The Photowalk

As we walk today, two guests feature in the show. Photographer and creative retreat mentor Margaret Soraya from the Isle of Harris shares how the arts have helped her mental health immeasurably during a period of grief following the passing of her mother. Former school deputy head Emily Renier, now Fujifilm UK's latest ambassador, recounts how a mental breakdown reset her life both creatively and spiritually. Also on the show today, how the recent eclipse seems to have brought people together, why AI possibly isn’t the monster to hide behind the sofa from, and recharging batteries in a beautiful forest, plus a reminder from former guest Stephen Wilkes of what this month's assignment is all about. 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.

Welcome to a photography podcast where we walk together with a mailbag of stories and pictures. My guest today, John Dolan, understands and completely embraces the importance of the photographic moment over photographic perfection. The second edition of his best-selling monograph, The Perfect Imperfect, is about to be released, and in it, he invites photographers to look beyond the shot list and find beauty and truth in imperfect moments. He has photographed the most recent Whitehouse Wedding; he is Seinfeld's family documentarian, and he is trusted to record the most intimate and often vulnerable moments for clients including Will Smith and Gwyneth Paltrow. Also from the mailbag as we walk, making pictures of the beautifully inanimate, the things that we pass by every day and never give a second thought to, a case of mistaken Googling when typing in the letters M A L and I, a letter on dragging yourself out of bed at sunrise, solar eclipses, the winner of last month’s assignment, plus it being the second Friday of the month, street photographer and photography mentor Valerie Jardin joins me for Visual Stories, this month talking about timeless pictures in Paris. 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, a holiday-special interview with the iconic fine art photographer Stephen Wilkes. Since opening his studio in New York City in 1983, he's built an unprecedented body of work and a reputation as one of America’s most iconic photographers, widely recognized for his fine art, editorial and commercial work. Stephen Wilkes talks candidly about being mentored by a photographic great, Jay Maisel, the most extraordinary and at times haunting project on Ellis Island, plus Day to Night, his most defining project, where epic cityscapes and landscapes, portrayed from a fixed camera angle for up to 30 hours, capture fleeting moments of humanity as light passes in front of his lens over the course of a full day. Stephen also sets a new assignment for the month of April. 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.

Mary Jo Hoffman is an aeronautical engineer-turned-artist. Twelve years ago she began a daily practice of photographing found nature, no subject too small or ordinary. Now, Phaidon has published her first book Still: The Art of Noticing. This is a story about a creative serendipitous find that has become, a beautiful way to live. Also today, philosophical YouTuber Sean Tucker answers a question about finding the energy to pursue photography despite daily life competing for space in one's day. Letters from the mailbag on positivity in spite of physical challenges to make work, finding and photographing the lone tree, and minimalism in a fantastical Norwegian snow white-out. 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.

I'm joined on Surrey's Chobham Common for a photo walk with award-winning photojournalist Jason Florio to announce 2025's Photowalk Show Adventure, which is going to be in India, photographing and riding the urban-suburban and rural countryside trains in and out of Mumbai. There's an invite to make our adventure YOUR adventure as we explore Mumbai, including the cave temples of Elephanta Island, and enjoy Holi, a Hindu festival celebrated as the Festival of Colours, Love, and Spring. It's an opportunity to spend time with like-minded photographers and the people of this incredibly vibrant city on the west coast of India. Jason shares stories of this colourful city, plus opens his studio to our inquiring and curious eyes. 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 Daniel Meadows has spent his life documenting British society, using photographs, audio recordings, and short movies. He is the creative architect of a sublime idea: putting a bed, a darkroom, and a photographic studio into a 1940s double-decker bus, touring it to meet and photograph as many people as he could to document British life, which has become a historic gem. From the mailbag, Tony Lorenzo, who bought a 1930s family photo from a box in a market, which then became a life-long detective story, is back and this time, he’s been buying vintage pictures in Italy. Also, how to photograph mushrooms in a magical sense and a road trip that’s going to be an absolute life tonic. There’s a reminder of the March assignment and an invite to come to Scotland for a week on retreat. 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.

