The Photowalk

Latest Episodes:

#480 A GRAND INDIA ADVENTURE SPECIAL Apr 25, 2025

Show notes

This week, The Photowalk steps into another world. I've swapped the familiar footpaths of my English home for the rich tapestry of India, a country that stirs something profound in you from the moment you arrive.

The air feels heavier with story, the colours seem to hum, and every turn in the road holds a scene you've not experienced before. India doesn't just invite you in, it wraps itself around you.

In this special episode, I travel with nine curious photographers through Delhi and Jodhpur, cameras at the ready, to witness many scenes, including the festival of colour, Holi, where colourful powders of the Spring celebration hang in the air, and the streets come alive.

Alongside co-leader Jason Florio and our Indian guides Shivam and Arvind, I talk photography, travel, and the way India overwhelms every sense: the smell of spice and diesel, the sounds of laughter and rickshaws, the heat, the rhythm, the way that everyday life plays out with a sense of theatre, spontaneous, heartfelt, and unforgettable.

Part postcard, part diary, this is your personal invitation to join me and become the Other Traveller. Because next year, we're doing it again. Photographers often talk about seeing with fresh eyes, but India doesn't just give you that. It wonderfully demands it.

Links to all guests and features will be on the showpage, my sincere thanks to Arthelper, 3 Legged Thing and LOWA 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.

#479 The passage of time: A love letter to photography Apr 18, 2025

Show notes

In this special extended episode, I spend the day with my good friend, documentary photographer Giles Penfound, once the head of photography for the British Army, now a passionate ambassador for the slower, more intentional world of film photography.

We're in the darkroom together, where Giles takes the film I shot recently in India and brings it to life. If you've ever wondered what really goes on in that red-lit sanctuary, or what it means to wait, to watch, and to witness an image slowly emerge from nothing, this one's for you.

Even if you've never stepped into a darkroom, there's something in this about patience, process, and friendship that I hope might just land with you.

It's part workshop, part fireside chat, and at times it gets deeply personal. Over a cooked breakfast in a feature I call In the Fryer, I ask Giles some tougher questions, the kind you only ask a friend you trust, and the kind that lead to answers you don't always expect.

This is a story about time and about why film photography, with all its waiting and wonder, still has something powerful to teach us in a world that wants everything now.

Links to all guests and features will be on the showpage, my sincere thanks to Arthelper and LOWA 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.

#478 What is your TRUE measure of success? Apr 11, 2025

Show notes

In this holiday archive special, I'm joined by two remarkable photographers whose work has shaped how we see the world: Joel Meyerowitz and Ed Kashi. Both share how they found their craft, revealing personal stories and the ethos that guides their creative lives. I think, this will stand as one of the most inspirational editions I have edited for the Photowalk show.

Joel reflects further upon his time documenting Ground Zero in the Aftermath project of 9/11. As the only photographer granted unrestricted access, he created a comprehensive archive that stands as a testament to resilience and remembrance to this day. He shares how this experience reshaped his perspective on photography and its role in chronicling history.

Ed talks with me about 'The Sandwich Generation,' a deeply personal project where he and his wife, filmmaker Julie Winokur, documented their journey of moving cross-country to care for Julie's ageing father, Herb, who suffered from dementia. Through this intimate lens, Ed discusses the emotional complexities of caregiving and challenges the common misconceptions about photojournalism, emphasising its capacity to tell profound personal stories beyond the headlines.

This episode is about the narratives that shape our understanding of humanity and the measures of success that go beyond accolades.

Links to all guests and features will be on the showpage, my sincere thanks to Arthelper and LOWA 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.

#477 Finding Mountain Therapy Apr 04, 2025

Show notes

Canadian landscape photographer Lee Nordbye hikes climbs, and skates with a camera in hand, embracing what he calls mountain therapy to navigate life and mental health.

In this episode, Lee shares how time in the Rockies helped him following an unexpected career change and a battle with depression. He's now giving back by teaching, guiding, and using his lens to inspire a connection with nature. This is a wonderful conversational meander where we talk about healing, creativity, and the quiet power of the wild.

Also, on the show from the mailbag, Paul Friday's trying to coax us into photographing underwater, but after hearing what's coming up, I'm not sure I'll even risk a paddle in the bath. Chris Smith's found his own kind of mountain therapy in the Lake District, Chris Hale is getting wistful about a hiking trip with his wife, and Myles Barfield is discovering a quiet comfort wrapped in the morning mist.

Links to all guests and features will be on the showpage, my sincere thanks to MPB, Arthelper and LOWA 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.

#476 The weight of seeing Mar 28, 2025

Show notes

Marcus Bleasdale has spent his life in places most of us would struggle to imagine, photographically documenting conflict zones and communities caught in the crossfire of politics and profit.

