The Photowalk

Today's guest is Phil Sharp, a portrait photographer whose work has been on my radar for a while, and who was brought back into focus for me through a couple of prompts and a short film made by Sean Tucker. Phil's approach is considered, patient and personal. He creates a setting where people are given time, often during longer sessions in his London studio, to settle rather than perform. Music often plays a part in that process, helping to establish a mood that is very evident throughout his portfolio. This conversation isn't about cameras or lighting setups. It's about how you create the conditions for someone to feel comfortable enough to show whatever emotion arrives, whether that's openness, uncertainty, or anything in between. It's about trust, presence, and what can happen when a photographer is willing to slow things down, away from the watchful eyes of publicists in the corner of the room. If you're interested in portrait photography, there's plenty here. But if you're interested in how time, attention, and thoughtfulness affect the way people appear in photographs, a human approach, I think you'll find a lot to sit with in this one. From the mailbag, Phil Ferris clears up a curious fascination with bottoms, and no, it's not quite what it sounds like. There's a long service award for Morris Haggerty, a sunnier than usual update from Jack Antal in San Diego with a nudge towards making books, and Per Birkhaug checks in from the Norwegian mountains with a few thoughts about age and perspective. There are some thoughts about the end of the year as we look ahead to the show in 2026, and an invitation to come to Scotland in 2026 as we meditate a little in the middle of today's edition. Links to all guests and features will be on the show page, my sincere thanks to our Extra Milers, without whom we wouldn't be walking each week and Arthelper.ai, giving photographers smart tools to plan, promote, and manage your creative projects more easily. WHY: A Sketchbook of Life is available here.

REFLECTIONS is a short-form feature within The Photowalk podcast, offering thoughtful observations on a creative life and the themes that we often discuss on Fridays, including perfectionism, impostor syndrome, comparison, confidence, and more. It's a pause at the start of the week to recalibrate, recorded in the studio between the walks. Each Monday, you'll find Reflections on The Photowalk podcast feed, providing a creative reset to start the week. From Tuesday to Friday, it continues exclusively on our member-supported channel, The Extra Mile, for those who walk a little further with us. From Terry Wogan to "my five-year-old could do that," a bemused look at how creatives are spoken to, and spoken over. My sincere thanks to Arthelper, who sponsor this show, plus our Extra Milers, without whom we wouldn't be walking each week. WHY: A Sketchbook of Life is available here.

Robert Gumpert joins me on the show from San Francisco, where he's spent decades photographing the parts of life most of us never see unless we work there, live there, or get pulled into the system. Hiring halls on the docks and the interview rooms inside the county jails have all been part of his working world. His long-running project Take a Picture / Tell a Story was the one that initially caught my attention: a portrait made after a recorded conversation with someone in custody, giving a literal voice to people awaiting trial.  We also talk about his photographs of mariners heading out to sea, and his book Division Street, published by Dewi Lewis. That work looks at life under the flyovers and in the city's corners, where people without a home live just two blocks from some of the wealthiest startup companies on earth.  Alongside my conversation with Robert, Gene Westburg is back from last week with a follow-up question about street v travel photography. Fred Ash also returns, and Michael Brennan has posted something that will, I'm sure, spark a few ideas for anyone thinking about bringing their work to life in print. There are some thoughts about THE ONE feature and an invite to come to Scotland in 2026. Links to all guests and features will be on the show page, my sincere thanks to our Extra Milers, without whom we wouldn't be walking each week and Arthelper.ai, giving photographers smart tools to plan, promote, and manage your creative projects more easily. WHY: A Sketchbook of Life is available here.

REFLECTIONS is a short-form feature within The Photowalk podcast, offering thoughtful observations on a creative life and the themes that we often discuss on Fridays, including perfectionism, impostor syndrome, comparison, confidence, and more. It's a pause at the start of the week to recalibrate, recorded in the studio between the walks. Each Monday, you'll find Reflections on The Photowalk podcast feed, providing a creative reset to start the week. From Tuesday to Friday, it continues exclusively on our member-supported channel, The Extra Mile, for those who walk a little further with us. Today, a reflection on Martin Parr's life, his eye for the everyday, and the legacy he leaves in British documentary photography. Also see Charlotte Jansen's obituary in The Guardian. My sincere thanks to Arthelper, who sponsor this show, plus our Extra Milers, without whom we wouldn't be walking each week. WHY: A Sketchbook of Life is available here.

