RECORDED ON LOCATION AT THE DENE RALLY COMMUNITY MEET-UP

What makes someone spend years restoring a traction engine, collecting children's bicycles, or keeping an old British car on the road when most of us would have given up long ago? This week, The Photowalk heads to the Dene Rally, where members of our community join me on a meet-up for a weekend of photography, conversation and a series of photographic challenges. We meet those who dedicate their lives to the magic of steam, there are family stories attached to classic cars, cowboys looking for new horizons in sleepy Hampshire, spooky fairground attractions, portraits with strangers and a story that proves the power of legacy negatives.

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

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Join us in Venice for the Venice ‘26 retreat, photographing a city built on water, light, and ritual as winter settles across the lagoon. Together we’ll wander through early-morning markets, quiet canal edges, hidden monasteries, and the weathered backstreets of Castello and Cannaregio, with time to slow down, take photographs, and build creative confidence in a city that reveals itself gently when the crowds disappear. Places limited.

The Dene Rally is an annual heritage event held near Ropley in Hampshire, bringing together steam engines, classic cars, vintage tractors, motorcycles and all manner of machinery that helped shape rural life. Alongside the exhibits you'll find traditional crafts, trade stands and owners who are only too happy to share the stories behind the vehicles they've spent years restoring.

Half-frame photography is often thought of as a 1960s idea, but the format has roots much earlier. By using only half of a standard 35mm frame, these cameras could produce twice as many photographs from a roll of film, making photography more economical and helping to drive the development of smaller, more portable cameras.

Joby Carter is one of Britain's best-known traditional signwriters and fairground artists. He is closely associated with Carters Steam Fair, where he helped preserve and revive historic fairground lettering, decoration and hand-painted signage. His work has played a significant role in keeping traditional signwriting skills alive in the UK and introducing them to a new generation.

THE BISCUIT TIN QUESTION: What would be the title of your photography autobiography? Send your thoughts to stories@photowalk.show

MUSIC LINKS: 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.

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

THE SHOWPAGE GALLERY FEATURING PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THOSE WHO ATTENDED THE RALLY MEET-UP

JAY HOUNSELL

Photographs above from the ‘hands’ micro-assignment. Below, finding photographs that are vignetted within a physical kind of frame.

DUNCAN FERGUSON

1955-1975 assignment above. Austin Healey Sprite Mark 1, popularly known as the “Frogeye” Sprite. Produced between 1958 and 1961 in the MG factory in Abingdon. The iconic headlights were originally intended to be retractable, but were fixed in position to save on production costs.
Below, from the series ‘hands’.

Below, portrait: “I had the pleasure of meeting Neil. Together with his daughter Piper, they have painstakingly and lovingly rebuilt a Triumph TR7, transforming it from its original black finish into a vibrant tribute to the British Leyland Works Rally Team. The car now boasts a striking blue and red livery, authentically detailed with additional auxiliary lights mounted at the front. The project was a complete ground-up restoration conducted entirely by the duo. Neil shared several photographs documenting the journey, including candid moments of him and Piper replacing the engine's head gasket.”

DAVID WAGSTAFF-MYERS

A variety of pictures from the day, including those submitted for the micro-assignments.

Below, photographs from Julia’s father’s legacy project. “The original photographs date from approximately 1935–1939 and remained completely unseen until after John Douglas Oates' death. They provide a fascinating glimpse into both the places he visited and the photographic equipment he was using at the time.”