OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2025: LIZA GERSHMAN
PHOTOGRAPH: GROUNDED
THE ASSIGNMENT BRIEF
From Liza Gershman: “Grounded, to me, is about finding balance so we can create our best work. When I was teaching, I’d start each day with my students by taking a moment to settle ourselves, a small practice to bring everyone back to centre. Food photography keeps me grounded through the connection with the earth, the farmers, and the stories behind what we eat. Travel does the same. Some see travel as escape, but I’ve never felt more connected to people and place than when I’m on the road with a camera. Grounded can mean many things, but for me, it’s that connection: to land, to others, and to the world through my lens.”
HOW TO ENTER. IMPORTANT NOTES ON FILE SIZE AND ENTRIES
Send your entry to stories@photowalk.show.
Your picture should be 2,500 pixels wide, if possible, for online optimisation. Or send the full-resolution photo, which we will optimise.
Feel free to provide text as well if you think it will help explain the location, context, etc.
Please don’t add borders or watermarks, and be sure to send FULL URL links to your website or a social media channel so that we can link to your work on this assignment page. We’ll use a selection of photos you submit on our Photowalk Instagram to showcase your work to our community and help build connections.
Entries are shown below. Good luck!
Neale
LIZA GERSHMAN
Find an image that speaks of being grounded to you.
DAVID HIGTON
Here's my entry into this month's assignment. I made the image in Macclesfield Forest a few weeks ago. The abundance of fungi this year has been fantastic and I've been making images either on walks with friends or on a time restricted trip to woods on a Wednesday. I always find getting out to photograph in the countryside to be very grounding especially if I can take as much time as I like. Even though I'm five minutes walk to nearby fields I decided to head out to Macc Forest. To use your golf club analogy, I selected my lenses carefully knowing I'd need the sand-iron i.e. the macro - not used all the time but indispensable when required.
After leaving the car in the layby next to Trentabank reservoir (you know the one), I had a quick walk along Standing Stone Road and was soon in one of my favourite parts of the forest and found my first group of fungi. As these were near the popular path, they weren't in the best condition so I continued deeping into the trees till I found a few groups of different fungi in pristine condition, and the specimen that I used for this image. Although I had brought my flash, the image was natural light and a focus stack of 3 images. I did spend another hour or so on other images but as is quite often the case, the first is the one I like the best. Perhaps fungi are an ideal subject for "grounded" as much of them is underground and I certainly had to get down to the ground to make the image but it is taking the time to make a pleasing image which grounds me.
DRAKE DYCK
When I heard the challenge for October was "grounded" I realized this was perfect, as I had just returned home to Vancouver Island, from a 10 day, solo, photography trip to the Rocky Mountains. I was feeling rather burnt out from home renovations, work and generally trying to do too many things at once (including photography, a philosophy podcast and completely revamping my website). I had also been slowly recovering from a back injury early in the year, which is still slowing me down. I went on the trip to get away from everything else, get back to nature and get grounded.
Well the trip did wonders for me and I'm feeling much better all around now. I made some photos I am very happy with and am ready to lead a photowalk tomorrow, in Victoria, BC.
The photo I selected is from Abraham Lake, in the Canadian Rockies. It is an artificial lake created when the Bighorn Dam was built in 1972, and is about 32 km (20 miles) long. It has the same blue-green colour as the glacial lakes caused by what is referred to as rock flour (resulting from fine, silt-like particles created by glacial erosion). Before the area was flooded it was covered in trees. The water levels change during the year, so the trees near the shoreline are often underwater. I used a long exposure to smooth out the water and included a small cluster of leaves in their autumn colour to add some interest, while maintaining a minimalist look overall. The calmness and simplicity of the scene felt very grounded to me, as did the trees' connection with the smooth surface.
SIMON BLAKESLEY
Might airplanes have feelings? Looking at the snow-covered “face” of this Royal Canadian Air Force CC-130 Hercules, I can’t help but wonder a bit. When I heard the one-word assignment was “Grounded”, of course my aviation-consumed mind went immediately to the term used when referring to an aircraft that is unserviceable or broken. The term of course is that the aircraft is “grounded”.
These was shot many years ago at my home airport in Whitehorse, Yukon. It was a bit chilly on February 1, 2008, when I took these images. Records show that -43.1 Celsius was the low temperature at the airport that day (but after -40, who’s counting anymore), hence the accompanying ice fog. This aircraft was sent to rescue another Hercules that had a leaking propeller seal. Having previously been a technician on these aircraft, this is not uncommon at these frigid temperatures. The rescue aircraft arrived with a new propeller, only to develop a leaking brake line- again due to the cold. Reddish patches of hydraulic fluid were spread across the snow-covered apron, serving as a reminder that nothing really likes to work at those temperatures.
See more of Simon’s work on his website.
MARK MACKAY
The assignment of grounded made me think. There were some obvious options that sprang to mind: the roots of trees or other plants among the soil; perhaps an earth wire that is intended to help protect against electrocution; or the Tai Chi classes along the coast near where I live. However, I didn’t like my attempt to capture the tree roots and I figured others may do that better than me. Those Tai Chi classes might have been good … if only they’d been run at a time when I could easily get there.