As I walk with your letters and inspirational stories, I'm joined on the show by studio guest Michelle Valberg, the Canadian Geographic Photographer, Nikon ambassador, and international fellow of the Explorers Club. Michelle has just returned from an adventure voyage photographing wildlife of the Antarctic Peninsula, navigating icebergs and rough seas to make extraordinary photographs. Also on the show from the mailbag, stuck in a watery rut in East Africa whilst seeking The Maasai, escaping the clutches of imposter syndrome, March's assignment and mentor Valérie Jardin shares photographic project workflow. 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.

On a long-distance bike adventure from London to St. Petersburg, an 'accidental' photographic find led photographer Christopher Herwig to subsequently cover tens of thousands of miles by car, bike, bus and taxi in 14 former Soviet countries, documenting unexpected treasures of modern art; 'Soviet Bus Stops'. This is an unbridled story of passion for a project that has consumed more than two decades of Christopher's life, and today he shares his enthusiasm for photographing the extraordinary ordinary. Also today, we set a new assignment for the month of March: Hungarian goulash and photographic must-sees in Budapest, a trip to the Hebrides, viral shopping trolly pictures and the international currency of Garibaldi biscuits. 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.

Hans Johnson is an international award-winning film and television composer. He records and collects sounds from the cultures and people he spends time with, celebrating diversity and encouraging harmony and togetherness through his music. His videos and pictures often lead the compositions he makes and today, he shares the stories behind his music. Also, philosophical YouTuber Sean Tucker talks about the importance of retreat and recharging to energise your creativity, plus letters into the show share stories of lost and found mojo, and photographic Haiku; poetry and photography as a partnership. 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.

This week, join me, Neale James on the show in West Africa and journey with our Photowalk team as we explore The Gambia with those attending this special Photowalk Retreat; Mat Bobby, Lynn Fraser, Michael Assmann and Shannon Coppin, guided by photojournalist Jason Florio and film producer Andy Thompson plus new-found Gambian friends. We walk and learn together about what makes this small, welcoming country known as The Smiling Coast so uniquely special, how a recent political past has left an indelible mark, and how the Gambian people’s resilience has earned a peaceful future ahead. We discuss why some of the country’s youth are making dangerous journeys across the Atlantic to the Canary Islands aboard small pirogue fishing boats; you’ll meet the most incredible students and staff at a school, take shade under the Tree of Life, come within mere inches of the most feared reptile on Earth and our fellow Photowalkers share their thoughts as we adventure during this retreat to West Africa. 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.

In 2015, Joshua Coombes, a British hairstylist, took his scissors to the street to cut the hair of the homeless community in a story that is as much about hope and humanity as it is about hair. He's now the architect of the international Do Something for Nothing movement, which our regular contributing photography mentor Valérie Jardin has photographed at work in Paris and New York. Today, both Josh and Valérie share their experiences of a project that is as philanthropic as it is photographic. Also today, the mailbag is back with letters about the scale of Mother Nature, a walk along the Norwegian coastline and what does it actually look like when you stand within an electricity pylon and look up. 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.

Retreating home to the shires from another day working in the city of London seventeen years ago, Kevin Mullins announced to his wife, "I'm becoming a wedding photographer." What followed is quite the adventure, including almost quitting on day one of his new life! In the third of three specials interviewing friends in the photographic and creative industries, I talk to Kevin about his leap of faith, his relationship with Fujifilm, social media, staying grounded, slowing down, country music and cupboards of doom - it's an eclectic conversation! 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 a very cryptic show title, I grant you, but the question is answered by my good friend, documentary photographer Giles Penfound, a former British army photographer who has found that the story he wishes to dedicate his life to, is now within walking distance of his home. We talk about his life making pictures in areas of conflict, those who mentored him during this time, plus his conflicted mind over some of the images he made and witnessed. Also, we chat about his plans now and for the future. Our conversation for the podcast was made walking the ridge above England's famous Watership Down. 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.