In between the letters and features, my guest today is Laura Gates, a fast-rising documentary sports photographer. We talk about the pitches where stories begin, the momentum behind the women's game, and the moments on and off the field that meet Laura's curious lens. She self-published her first book and sold more copies than many photographers manage through traditional publishers, which speaks to the strength of her work. We also talk about confidence when you are starting out as a photographer, the realities of building a creative business, and the place of women in sport as the wider picture continues to grow and evolve. From the mailbag today, Gene Westburg writes about the calm he's found walking with a camera and a four-legged friend, Alex Boone sends in the picture that defined his 2025, made on a trusty smartphone, and Fred Ash throws me a why question to wrestle with, plus street photographer Valérie Jardin guest-writes a Friday Reflection and considers how AI may affect street photography. Links to all guests and features will be on the show page, my sincere thanks to our Extra Milers, without whom we wouldn't be walking each week and Arthelper.ai, giving photographers smart tools to plan, promote, and manage your creative projects more easily. WHY: A Sketchbook of Life is available here.

REFLECTIONS is a short-form feature within The Photowalk podcast, offering thoughtful observations on a creative life and the themes that we often discuss on Fridays, including perfectionism, impostor syndrome, comparison, confidence, and more. It's a pause at the start of the week to recalibrate, recorded in the studio between the walks. Each Monday, you'll find Reflections on The Photowalk podcast feed, providing a creative reset to start the week. From Tuesday to Friday, it continues exclusively on our member-supported channel, The Extra Mile, for those who walk a little further with us. I met someone called Marsha last week, which has inspired this reflection about listening. My sincere thanks to Arthelper, who sponsor this show, plus our Extra Milers, without whom we wouldn't be walking each week. WHY: A Sketchbook of Life is available here.

This week's edition is guest-focused. Paul Berriff OBE, has lived a life few could imagine. A filmmaker and photographer whose work spans more than 180 prime-time documentaries, he has survived a helicopter crash, escaped a sinking ship in a North Sea storm, crawled from the wreckage of a downed aircraft, and lived through the collapse of both towers on September 11 while filming inside the disaster zone. His tape from that day remains one of the most important visual records of the south tower falling. Before film came photography. In the 1960s, Paul made remarkably natural portraits of The Beatles and the Rolling Stones, long before fame turned them into myth. Later, with what he called a "clockwork camera," he moved into observational documentary and eventually built his own production company. Alongside all this, he trained as a firefighter and helped carry out more than 850 RNLI sea rescues. The conversation moved differently from how I imagined it might. Two major stories emerged. One is his account of filming inside the World Trade Center as the towers came down, surviving when the buildings collapsed around him. The other is the story of a rescue by helicopter in brutal conditions, a moment when a second narrow escape became part of his history. I'll also share a little more about the craft of photogravure that we'll be exploring on the new Scottish retreat in June. There's a reminder of this month's assignment, the last one of the year, before we shift our focus to THE ONE in December. Links to all guests and features will be on the show page, my sincere thanks to our Extra Milers, without whom we wouldn't be walking each week and Arthelper.ai, giving photographers smart tools to plan, promote, and manage your creative projects more easily. WHY: A Sketchbook of Life is available here.

REFLECTIONS is a short-form feature within The Photowalk podcast, offering thoughtful observations on a creative life and the themes that we often discuss on Fridays, including perfectionism, impostor syndrome, comparison, confidence, and more. It's a pause at the start of the week to recalibrate, recorded in the studio between the walks. Each Monday, you'll find Reflections on The Photowalk podcast feed, providing a creative reset to start the week. From Tuesday to Friday, it continues exclusively on our member-supported channel, The Extra Mile, for those who walk a little further with us. These professional people, highly overrated, I say. If you want a job done properly, just do it yourself, surely? My sincere thanks to Arthelper, who sponsor this show, plus our Extra Milers, without whom we wouldn't be walking each week. WHY: A Sketchbook of Life is available here.

Artist, writer and thinker Gael Hillyard joins me to talk about her creative life, from painting, writing and photography, to the deep-winter months she spent as artist-in-residence on Fair Isle, to the ten silent days she lived inside a retreat with no conversation at all. We explore how her work has been shaped by a childhood spent in a Victorian atelier, the two studios she now keeps in the Highlands, and the weather-beaten coastlines she keeps returning to as both muse and anchor. And in the mailbag this week, Spike Boydell, our man from the canoe down under, has been thinking about slowing down, and I mean really slowing down. Comedy-writer-in-chief Hegaard the Dane sends word about solitude and the small matter of spending a night or three in jail! John Kenny writes about trees and the Sycamore Gap, which has an unexpected local relevance for me this weekend, and Bill Frische has been photographing a 'monster'. I'll also share a little more about the craft of photogravure that we'll be exploring on the new Scottish retreat in June. There's a reminder of this month's assignment, the last one of the year, before we shift our focus to THE ONE in December. Links to all guests and features will be on the show page, my sincere thanks to our Extra Milers, without whom we wouldn't be walking each week and Arthelper.ai, giving photographers smart tools to plan, promote, and manage your creative projects more easily. WHY: A Sketchbook of Life is available here.

