FEATURING ULTRA MARATHON RUNNER AND FUNDRAISER DALE THOMAS

I was walking along a stretch of my favourite canal path about a month ago with the barking machine and my good friend, documentary photographer Giles Penfound, when we encountered Dale Thomas running toward us. Usually, runners are reasonably head-down and on a mission, except Dale wasn’t. He wore a running top promoting the Ollie Young Foundation and was happy to stop briefly to talk about the cause. What came from our ten-minute chat convinced me that he had several human stories to share. And while he’s not a photographer, Dale is certainly an encounter, and I’m always championing encounters as those magic, serendipitous moments where we connect, maybe make a portrait, and talk about life. So, Dale is today’s guest, with a story about community, a race across the desert that, in many ways, saved his life, and an outlook shaped not by medals or miles, but by a belief that life is for living, fully, curiously, and with your family never far from your heart.

Also from the mailbag, Johann van der Walt, artisan camera bag maker and, frankly, my new best friend, and like London buses, another Johan appears! Johan Rispling is here to ask whether photographers are secretly moonlighting as painters, poets, or pianists and Andrew Scriven checks in from Andalusia via Covent Garden.

Email your stories, thoughts, and pictures to the show. If you can optimize/resize photos to 2,500 pixels wide, that’s always much appreciated. If you’d like to support this show and have access to further content and the midweek Extra Mile show, we’d welcome you as an EXTRA MILER. There’s also our thriving Facebook group, a safe place to meet and talk with photographers of all interests, the Photowalk YouTube channel, plus the show is featured on Instagram, VERO and X.

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MORE ABOUT names, words, THE MUSIC and places FROM TODAY’S SHOW

The Ollie Young Foundation is a charitable organisation dedicated to funding research into paediatric brain tumours and supporting children and families affected by them. Set up in memory of Ollie Young, who tragically passed away shortly before his sixth birthday, the foundation works to advance understanding of childhood brain cancer while providing vital care and comfort to those navigating its impact.

Helen & Douglas House is a hospice in Oxford providing specialist care for babies, children, and young adults with life-limiting conditions, offering vital support to their families too.

Young Lives vs Cancer is a UK charity that helps children, young people, and their families find the strength to face cancer, providing practical, emotional, and financial support from diagnosis onwards.

Mark Fernley is a London-based street photographer known for his distinctive black-and-white work, often capturing striking silhouettes, reflections, and geometric compositions around Mayfair and Soho.

Saul Leiter was a pioneering American photographer and painter whose quiet, observational style helped shape the early colour photography movement, working mostly around New York’s East Village.

Before becoming one of the most iconic landscape photographers in history, Ansel Adams trained as a classical pianist and originally intended music to be his career. He credited his musical background with shaping his photographic vision, particularly his sense of composition, rhythm, and tonal control. That discipline and expressive sensitivity translated directly into his darkroom work, where he likened the negative to a musical score and the print to a performance.

Kelvin Brown’s flickr Photowalk inspired group - join by invite by clicking on to THIS LINK.

MUSIC LINKS: Tiko Tiko wrote today's playout song Keep Praying. Music on the show is sourced primarily from Artlist and also features in Michael Brennan’s Spotify playlist GoFoto. For Apple Music users, follow this playlist.