FEATURING DAVID DUCHEMIN, VALÉRIE JARDIN AND GILES PENFOUND

I have a trio of guests on the show this week. Photographer, author and adventurer David duChemin joins me ahead of his full appearance next week for a shorter but powerful conversation that weaves through some of the themes we’ve explored on the show over the past year: presence, obsession, talent, adversity, courage, comparison, and yes, that old imposter syndrome chestnut, all with David’s signature warmth and insight.

My good friend, documentary photographer Giles Penfound, joins me for a walk and shares a disarming way to connect with people you might never normally speak to. If you've ever felt that knot-in-the-stomach hesitation when approaching a stranger and asking, “Can I make your portrait?”, Giles might just have the key to making those conversations feel not only possible but natural, and Valérie Jardin returns for this month’s Teach Me Street, ahead of our summer recording in Paris.

From the mailbag and also on the show, Robin Chun reckons he’s made his picture of the year, William Leonard’s been having camera bag nightmares, Paul Moore’s in a derelict hospital shooting for a client while listening to our supernatural episode, and I’ve a story to share about how homelessness led to a walk… which led to a book… which has now become a film, out next week. If you know the story already, I hope you won’t mind the revisit. It’s a path worth walking again.

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

The Contact Sheet is David duChemin’s fortnightly note: a quiet nudge that photography is about vision, not just gear. It’s a gentle reminder to stay rooted in the creative, human side of the craft.

Edward Charles Francis Publius de Bono was a Maltese physician and commentator. He originated the term lateral thinking, and wrote many books on thinking, including Six Thinking Hats.

Photographer Chris Porsz is a documentary photographer mentioned with in the show today, for his work particularly in Peterborough, England, where he photographed life and people in the 80s (in black and white), returning decades later to reunite the characters, this time in colour within the same scene.

Bill Watterson is an American cartoonist who authored the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes. The strip was syndicated from 1985 to 1995. Watterson concluded Calvin and Hobbes with a short statement to newspaper editors and his readers that he felt he had achieved all he could in the medium.

Ansel Adams, for all his towering influence on landscape photography, was surprisingly critical of his own career at times, famously likening much of his work to boiler making. He used the term to express a certain frustration with the mechanical repetition and commercial pressure that came with producing what people expected of him: pristine, grand images of the American wilderness.

Author Raynor Winn talks about homelessness, walking and publishing in this Guardian feature. Moth Winn’s illness and a story of resilience.

The South West Coast Path winds for 630 miles along England’s coastline, offering dramatic cliffs, hidden coves, and some of the most breathtaking walking views in the country.

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

MUSIC LINKS: Moon sang and wrote today's playout song Angel. 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.