In this episode of The Life of Phys Podcast, we sit down with documentary and landscape photographer Kyle McDougall, whose work explores the intersections of place, history, and time. Originally from Ontario, Canada and now based in the United Kingdom, Kyle is known for his quiet, observational approach to storytelling—capturing rural environments, overlooked towns, and landscapes shaped by memory and change.

Kyle began his career as a cinematographer and editor in the outdoor television industry before moving into commercial and documentary filmmaking. In 2017, he shifted his focus fully to photography, dedicating himself to long-term projects and sharing his creative process through his widely followed YouTube channel.

His first monograph, “An American Mile,” released in 2023, reflects five years of documenting small towns across the American Southwest, offering an intimate look at landscapes often passed by but rarely examined up close.

We talk about Kyle’s evolution as an artist, the discipline behind multi-year photo projects, the balance between creativity and clarity, and what he’s discovering through his current work on the Slate Landscapes of North Wales and the lost airfields of the Royal Air Force in WW2.

If you're passionate about documentary photography, long-form storytelling, or the quiet craft of observing the world more deeply, this conversation will stay with you.

Visit Kyle:

Instagram: @kyle__mcdougall

Threads: @kyle__mcdougall

Web: www.kylemcdougallphoto.com

Book: An American Mile

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