In the 'niche' of photography podcasts, there are a handful of names who stand out as pioneers of the genre. One of those is my guest today, Jeffery Saddoris, a multi-disciplinary audio and visual artist based in Washington DC. He paints, he writes, and for his podcasting, he crafts conversations with people who move and inspire him. This launches three weeks of special personal conversations with creative friends of mine and I'm delighted Jeffery is launching those. I suspect I'll talk with him again for an edition about the art of podcasting, though today I concentrate on the why of his art and photography, his most intimate of photographic moments and how painting is the creative glue that 'leaves something to account for his time on this Earth.' Also today, Mali Davies, in his monthly Jibba Jabba feature, reveals what happened on Fighting Friday, the 'event' he photographed just prior to Christmas. 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.

Canadian explorer, photographer, filmmaker and international speaker Jill Heinerth joins me today for a bumper edition of The Photowalk podcast. We talk about the medical importance of our oceans, cave diving, incredible creatures beneath the waves, swimming with Polar bears and the story of a sub-marine diving mission into and iceberg. Also today, the why of making sketchbook pictures, the nostalgia of vintage prints, plus mentor and street photographer Valérie Jardin returns to launch this year's monthly Visual Stories features, which in 2024 is all about photographic feature making, starting with ONE CENTURY. 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 guest is the celebrated Canadian wildlife photographer Michelle Valberg, who shares stories of her photographic adventures at the two poles and the incredible animals she observes as she creates emotional imagery that has the power to make viewers feel. From the mailbag on today's show, how introversion affects what you photograph, favourite places in the world to MAKE those pictures and how being devoured by forest has you feel, making your own book or zine in 2024, how your experiences as a child can influence your photography as an adult plus there is news of a second retreat week in Scotland. It is the first Friday of the month, so it’s assignment week, and this year, all our challenges are one-word photographic assignments. 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.

The final Photowalk edition of 2023 takes me to Oxford to visit Tony Lorenzo, who, in the early part of this century, found two fading 1930s photographs in a box on the floor of a shop in London featuring a girl called June. This is the story of a quest to find who June was in real life from those and other photographs subsequently found, a photographic detective story that takes Tony up and down the UK piecing together June's 'lost' family album. Also today, we say farewell to a very special friend of the show, Nils Amelinckx, replaying some of his inspirational words about the precious nature of the outdoors and photography. Plus, a roadside encounter with Kathleen Watson, whose mission, it seems, is to spread cheer and raise a smile. 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.

Nine years in the US Navy, Rachelle Steele learned her photographic craft the hard way in operations that tested her resolve. She laid down the camera for five years before rediscovering a love for black and white photography, studying at the Academy of Art University, which lead to new adventures making collections of storytelling photographs of her life and for others. Also today demons in markets, biscuits that take your teeth out, pictures and memories of ancient henges, Canadian wildlife and Visual Stories for December with Valérie Jardin. 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.

Alastair Humphreys is a man who has the word adventurer on his business card. He's adventured to the most incredible remote places, cycled across the world on a modest budget, crossed the ocean in a rowing boat, run across a desert, though his view of exploration changed as he sat in a small red tent in a remote part of Greenland. Now he champions micro-adventures, writing about and photographing more 'achievable' life experiences. Also today, fascinating Gambian traditions, a Nat Geo photographer's quote that nails, possibly, why making photographs is important and does adversity lead to stronger creativity? Links to all guests and features will be on the SHOW PAGE as always and my sincere thanks to mpb.com who sponsor this show and the Extra Milers without whom we wouldn't be walking each week.

Roger Hutchings is an award-winning British documentary photographer who was mentored by the Magnum photographer David Hurn. Today he talks of a life spent making pictures about people and how they navigate their lives in the most extraordinary of situations. Also on the show today, your comments and letters: we revisit a letter from last week where Tony Lorenzo went about some pretty impressive detective work to find the identity of a mystery girl in a vintage photograph, two walks and a cycle ride that have helped to bring 2023 to a more positive conclusion and what’s lurking in the clear Canadian depths of Lake Simcoe? Links to all guests and features will be on the SHOW PAGE as always and my sincere thanks to mpb.com who sponsor this show and the Extra Milers without whom we wouldn't be walking each week.