FEATURING NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORER THOMAS NICOLON

This week, I’m walking with Thomas Nicolon, a National Geographic Explorer whose camera has led him through the dense rainforests of Central Africa and the tangled frontlines of wildlife trafficking in the Amazon. He’s a photographer, filmmaker, and conservation storyteller who studies some of the world’s most vulnerable ecosystems. Thomas spent five years in the Democratic Republic of Congo, working as a journalist before shifting his focus entirely to the natural world. Since then, he has collaborated with conservation organisations such as WWF and WCS, and published his work in Le Monde, Reuters, GEO, and Mongabay. Thomas has an insatiable love for photography, and that comes across today as he invites you to embrace your childhood wonder and see through the eyes of a nine-year-old.

From the mailbag, Allin Sorenson reflects on his creative legacy, Patrick Gerke’s lost in a jungle of grass, and Michael Brennan delivers a heartfelt letter and boldly bins off social media’s pesky algorithms. I announce a special Photowalk meet up planned for July 30th and Paul Hutson invites you to take part in the One Word Assignment.

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.

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.

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

REGISTER YOUR INTEREST BY EMAIL, if you’d like to attend the 500th show recording on Wednesday 30th July, 2025, at Greenham Common, (former airbase) in Berkshire, England.

National Geographic Explorers are groundbreaking scientists, conservationists, educators, and storytellers. Each one is infinitely curious about our planet and passionate about helping make it better.

The Forest and the Sea by Marston Bates is a thought-provoking exploration of how ecological principles connect the life of tropical rainforests with that of the vast ocean, revealing surprising parallels between two seemingly opposite worlds.

Ansel Adams was a pioneering American photographer whose iconic black-and-white images of the American West, particularly Yosemite, helped define landscape photography and inspired a deeper appreciation for environmental conservation.

Carey Wallace’s The Discipline of Inspiration is a meditation on creativity, exploring how true inspiration often comes not from waiting for a muse but from showing up with intention, humility, and daily practice.

Linda Hogan, a Chickasaw poet and novelist, weaves themes of nature, Indigenous identity, and spiritual resilience into her writing, offering a deeply rooted perspective on the interconnectedness of all life.

An in-swinging yorker is a fast, full-length cricket ball delivery that curves late in the air towards the batter’s toes or stumps, making it exceptionally hard to play and often used to target the base of the wickets.

A "Jerry Maguire moment" refers to a sudden, emotional turning point where someone makes a bold, heartfelt decision to leave behind the safe, corporate, or expected path in favour of something more honest, personal, or value-driven.

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

MUSIC LINKS: Hans Johnson wrote today's playout song Human Spirit. 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.

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THE SHOWPAGE GALLERY

THOMAS NICOLON

Photographs above and below from Thomas Nicolon. Above the snakebite crisis, and forest elephants stories discussed on the show. Further wildlife assignments below.