FEATURING DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHER GILES PENFOUND

In this special extended episode, I spend the day with my good friend, documentary photographer Giles Penfound, once the head of photography for the British Army, now a passionate ambassador for the slower, more intentional world of film photography. We’re in the darkroom together, where Giles takes the film I shot recently in India and brings it to life. If you’ve ever wondered what really goes on in that red-lit sanctuary, or what it means to wait, to watch, and to witness an image slowly emerge from nothing, this one’s for you.

Even if you’ve never stepped into a darkroom, there’s something in this about patience, process, and friendship that I hope might just land with you.

It’s part workshop, part fireside chat, and at times it gets deeply personal. Over a cooked breakfast in a feature I call In the Fryer, I ask Giles some tougher questions, the kind you only ask a friend you trust, and the kind that lead to answers you don’t always expect.

This is a story about time and about why film photography, with all its waiting and wonder, still has something powerful to teach us in a world that wants everything now.

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

Subscribe to Giles’ newsletter on Substack, Instagram and LinkedIn.

A profile on Luminary Photography CIC, where Giles shares his passion for visual storytelling and community work.

W. Eugene Smith was an American photojournalist known for his uncompromising dedication to truth, producing powerful essays for LIFE magazine and later creating deeply personal, immersive photo stories like Minamata.

Robert Capa, co-founder of Magnum Photos, was a Hungarian war photographer who believed “if your pictures aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough” — a mantra that shaped his frontline approach from the Spanish Civil War to D-Day.

Henri Cartier-Bresson, a French photographer and also a Magnum co-founder, pioneered street photography and the concept of “the decisive moment,” blending geometry, patience, and intuition in every frame.

Sebastião Salgado is a Brazilian documentary photographer whose long-term projects focus on displaced communities, migration, and the human cost of globalisation, with a visual style that is both epic and intimate.

Ilford is a legendary British company known for its black-and-white film, paper, and darkroom chemistry, a cornerstone of analogue photography for over a century.

In March and April 2025, Photowalk listeners have a special offer for a pair of fantastic LOWA boots, so if you need NEW boots to walk that trail, then you’ll be pleased to know that using code PHOTOWALK on www.lowa.co.uk – you can receive 25% off a price of boots or shoes up to the end of April 2025. We’re also GIVING AWAY a pair of LOWAs to UK listeners who send in a great picture story from the walks you take along the trail. Due to shipping, we can only accept entries from the UK this time around - send your letters and pictures to stories@photowalk.show

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

The ENCOUNTERS workshop in April.

MUSIC LINKS: Michael Shynes sang and wrote today's playout song Making History. 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.