FEATURING PHOTOGRAPHER AND FILM-MAKER PAUL BERRIFF

This week’s edition is guest-focused. Paul Berriff OBE, has lived a life few could imagine. A filmmaker and photographer whose work spans more than 180 prime-time documentaries, he has survived a helicopter crash, escaped a sinking ship in a North Sea storm, crawled from the wreckage of a downed aircraft, and lived through the collapse of both towers on September 11 while filming inside the disaster zone. His tape from that day remains one of the most important visual records of the south tower falling.

Before film came photography. In the 1960s, Paul made remarkably natural portraits of The Beatles and the Rolling Stones, long before fame turned them into myth. Later, with what he called a “clockwork camera,” he moved into observational documentary and eventually built his own production company. Alongside all this, he trained as a firefighter and helped carry out more than 850 RNLI sea rescues.

The conversation moved differently from how I imagined it might. Two major stories emerged. One is his account of filming inside the World Trade Center as the towers came down, surviving when the buildings collapsed around him. The other is the story of a rescue by helicopter in brutal conditions, a moment when a second narrow escape became part of his history.

I’ll also share a little more about the craft of photogravure that we’ll be exploring on the new Scottish retreat in June. There’s a reminder of this month’s assignment, the last one of the year, before we shift our focus to THE ONE in December.

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

Werner Herzog is a German filmmaker known for pushing himself and his crews to extremes, making bold dramas and unforgettable documentaries in some of the world’s toughest places.

Paul Berriff’s portfolio, which features photographs made during the early days of iconic rock music careers, including The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.

The RNLI is the charity that runs lifeboats around the coasts of the UK and Ireland, made up mostly of volunteers who drop everything when the pager goes off. They head out in all sorts of weather to rescue people in trouble at sea, and they save thousands of lives every year.

The “Moors Murders” refers to a shocking series of child murders carried out around Manchester between 1963 and 1965 by Ian Brady and Myra Hindley.

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

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.