REFLECTIONS is a short-form feature within The Photowalk podcast, offering thoughtful observations on a creative life and the themes that we often discuss on Fridays, including perfectionism, impostor syndrome, comparison, confidence, and more. It's a pause at the start of the week to recalibrate, recorded in the studio between the walks. Each Monday, you'll find Reflections on The Photowalk podcast feed, providing a creative reset to start the week. From Tuesday to Friday, it continues exclusively on our member-supported channel, The Extra Mile, for those who walk a little further with us. Today, Toxic Voyeurism. It's a real thing, although how do we notice it's happening? My sincere thanks to Arthelper, who sponsor this show, plus our Extra Milers, without whom we wouldn't be walking each week. WHY: A Sketchbook of Life is available here.

This week's Photowalk features Bil Repenning, a musician who's shifting his creative energy into photography. Music has shaped the way he sees the world, and you can hear that within our conversation. Following an accident five years ago, he began building a photographic practice rooted in documentary portrait work, taking the craft seriously as he moves into this next chapter. We talk about the music that shaped him, the radio that shaped us both, and what it's like to change course mid-career without the fanfare or drama, just a genuine desire to make good work. It's a conversation about starting later, learning on the move, and finding a new place to stand creatively. From the mailbag, John Anderton shares a deeply personal story about his mum, Winnie, and the way he chose to document her life as dementia changed their days. What he's written is a reminder of how powerful it can be to hold on to family stories in more than one way. There's also a note from Dominique Martel, who's wrestling with a familiar modern problem: subscription overload! We have this month's One Word assignment from Liza Gershman, and you're invited to join the show in Scotland for a new look Scottish Retreat in June 2026. Links to all guests and features will be on the show page, my sincere thanks to our Extra Milers, without whom we wouldn't be walking each week and Arthelper.ai, giving photographers smart tools to plan, promote, and manage your creative projects more easily. WHY: A Sketchbook of Life is available here.

REFLECTIONS is a short-form feature within The Photowalk podcast, offering thoughtful observations on a creative life and the themes that we often discuss on Fridays, including perfectionism, impostor syndrome, comparison, confidence, and more. It's a pause at the start of the week to recalibrate, recorded in the studio between the walks. Each Monday, you'll find Reflections on The Photowalk podcast feed, providing a creative reset to start the week. From Tuesday to Friday, it continues exclusively on our member-supported channel, The Extra Mile, for those who walk a little further with us. Today, an unexpected frame I made in London, comes back two years later with a message. My sincere thanks to Arthelper, who sponsor this show, plus our Extra Milers, without whom we wouldn't be walking each week. WHY: A Sketchbook of Life is available here.

Former champion jockey Richard Dunwoody joins me to talk about how photography has become a part of his life after racing, and there are questions about the sport that defined him, too. A three-time Champion Jockey in the UK, Richard won two Grand Nationals and a Cheltenham Gold Cup on the legendary Desert Orchid. He helped define jump racing in Britain and Ireland during one of its most competitive eras. But that was only chapter one. After stepping out of the weighing room, Richard set out on endurance rides across South America and took on challenges that carried him far beyond the racecourse. Now, he travels with a camera, chasing stories in places a long way from grandstands and bookmakers. In this conversation, we talk about photography, adventure, and the discipline that links both worlds, plus what happens when the noise of competition finally stops. Also in the show, Lee Cobbs writes about retracing his roots and finding new angles in a familiar town, Arran Carter-Cheetham shares stories from his photographic adventures that took him halfway round the world to the so-called "Venice of the East," and on that note, I have news about a photographic retreat to the real Venice! Christopher Kincaid reckons he might just live in the best place in the world, and Matties Wesche is filming tandem parachute jumps from 10,000 feet. Links to all guests and features will be on the show page, my sincere thanks to our Extra Milers, without whom we wouldn't be walking each week and Arthelper.ai, giving photographers smart tools to plan, promote, and manage your creative projects more easily. WHY: A Sketchbook of Life is available here.

REFLECTIONS is a short-form feature within The Photowalk podcast, offering thoughtful observations on a creative life and the themes that we often discuss on Fridays, including perfectionism, impostor syndrome, comparison, confidence, and more. It's a pause at the start of the week to recalibrate, recorded in the studio between the walks. Each Monday, you'll find Reflections on The Photowalk podcast feed, providing a creative reset to start the week. From Tuesday to Friday, it continues exclusively on our member-supported channel, The Extra Mile, for those who walk a little further with us. Today, some thoughts about the wonderful mentors who help us along our creative paths. My sincere thanks to Arthelper, who sponsor this show, plus our Extra Milers, without whom we wouldn't be walking each week. WHY: A Sketchbook of Life is available here.

