The Photowalk

Today, Canon Canada Ambassador Jacquie Matechuk is my special guest as we chat about her extraordinary photographic transition from being at the top of motorsport photography to embracing a new wildlife adventure, a transition that has seen her win some of the most coveted photo awards, travel far and wide to destinations she might never have imagined, come face to face with giant bears, stared into the eyes of a silverback at close quarters, tracked polar bears and had conversations with an owl, all features of our conversation.

But also, and I think this is one of the most important parts of our discussion today, Jacquie has, I think, revealed a true why of photography, and if I could make a fender or bumper sticker large enough, is going to share some words with you during our conversation today, that will have you think perhaps differently about life behind a lens.

Also, news about Scotland 2025 plus a new assignment for the month of November set by Lynn Fraser and Jacquie Matechuk.

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.

Alongside the letters I’m walking with today, my studio guest is Howard Barlow, a photojournalist who, for 50 years, has worked regularly for The Guardian, The Observer, The Telegraph, The Sunday Times and The Independent. He’s picked up numerous photographic awards, including Newspaper Photographer Of The Year.

Also, today, a wondrous hatful of first-time writers, we talk about design that makes life easier, photography that makes life happier, and we learn how photography was an ever-present friend in the face of physical adversity. There are several whys of photography to answer, and atop that, Marissa Roth, a Pulitzer prize-winning photojournalist, answers a question of ethics. There’s also the final chance to take part in this month’s one-word 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.

Today, I’m joined by Henry Hargreaves, a visual artist and food photographer known for his boundary-pushing photography projects that are often and sometimes literally deliciously simple, tackling complex social and commercial issues. One of his most thought-provoking works, No Seconds, explores the haunting last meals of death row inmates. With a unique blend of this simplicity and deep social commentary, this project invites us to reflect on mortality, choice, and humanity in unexpected and impactful ways.

Also from the mailbag, Adam Hanson finds renewed mental health through walking and photography, Mike Mixon is finding detail in his pictures he doesn’t remember seeing when he took them, John Kenny has some thoughts about covert pictures of strangers for a street project, some news about The Photowalk on Substack and Mike Miller has found a song that 34 years before the first recognisable modern social media channel came into our consciousness was giving advice about how we could best deal with the demands of a life watched over by algorithms.

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.

Today’s guests and friends, Mali Davies, Wolfgang Strassl and Valérie Jardin each have stories about shooting on the street. Mali talks of embracing your neighbourhood in the dark for a forthcoming project called HOME, Wolfgang Strassl finds that there’s more to a portrait than simply a picture of a face, and Valérie Jardin shares her thoughts about photographing people in a candid fashion.

Also, today from the mailbag, Myles Barfield has a story about legacy and how the simplest of pictures can be so effective plus I read from his book project that has become, I think, an autobiography accompanied by the most stunning photographs. Complaints corner is open for business, Chris Articulate is looking ahead to a more analogue way of sharing, Bill Marriott is going to help you feel and think VERY differently about what makes a truly expressive and emotive still picture, Harald Kahles has some ideas for specials and Maureen Bond is thinking about her why of creativity.

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 decades, beyond the grand entry hall guarded by the infamous ‘two Peters’, Vogue House London was a creative hub where magazine layouts were crafted and the world's most famous photographers plied their trade.

Vogue House embodied the glamour of fashion's storied history in London. But that legacy came to an end when the building’s lease was sold to a shipping billionaire in Monaco for a reported hefty £75 million. 

Vogue House, in its Hanover Square form, is no more. Yet, such a landmark in editorial history can't disappear without so much a whimper. Today, I talk to someone who knows its secrets firsthand: Grant Scott, a former art director with Tatler, a title that shared the address. 

He’s penned a new book, "Inside Vogue House: One Building, Seven Magazines, Sixty Years of Stories," and he’s here to share some stories from the book, plus a handful that didn’t make it in. Steady yourself for a peek behind the scenes and the state of the magazine industry in 2024.

Also from the mailbag, inspiring letters on the emotional power of photography, show flasks on the beach, some surprise walkers encountered along the path, road trips across America and a new linguistic game!

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.

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.