What do you do if a black bear wants a word with you, and all you’ve got for protection is a jacket? No handbook for that. The same goes for being miles from anti-venom after a snake bite or realizing a polar bear thinks you’re lunch. For National Geographic photographer and filmmaker David Wright, this isn’t fiction, it’s just another day at work.…

National Geographic photographer Jim Richardson has shot over fifty stories for National Geographic and Traveler and today shares the art of becoming invisible behind the lens, plus how he pitches photo stories to the world’s biggest publications. Though his work has spanned the globe, his long-term storytelling in rural Kansas is just as profound,…

After enduring four years of dialysis and declining health, my guest, photographer Tracey Halladay had come to terms with the possibility of not experiencing all that life had to offer. However, a life-saving kidney transplant granted her a second chance. During her recovery, Tracey noticed a shift in her perception of the world. She felt compelled…

I’m joined on the show by the photojournalist Ted Soqui, regarded by his peers as a visual historian of modern American life. His career spans four decades, capturing pivotal moments like the 1992 LA riots and the city’s relentless wildfires. His striking images have been featured in national and global media, telling raw, powerful stories. Ted wil…

Today’s conversation with photojournalist Claire Thomas takes a remarkable turn within just 20 minutes, shifting from casual beginnings to the profound realities of her work now. From those early travel ‘snaps’ to capturing global crises, Claire’s photography isn’t just about documenting what she witnesses; it’s about her genuine desire to share st…

Jack Lowe’s Lifeboat Station Project is a profound photographic tribute to the courageous British lifeboat crews who risk everything to save lives at sea. Using a Victorian camera and wet plate collodion methods, Jack makes powerful portraits that honour the resilience and humanity of these everyday heroes and today, he is on the show to talk about…

Ted Forbes is a photographer, educator, and creator of The Art of Photography YouTube channel. His new book, Visually Speaking, explores photography as a universal language, offering 21 chapters filled with insights and examples for photographers of all levels to create images that truly communicate. From the mailbag, Gavin Perry shows the World is…

In photography, knowing your WHY can guide each choice you make, from composition and lighting to the themes you explore, ensuring your work feels authentic and meaningful. But it’s not just about the art of photography, but expressing what and how you feel and believe. Today, on this last celebratory show before Christmas, 23 of this year's guests…

PHOTOGRAPHY IS MY ANCHOR is something that’s said by one of my three guests today. A friend of the show, Andrew Gifford, through his Glass profile, describes in pictures the most potent personal photo project, which conveys how it feels to have M.E. in a story of resilience. Then Dana Stirling’s book ‘Why am I sad?’ is a testament to just how impor…

Today on the show, we recognise love as "Universal, regardless of identity and sexuality." Valérie Jardin's ONE LOVE is a new black-and-white photography project in America celebrating the LGBTQ+ community, aiming to inspire greater understanding and acceptance, sharing stories of love in its most authentic form. Lydia Robinson's 'Queer Love' start…

My guest Peter Dench is a celebrated writer and photojournalist known for his wit and intimate storytelling. His expertise spans editorial, reportage, commercial, and portrait photography, with work published globally. An award-winning author and speaker, Peter records the quirks of modern life through humour and empathy. Also today from the mailba…

Joe Madsen's visit to a doctor results in a street photography photo book project that could be described as lifesaving. Husband and wife team James and Karla Murray are bookmarking the great bars of NYC, and Valérie Jardin discovers the most extraordinary personal stories photographing centenarians. Also, today in the mailbag, Cody Shultz on the p…

This is a special episode where I try to unpick those inner battles that so many of us quietly fight. Imposter syndrome, confidence, perfectionism, self-doubt. These aren’t just words; they’re real feelings that can shape and even hold back our lives, creatively and emotionally. Today on the show, I’m peeling back the layers with special guest Sean…

For three decades, British photographer and filmmaker Chris Floyd has "Been privileged to photograph people who are the best in the World at what they do. Whether it's Stephen Hawking, Paul McCartney or David Hockney, these people have defined the era in which we live." Today, I walk in Oxfordshire with this humble powerhouse of British photography…

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 imagi…

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 fi…

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 …

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 abou…

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 so…

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-work…

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 me…

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 pa…

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 t…

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, Lon…

My guest, Toby Binder is a German photographer renowned for his socially engaged documentary work. He focuses on marginalized communities and global social issues, capturing the raw realities of life in conflict zones and economically deprived areas. His photographs tell stories of fragility, authenticity and vulnerability. How important is vulnera…