#538 HEARD. SEEN. BELIEVED.
FEATURING PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER HARRY BORDEN
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, and 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.
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 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 and Substack.
As well as our Extra Milers, we’re also supported by our friends at Arthelper.ai who make marketing easier, helps more people find your work, and keeps your voice true—so you can get back to what you love most: making art. Enter PHOTOWALK at checkout to receive 30 days of the pro version free.
This episode is also supported by Silvergrain Press. If you have photographs sitting on a hard drive that deserve a life beyond a screen, Silvergrain Press creates beautifully made photo books, fine art prints and handcrafted frames. Visit silvergrainpress.com/photowalk and use the code PHOTOWALK for 15% off your first order.
PLEASE HELP TO BUILD OUR COMMUNITY BY SHARING THIS EPISODE TO YOUR FAVOURITE SOCIAL PLATFORMS
LEARN:
MORE ABOUT names, words, THE MUSIC and places FROM TODAY’S SHOW
A friendly reminder: The links on this page will take you to external websites and platforms, and while I only point you towards places I think are worth your time, I have no control over their content and can't be held responsible for whatever you find when you get there.
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.
See Harry Borden’s Survivor series, and further personal projects discussed on the episode.
See Sandro Correia’s work on Shutterbug and Instagram. Sandro wrote a letter to the show, wondering about how to ‘reboot’ his photography at a time when he feels a bit lost creatively.
Miranda Sawyer is one of Britain's best-known feature writers and interviewers. A journalist, author and broadcaster, she has written for The Observer, The Guardian, Vogue, GQ and Smash Hits, earning a reputation for thoughtful, often revealing conversations with musicians, actors and cultural figures. She's also the author of Uncommon People: Britpop and Beyond in 20 Songs, an exploration of the music and personalities that shaped the Britpop era.
The McLibel case was one of the longest and most famous legal battles in British history. It began after McDonald's sued two environmental campaigners, Helen Steel and David Morris, over a leaflet criticising the company's business practices. Although McDonald's won parts of the case, the trial became a public relations disaster for the company and later led to a landmark ruling by the European Court of Human Rights on freedom of expression and the right to a fair trial. The case also brought an early public role for future Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who provided free legal assistance to the defendants and later represented them before the European Court of Human Rights.
Oscar Pistorius is a former South African sprinter who made history in 2012 as the first double amputee to compete in an Olympic track event, having already won multiple Paralympic gold medals. His sporting achievements were later overshadowed by the fatal shooting of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, in 2013. Convicted of murder, he was released on parole in 2024 after serving part of his sentence, and his story remains one of sport's most dramatic rises and falls.
Wayne Crichlow, also known as chasingthelight_67, is a London-based documentary and street photographer whose work explores identity, community and social justice. Growing up in East London as the son of Caribbean migrants, he has developed a thoughtful approach to photographing everyday life, with a particular interest in the stories, relationships and moments that shape Black British and urban communities. Alongside his photography, Wayne is the founder of Chasing The Light Media, a platform that brings together photography, film, podcasting, and long-form visual storytelling.
Abbie Trayler-Smith is an award-winning portrait and documentary photographer whose work explores the human impact of contemporary social issues. Known for her thoughtful, deeply personal approach, she creates photographs that reveal both the vulnerability and resilience of her subjects. A two-time winner of the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize, she has also received a World Press Photo Award and is the author of Kiss It!, published by GOST Books as part of her long-term project The Big O.
Josef Koudelka: Diaries offers a rare look inside the notebooks of one of photography's most influential figures. Drawn from more than fifty years of journals, it reveals how Josef Koudelka thought about photography, travel and the life he led behind the camera, making it as much a record of an artist's mind as a collection of personal reflections.
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott is one of the most widely recommended books on writing, but it's really about far more than putting words on a page. Using humour, honesty and personal stories, Lamott encourages readers to stop feeling overwhelmed by big creative projects and simply tackle them one small step at a time. Its central idea, "bird by bird", has become a lasting piece of advice for writers, artists and anyone facing a daunting task.
THE BISCUIT TIN QUESTION: WHICH PHOTOGRAPHER WOULD YOU CHOOSE FROM THE PAST OR NOW, TO MAKE YOUR PORTRAIT? SEND YOUR ANSWERS TO: stories@photowalk.show
MUSIC LINKS: Roza and Sheely Archer wrote today's playout song Orion. 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
HARRY BORDEN
Some of the portraits discussed on the show today. Photographs copyright Harry Borden. Not to be reproduced or used without express permission from the photographer.
UK Prime Ministers, above. Below Tony Adams, Kevin Garnett and Oscar Pistorius.
PAUL HOLDORF, WINNER OF THE Q2 ASSIGNMENT
Paul is the winner of this quarter’s assignment titled DARKNESS, as featured on today’s show.
This is the essay that accompanied the photograph:
Belonging
I belong to places like this. There are a few roads, but they wind invitingly through the mountains. They beg for you to go just a little bit farther, just a little bit higher, because they know what is around the corner and they know you need to experience it. Flowers abound in an array of color that you would not dare imagine. They bob their heads in the breeze like lazy dancers on a hot summer day. If the flora is rich and thick, the fauna is wild and free. From the tiny Voles that help aerate the soil to the Great Grey Owls that hunt them from the air or from the Mule Deer that graze in the meadows to the Grizzly Bears that dominate the food chain, this is a truly wild place. There are vast meadows lined with stately Fir Trees. There are rocky precipices and ponds which reflect the grand landscape better than any mirror. There are dense forests protecting unseen wildlife and there are windswept alpine ridges where stunted flowers take shelter behind the rocks.
During the day, the whole mountain range is alive with wildlife and plants doing what they must to continue the existence of their species. Forget-Me-Nots sway in the breeze, bees zoom about, Moose browse the willows, Beavers inspect their handiwork, and Birds sing a melody fitting for such a glorious place. It is good to sit for a spell and just absorb the tranquility. During the night, a different set of creatures enter the scene. Some aspects of night can be frightening, but I believe we do darkness a disservice when we associate it with malevolence. Just as we need the relationship between light and shadow to create a great photograph, we need the cycle of day and night to create a balanced life.
Now, I am usually an “early to bed, early to rise” sort of a guy, but when you’re up here, you feel compelled to stay up to watch the stars come out. As the last shades of sunset fade to black, the stars begin appearing on the stage of night. It is a show that you do not want to miss. On top of the mountains, there is no such thing as a bad seat. Tonight would be a grand show indeed as galaxies, planets, and a phenomenon known as airglow would be headlining the show. It is exciting to stand in the dark and wonder what creatures may be watching you. Up here it could be just about any animal that calls Montana home. As lightning flashed far to my north and the sliver of the crescent Moon ducked behind the storm clouds, I began to capture the images needed for this panorama. While the camera certainly enhances what is there, I could see this scene with my unaided eyes. I didn’t even need a flashlight to see around me, although I did admittedly shine a light around occasionally to make sure that I would not become someone’s midnight snack!
Wild places, be they at sea level on a rocky California coastline or high above tree line in the Montana Rockies, make me happy. A place where every living thing has a purpose and is permitted to carry out that function. A place where the stars are as visible as the flowers and I can take the time to admire them both. A place where I can witness the Sun greeting the morning with its glorious rays and watch it sink below the horizon on the other side of the sky. Ahhhh, wilderness, a place where I belong.
See more of Paul’s work on his website.
NEALE JAMES
Photographs from the path, sketchbook pictures.
VIDEO LIBRARY
The following videos or subjects are referenced within today’s show.