In this conversation within The Photowalk show, Marcus talks about the responsibility of witnessing brutal truths, from child labour in the Democratic Republic of Congo to the mining of conflict minerals used in our phones and tech, and how his book The Unravelling, forces us to reckon with the uncomfortable fact that everyday convenience often comes at someone else's expense.

The mailbag is back and in today's: Spike Boydell sends in a film link that had me properly thinking about connection. Jerilyn Owen shares how making a self-portrait is helping her learn acceptance. Samantha Ramsay finds something spiritual in photographing hands, while Greg Picone stumbles across a spooky landscape right behind his own backyard. Randy Bullerwell's been capturing carnival season in Aruba in a way that's anything but ordinary and Complaints Corner is open again… this time, it's a case of the wrong pants. Plus, a quick reminder: it's the final week for this month's One Word Assignment, set by Claire Thomas.

Links to all guests and features will be on the showpage, my sincere thanks to MPB, Arthelper and LOWA 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.

#475 Where the smoke used to rise Mar 21, 2025

Show notes

In this episode, I'm joined by Ian Beesley, the acclaimed social documentary photographer whose work has captured the changing face of the North of England for over four decades. From documenting the decline of heavy industry to the resilience of working-class communities, Ian's photographs are raw, honest, and deeply human.

We talk about memory, place, humour, and the role of photography in giving voice to people and stories often overlooked. It's a conversation about seeing, really seeing, the world around us and using a camera not just to document but to care.

Also on the show, Valérie Jardin returns for the monthly Teach Me Street feature, and there's a reminder of the latest one-word assignment set by the photojournalist Claire Thomas.

The mailbag returns next week.

Links to all guests and features will be on the showpage, my sincere thanks to MPB, Arthelper and LOWA 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.

#474 An art of seeing beyond the surface Mar 14, 2025

Show notes

Today I visit and walk with British photographer Mark Seymour, who made his name as an award-winning wedding photographer. However, his passion for photography as a medium led him beyond the wedding aisle and onto the streets of the world, where he now documents culture, tradition, and the human experience through travel, documentary photography and workshops. In this episode of The Photowalk, we talk about his transition from weddings to reportage, the power of visual storytelling, and Ronnie's Story, a deeply personal and important body of work that not only changed Mark as a photographer but also brought vital awareness to dementia.

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.

#473 Today, we are climbing Mount Everest! Mar 07, 2025

Show notes

What kind of person looks at the world's tallest mountain, a frozen, oxygen-starved, avalanche-prone giant and thinks, "Yeah, I'll have a go at that?"

Tim Kington, a photographer and adventure seeker with a dream to stand atop the world, took on Everest, facing brutal conditions where the air is too thin to breathe, the temperatures can freeze flesh, and every step is a fight against nature itself. In this episode, I talk to Tim about what it takes to climb Everest, the reality of the so-called Death Zone, and why, despite the dangers, thousands still attempt to reach the summit—some making history, others becoming part of the mountain forever.

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.

#472 Unearthed negatives, unforgettable narratives Feb 28, 2025

Show notes

A magazine feel to the show today as I talk with three guests. The discovery of Ernest Stone's archive reveals a once-hidden visual chronicle of New York from the 1960s to the 1980s, capturing its transformation, counterculture, and politics, cementing his legacy as a multifaceted artist, a legacy that may not have been uncovered without the dedication of his niece Melissa Berman, who is working to Ernie's last wishes to share his archive, preserving a vital piece of New York's visual history. Extra Miler Lynn Fraser talks about winning the UK's coveted Amateur Photographer of the Year award, and Rick Davy shares his visually documented look at creative individuals who live and work by the Cornish coast.

Also on the show, following last week's episode featuring the Séance photographer Shannon Taggart, Per Birkhaug shares a strange ghostly encounter from a hotel room, and Bob Demers, AKA Bob of the Desert, has his own inexplicable stories. Plus, a look ahead to three special episodes and an assignment reminder; you've got just one more week to take part in our February photo challenge.

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.

#471 How to photograph A GHOST Feb 21, 2025

Show notes

My guest today is Shannon Taggart, a photographer and author renowned for her exploration of modern Spiritualism, a belief system centred on communicating with the deceased. Her fascination began as a teenager when a medium revealed details about her cousin's grandfather's death, sparking a two-decade journey documenting Spiritualist communities worldwide. Her acclaimed monograph, SÉANCE, delves into these practices and was named one of TIME Magazine's 'Best Photobooks of 2019'.

From the mailbag and also on the show, Bob of the Desert uncovers some curious coincidences at 5,000 feet, Craig Wilson captures the beauty of the Lake District, Niels de Kemp reflects on how ageing shapes mastery of photography, and Gavin Perry talks about colour blindness as a photographer. Plus David Wright reminds us of this month's photo assignment.

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.

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