This week's show follows a journey that stretches from the Pacific to the Atlantic, five days, 2,845 miles by road, from LA, through Vegas, Denver, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, finally reaching New York City, and then a week at sea aboard the Queen Mary 2. I travelled with the photojournalist Marissa Roth, helping her bring home six precious heavy cases packed with nearly half a century of negatives; work that spans everything from Women and War, her lifetime project on the human cost of conflict, to assignments that shaped her long career behind the camera. Together we crossed America before sailing for Southampton with that extraordinary cargo. There were wrong turns, long drives and high North Atlantic waves, but more than anything, a reminder that photographs hold stories worth carrying safely home. Also on the show, special guest John Plews, a Titanic expert and fellow passenger shares facts about a ship made famous by tragedy. Links to all guests and features will be on the show page, my sincere thanks to our Extra Milers, without whom we wouldn't be walking each week and Arthelper.ai, giving photographers smart tools to plan, promote, and manage your creative projects more easily. WHY: A Sketchbook of Life is available here.

REFLECTIONS is a short-form feature within The Photowalk podcast, offering thoughtful observations on a creative life and the themes that we often discuss on Fridays, including perfectionism, impostor syndrome, comparison, confidence, and more. It's a pause at the start of the week to recalibrate, recorded in the studio between the walks. Each Monday, you'll find Reflections on The Photowalk podcast feed, providing a creative reset to start the week. From Tuesday to Friday, it continues exclusively on our member-supported channel, The Extra Mile, for those who walk a little further with us. Today, a 2,845-mile road trip across America and a voyage across the Atlantic, made to keep fifty years of photographs safe. My sincere thanks to Arthelper, who sponsor this show, plus our Extra Milers, without whom we wouldn't be walking each week. WHY: A Sketchbook of Life is available here.

REFLECTIONS is a short-form feature within The Photowalk podcast, offering thoughtful observations on a creative life and the themes that we often discuss on Fridays, including perfectionism, impostor syndrome, comparison, confidence, and more. It's a pause at the start of the week to recalibrate, recorded in the studio between the walks. Each Monday, you'll find Reflections on The Photowalk podcast feed, providing a creative reset to start the week. From Tuesday to Friday, it continues exclusively on our member-supported channel, The Extra Mile, for those who walk a little further with us. A tree almost striking my car, has me thinking on fragility. My sincere thanks to Arthelper, who sponsor this show, plus our Extra Milers, without whom we wouldn't be walking each week. WHY: A Sketchbook of Life is available here.

Today, step into an imaginary theatre of the mind with us for a special Photowalk edition. In this "Audience With" format, I invite David duChemin, world-traveller, humanitarian photographer, author, and longtime teacher of vision, to field 'your' questions as live.  With no script, no filter, we explore everything from what makes a good photograph and how to discover your personal voice, to why failure is often the spark for growth. Alongside stories of his photographic and life experiences, his philosophy about creative courage, and the inevitable doubts every artist faces, this episode offers an intimate glimpse into the mind behind the camera. Links to all guests and features will be on the show page, my sincere thanks to our Extra Milers, without whom we wouldn't be walking each week. WHY: A Sketchbook of Life is available here.

REFLECTIONS is a short-form feature within The Photowalk podcast, offering thoughtful observations on a creative life and the themes that we often discuss on Fridays, including perfectionism, impostor syndrome, comparison, confidence, and more. It's a pause at the start of the week to recalibrate, recorded in the studio between the walks. Each Monday, you'll find Reflections on The Photowalk podcast feed, providing a creative reset to start the week. From Tuesday to Friday, it continues exclusively on our member-supported channel, The Extra Mile, for those who walk a little further with us. Trigger warning: Caravanners, sorry! My sincere thanks to Arthelper, who sponsor this show, plus our Extra Milers, without whom we wouldn't be walking each week. WHY: A Sketchbook of Life is available here.

Recorded on the 2025 Scotland Photowalk Retreat, this episode takes you to the Highlands' finest locations, including Black Water, Glen Affric and the wide, quiet sweep of Loch Maree. You're invited to become the eleventh member of our retreat, as you join us to walk, eat, and share stories together. Hear how we embraced the use of film cameras to work together in the Inverness Darkroom, watching our images bloom in the darkroom trays, and explored how words can shape our pictures with writer Merryn Glover. It's part travel diary, part creative gathering; a record of what happens when you put a small group of photographers, writers and wanderers together in the Highlands, and let Scotland do the rest. Links to all guests and features will be on the show page, my sincere thanks to our Extra Milers, without whom we wouldn't be walking each week. WHY: A Sketchbook of Life is available here.