The Photowalk

Neale James

The Photowalk is a mailbag-driven podcast where we walk and make pictures together, and meet with special guests along the trail. For anyone who likes to take pictures. Available wherever you get your podcasts.

  1. 18 hr ago

    #538 Heard. Seen. Believed.

    Harry Borden has spent more than four decades photographing some of the world's most recognisable faces. His portraits of actors, musicians, business leaders and every UK Prime Minister from Margaret Thatcher onwards have appeared in publications including The Observer, The Guardian, The Sunday Times Magazine and Vanity Fair. But behind those well-known portraits is a photographer equally drawn to quieter, more personal work. In the first of a two-week conversation, Harry joins me to talk about photographing celebrities, captains of industry, and Prime Ministers; how he approaches portraiture when the clock is ticking; and why curiosity has always mattered more than reputation. We also begin exploring some of the personal projects that have shaped his career, before next week's episode turns more towards the story of Harry himself. The mailbag is in particularly good form this week, too. Michael Assmann writes a thoughtful and moving letter about fatherhood, Paul Holdorf shares a photo essay on darkness. Sandro Correia wonders how to rediscover his love of photography. Paul Eaves pens an unexpectedly poetic tribute to his washing machine, we unveil a brand-new Biscuit Tin Question, bring the latest quarterly photo assignment to a close, and hand over the next challenge to none other than portrait photographer Platon. Read more about our photographic adventures on our photography travel website, The Journey Beyond. Links to all guests and features will be on the show page, my sincere thanks to our Extra Milers, without whom we wouldn't be walking each week and Arthelper.ai, giving photographers smart tools to plan, promote, and manage your creative projects more easily. BUY THE NEW SHOW ZINE, REFLECTIONS

    1hr 41min
  2. 5 Jun

    #534 Two Scots, Two Stories

    While I'm away in Scotland leading the Scotland 2026 retreat, I thought it would be fitting to bring you a special edition from The Photowalk archive. So, it's an interview-only special where I'm revisiting two conversations with Scottish photographers whose work has left a lasting impression on me, and whose careers have taken them in very different directions. Albert Watson was born in Edinburgh and has spent more than five decades producing some of the most recognisable photographs ever made. From portraits of actors, musicians and world leaders to fashion and commercial work, his images have appeared on countless magazine covers and gallery walls around the world. Kieran Dodds grew up in the Highlands and is known for thoughtful long-term documentary projects that explore people, place and identity. We revisit his fascinating Gingers project, which saw him travel the globe photographing red-haired people in countries where you might least expect to find them. Two photographers, two very different careers, and a chance to hear again from a pair of Scots whose work continues to inspire photographers around the world. The NEW Zine is launched: REFLECTIONS. Read more about our photographic adventures on our photography travel website, The Journey Beyond. Links to all guests and features will be on the show page, my sincere thanks to our Extra Milers, without whom we wouldn't be walking each week and Arthelper.ai, giving photographers smart tools to plan, promote, and manage your creative projects more easily. WHY: A Sketchbook of Life is available HERE.

    1hr 9min
  3. 29 May

    #533 Welcome aboard the TIME MACHINE

    This week on The Photowalk podcast, I'm joined by photographer and collector Tim Rice, whose remarkable archive of cameras, lenses, film stocks and photographic memorabilia has become something of a museum dedicated to photography's past. From rare equipment to historically important oddities, we talk about the stories attached to the machines that once documented the world. Also returning to the show is independent curator and photography historian Hilary Roberts, former Head Curator of Photography at the Imperial War Museums, as we explore the idea of curation through photographs, archives, memory and history. In the mailbag, Phil Ferris writes from Oregon reflecting on place, stillness and impermanence before returning home to Cornwall, Don Ridgway follows the ancient stone circles of Britain and Tyler Cahoon shares thoughts from his Camino walk between Porto and Santiago, where photography became less about documenting others and more about understanding himself. There's also the return of The Photo Assignment, plus news about the launch of the very first Photowalk zine, REFLECTIONS. Read more about our photographic adventures on our photography travel website, The Journey Beyond. Links to all guests and features will be on the show page, my sincere thanks to our Extra Milers, without whom we wouldn't be walking each week and Arthelper.ai, giving photographers smart tools to plan, promote, and manage your creative projects more easily. WHY: A Sketchbook of Life is available HERE.

    1hr 39min
  4. 22 May

    #532 Finding solace in the symphony of sunrise

    This week's guest is Paul Sanders, who returns after a long absence to talk about his latest move to seek 'still'. Paul spent years operating at the sharp end of British newspaper photography as Picture Editor of The Times, living among relentless deadlines, pressure, and the pursuit of tomorrow's front page. Somewhere within that world, though, he began to realise that achievement and contentment don't always arrive hand in hand. Over time, photography became less about proving himself and more about paying attention again. His pictures now are often shaped by solitude, weather, atmosphere, and the Cornish landscape. He speaks honestly about burnout, depression, creativity, and rebuilding a sense of purpose through time spent alone with a camera. We also discuss his new book, Still, which sold out within weeks of its initial publication. In the mailbag today, Adriano Henney discovers that his toughest critic may in fact be living under the same roof, David Munro is beginning a photographic project that lets him follow the beautiful game wherever his travels happen to take him, Glenn Sowerby finds himself among the black velvet and eyeliner of a Goth festival, our own Neil Ford is photographing people dressed in foam costumes while attempting half marathon world records, and Bob Demers, (Bob of the Desert) is asking the world to stop shouting! Read more about our photographic adventures on our photography travel website, The Journey Beyond. Links to all guests and features will be on the show page, my sincere thanks to our Extra Milers, without whom we wouldn't be walking each week and Arthelper.ai, giving photographers smart tools to plan, promote, and manage your creative projects more easily. WHY: A Sketchbook of Life is available here.

    1hr 43min
  5. 15 May

    #531 "Failing is a big part of photography, I LOVE to fail!"

    This week's guest is American photographer Tim Rice, whose career has covered everything from social photography and headshots to branding and commercial work, the sort of varied, real-world photography that has supported generations of working professionals behind the camera. Tim began his journey running a one-hour photo lab before the arrival of digital photography changed the industry almost overnight. Our conversation explores that transition, alongside his enduring affection for film, analogue processes, vinyl records, and cinema. In the first part of this extended conversation, we talk about photography's changing landscape, craftsmanship, and the value of physical media in an increasingly digital world. We also discuss Tim's upcoming photographic road trip across America's "middle ground", inspired by the observations and journeys of photographers Todd Webb and Robert Frank during the 1950s. In this week's mailbag, R.J. Campbell reflects on a photograph of his father and on how certain pictures seem to take on more meaning as the years pass. The biscuit tin question produces a wonderfully inventive collection of answers, Kari Price writes in from Australia with a letter that somehow manages to connect macro photography, street observation, Honeybrown beetles and burnt Basque cheesecake, Kelvin Brown is tempting us with barge life and Dennis Muir reflects on the hidden realities of photography, including muddy parking spots and creaking joints. Read more about our photographic adventures on our photography travel website, The Journey Beyond. Links to all guests and features will be on the show page, my sincere thanks to our Extra Milers, without whom we wouldn't be walking each week and Arthelper.ai, giving photographers smart tools to plan, promote, and manage your creative projects more easily. WHY: A Sketchbook of Life is available here.

    1hr 41min

About

The Photowalk is a mailbag-driven podcast where we walk and make pictures together, and meet with special guests along the trail. For anyone who likes to take pictures. Available wherever you get your podcasts.

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