the field help me on this mission. Paul Hutson is a writer and photographer who has spent decades recording the stories of everyday people he encounters in pictures and words. Gabrielle Motola discusses the philosophy of asking strangers for a portrait and rejection. Valérie Jardin talks about candid street pictures and how they can often lead to a more formal portrait, and former guest Mr Whisper discusses a project requiring him to change his reportage approach to engage with subjects for a set of commercial pictures. Also on the topic of photographing strangers, letters from Marilyn Davies who introduces us to a Flickr Group called 100 Strangers, Tony Lorenzo talks of how living with ADHD has been his superpower when it comes to photographing people he doesn’t know and Fred Ash finds there’s really no one way to make a portrait of a stranger. Links to all guests and features will be on the showpage, my sincere thanks to MPB.com who sponsor this show and the Extra Milers without whom we wouldn't be walking each week. WHY: A Sketchbook of Life is available here.

Merryn Glover is an award-winning international author whose work spans fiction, drama, poetry, journalism and radio plays. Raised in South Asia, educated in Australia, and a resident of Scotland for nearly 30 years, Merryn's culturally rich experiences are reflected in her writing. Merryn brings a unique perspective on how storytelling can enhance your visual art, offering invaluable insights for photographers wanting to add authenticity and depth to the written side of their work. Is writing a photographer’s secret weapon? I personally think it can be. Also on today's show and from the mailbag, we have a captivating story of change from Egypt, presented by Extra Miler Paul Hutson, we'll delve into the dedication and challenges photojournalists face in their craft, particularly when under fire, Allin Sorenson shares his photographic memories of July 4, accompanied by a poem that celebrates the stillness of a shutter's blink. From Bavaria, Herbert Holzman brings us a smoky operatic scene set in the forest. Plus, we'll sync up our shutters and remind you of this month's assignment. Links to all guests and features will be on the showpage, my sincere thanks to MPB.com who sponsor this show and the Extra Milers without whom we wouldn't be walking each week. WHY: A Sketchbook of Life is available here.

Today, I chat with Balwinder Bhatla, AKA Mr. Whisper, a London-based visual storyteller and professional photographer. Bal specialises in delicious candid low-light street photographs, taking us on walks where the urban landscape transforms into a very different kind of place, where every pool of light or mysterious shadow becomes a photographer’s muse. He has shot stories in his style for BMW, Netflix, Google and Disney, including making a series of pictures to promote Star Wars Rogue 1. And it all started when his wife commented, “The cool kids are using this app called Instagram.”  Also, on the show and from the mailbag, Mat Bobby has the most incredible personal story of how showing some pictures on a wall led to a life friendship with his photographic hero. There’s a Haiku from Chris Hughes inspired by an Australian reservoir, how Colin Mayer’s Extreme Sports experience turned into a love affair with photography instead, Phil Ferris is lost somewhere in the north of England and we’ll pick the flask winner from last month’s assignment entries. Links to all guests and features will be on the showpage, my sincere thanks to MPB.com who sponsor this show and the Extra Milers without whom we wouldn't be walking each week. WHY: A Sketchbook of Life is available here.

Photographer Tatiana Hopper is a YouTuber and writer becoming well-known for her wonderfully accessible thought-provoking documentaries on master photographers, filmmakers and stories about personal creative photography endeavours. She challenges you to think about your why, your legacy, and introduces you to ideas and artists you may not otherwise have discovered.  Also on the show, finding solace in making photos of family, a strange gift arrives at the office, Poetry along the Path is inspired by Philip Larkin, some thoughts about making portraits of strangers and it being the first Friday of the month, it’s assignment week; a new challenge for a picture that photojournalist John Angerson would like you to make over the next month. Links to all guests and features will be on the showpage, my sincere thanks to MPB.com who sponsor this show and the Extra Milers without whom we wouldn't be walking each week. WHY: A Sketchbook of Life is available here.

It’s our end-of-the-month social media special! In this episode, we feature renowned photographers Sean Tucker, Valérie Jardin, Phil Penman, Emily Renier, and Neil Ford, along with your insightful letters. We discuss the currency of likes, explore preferred platforms, the ever-evolving channels, and navigate the social expectations of growing your following. Beyond the feed, we also tackle the critical topic of mental health and its intersection with photography in today's social media era. It’s a compelling discussion with five guests, supported by your letters into the show, that goes behind the lens and into the heart of the social media landscape. Links to all guests and features will be on the showpage, my sincere thanks to MPB.com who sponsor this show and the Extra Milers without whom we wouldn't be walking each week. WHY: A Sketchbook of Life is available here.

One of the most personable landscape photography YouTubers to walk the fells of England’s Lake District is my guest this week, Glenn, AKA Black Crag, named after a geological feature of this extraordinary part of the UK. In his words, “I'll normally be found on a fell side or rummaging around in a deep ghyll somewhere because the Lake District is more than just my home; it's my lifeblood,” and I suspect after hearing today’s show you’ll have subscribed not just in terms of his channel, but with respect to his outlook on how precious it is to be out in nature. In the mailbag and also on the show today, good friends Tim and Tom walk the Wainwrights, a letter considering this week’s guest that has landed at the perfect time, Marianne Cohen has been devouring the sublime food pictures from last week’s guest Tim Clinch, we’ll do a Shutter Sync, set you an assignment, share some thoughts about gators and Disney from David Childers, tempt you to a week in the Scottish Highlands, and there’s some poetry from the path from David Wagstaff-Myers. Links to all guests and features will be on the showpage, my sincere thanks to MPB.com who sponsor this show and the Extra Milers without whom we wouldn't be walking each week. WHY: A Sketchbook of Life is available here.

My guest today is Tim Clinch, a celebrated photographer known for his diverse and dynamic career spanning multiple continents. Having begun his career in London, he ran his own studio before embarking on a globetrotting journey that took him to Spain, France, and now Eastern Europe. His work graces top publications like Conde Nast Traveller and Forbes Life. Tim is renowned for his food and travel photography, with numerous books and prestigious awards to his name. From the mailbag, Phil and Cathy are on the road – they’ve been to London to blast off into orbit, the story of an unloved football scarf from Scott Glasgow, the poem about riding life’s train that is a real truism, we’ll do a shutter sync, reveal the winner of last month’s assignment plus remind you of the current one, and Extra Miler Mike Venable reveals his own 'why of photography,' plus at the end of the show, a freak weather event! Links to all guests and features will be on the showpage, my sincere thanks to MPB.com who sponsor this show and the Extra Milers without whom we wouldn't be walking each week. WHY: A Sketchbook of Life is available here.