RECORDED ON LOCATION AT THE HIGHLAND PRINT STUDIO

This week, The Photowalk heads indoors to the Highland Print Studio in Inverness for an experience that's a world away from the instant gratification of modern photography. Over two days, we learn the centuries-old art of polymer photogravure, transforming digital photographs into richly textured fine art prints through a process of light, water, ink and an extraordinary amount of patience.

Guided by master printmaker John McKnot, and joined by Lynn Fraser and Giles, we discover why so many photographers become captivated by this tactile craft. Along the way, we explore the history of photogravure, meet some of the artists who have embraced it, and find out why, in an age of endless scrolling, there is still something magical about slowing down and making a photograph you can truly hold in your hands.

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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.

Enjoy HALFWAY TO MAYBE, Monday, Wednesday and Friday on your favourite podcast player apps: APPLE, SPOTIFY, AMAZON MUSIC, or by adding the RSS FEED to your podcast app of choice.

James Craig Annan (1864 to 1946) was a Scottish photographer who helped establish photography as a serious art form rather than simply a way of recording the world. After learning the newly developed photogravure process in Vienna, he brought the technique to Britain and became renowned for producing richly detailed prints that are still admired today.

One of the great debates in the early days of photography centred on two very different inventions. In France, Louis Daguerre's daguerreotype produced a highly detailed image on a polished metal plate, but each picture was a unique original. In England, William Henry Fox Talbot developed the calotype, using a paper negative that allowed multiple prints to be made from a single photograph. Daguerre's process gained early popularity for its sharpness, but Talbot's negative-to-positive system became the foundation of almost all subsequent film photography.

The "Sexy Peat" project was an arts initiative in Scotland designed to raise environmental awareness of the vast blanket bogs on the Isle of Lewis. By rebranding these landscapes as "sexy," the project engaged artists to research the peatlands and highlight their vital role in carbon storage.

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

MICHAEL ASSMANN DOCUMENTARY PICTURES FROM THE DAY

Photographs made during our Photogravure experience. You can register your interest to come on the next Photowalk retreat in September 2027 by emailing: stories@photowalk.show