So, another idea was needed. What about ship wrecks - grounded in the shore and slowly decaying? A possibility. But how and where to find them. Fortunately there’s a graveyard for ships in Adelaide. It’s in the mangroves and despite having existed for a while, it’s not particularly well known. So, while it’s in relatively close, it’s not actually easily accessible - it’s further away from where I live (time factor) and also once on location, much of the area is fenced off. It’s more accessible via the water - but I’m not a boat owner or kayak owner.
I did manage to find some of the original ships sent to the graveyard, but I really couldn’t achieve the photograph I was hoping to make from the vantage point of the nearby bridge. Wrong angle, wrong everything… so, time for plan b or is that c? Fortunately for me - and not so fortunately for the boat owner - there’d been a more recent grounding of a boat. This made for a good photo - I hope! The day was, as you’d describe Neale, one with a “blah sky”, which given it’s summer here now, a bit disappointing. However, the backdrop of the mangroves, together with the mangrove mud and water in the foreground made for something interesting.
The blah sky was accompanied by some windy conditions, so the yacht’s remaining sales were fluttering nicely in the wind for the photograph. The rust and decay of the vessel can be also been seen. What’s really nice, though - in my humble opinion - is the connection between the boat and the ground (mangrove mud). The boat appears well and truly captured by the ground. I think colour works for this photo, as there was still some items of colour on the boat and the dirty stains show nicely.
RJ CAMPBELL
When I heard the assignment for November of Grounded my mind went directly to a photo I took that has a different meaning of grounded than what most think about. I found this tractor up a gravel road from a trail that I walk regularly. The tractor was abandoned on this property decades ago and is being slowly swallowed by the ground. The remains of a tree trunk that has grown around the back wheel particularly caught my eye.
I was fortunate enough that the owners of the property rode up on a golf cart and we had a chance to talk about the tractor, as well as some other items of interest that are also on the land. Good country people, they offered their property for me to stroll around and look for other items of interest.
See more of RJ’s work on Instagram.
MICHAEL MCCLELLAN
Here is my grounding submission. I immediately thought of tree roots for a grounding photo, after all that is where they are - on the ground, in the ground. I also find my own grounding in the woods, walking in the woods. I always have. And now I have a photography friend that accompanies me sometimes, when I remember my earbuds.
This photo was taken near Leland, Michigan, on the Leelanau Peninsula. I hope I sized it correctly.
See more of Michael’s work on Instagram, Flickr and his website.
ROBERT FILIPPI
ANDRÉ GROTE
I have chosen the picture of the oak bark for several reasons.
1. The obvious: a tree is rooted in the ground.
2. When I am in the forest, I feel grounded and protected, just like the bark protects the tree, and it shows signs of everything the tree has experienced. Every time I am among trees, I feel welcome, and when I touch them, I feel connected to nature, which grounds me and brings many daily problems into perspective. Most trees have a much longer lifespan than we do, and they stand serene and still. Maybe not quiet and unobserving, but deeply grounded.
3. I have taken this picture on a little Canon Prima 105 point and shoot on Kentmere Pan400. A cheap camera and not the most expensive film. Developed and scanned in my basement darkroom. Just to show you do not need expensive gear and mega-megapixels to take photos. More importantly, go out shooting —photos, that is. And about the process, whether digital or analogue. Whatever sparks your creativity is great. And for me, shooting analogue sometimes with cheap and/or old cameras and developing and scanning gives me peace and again grounds me.
DREW BROWN
Searching through my images, I was struggling to find something that would fit the ‘grounded’ theme. Then I remembered a visit to Crosby Beach in Liverpool. Crosby Beach has an installation of 100 cast iron figures created by Antony Gormley and titled ‘Another Place’.
See more of Drew’s work on Instagram.
VICTORIA ROBB
I've chosen the photograph I took during the Merryn Glover forest session on the Scotland 2025 photo retreat. For that I lay on the ground, sinking gently into the forest floor of moss and needles, and looking up as the treetops towered above me, I felt a deep sense of calm. Of oneness. That to me is what being grounded felt and feels like.
KEITH JOHNSON
Nothing like a walk through a grave yard to make you realise how short life is in the grand scheme of things and to make that you need to make the most of the time we have here.
See more of Keith’s work on Instagram.
MARTIN PENDRY
Please find attached my submission for this month’s theme on Grounding.
I’m an osteopath — have been for 28 years now — which means I’ve spent almost three decades standing on my legs while asking patients, “Where does it hurt?” It took me four years to earn my degree, and I’ve since worked in both private practice and the NHS. Along the way, I’ve been involved in various osteopathic organisations, taught students, and somehow avoided becoming fossilised myself.
In osteopathy, grounding isn’t just a trendy mindfulness term; it’s survival. To be effective with the last patient of the day, you need to be just as connected, balanced, and focused as you were with the first. Many of our techniques rely on fine palpation — the information your hands gather from another person’s body — and that requires being truly grounded in both body and mind.
Years ago, I found my own rather unusual grounding cue: a toy dinosaur. Don’t ask me why — perhaps it’s the solid stance, or maybe the tiny arms remind me to stay humble. Either way, this little plastic guardian sits proudly on my clinic shelf, among my anatomical models, as a daily reminder to find my centre of gravity (preferably between my feet, not under my desk).
It’s my cheerful, prehistoric reminder that to look after others, you first have to stay balanced yourself — because these days, patients can bring you everything from sore backs to existential crises about GP waiting times.
See more of Martin’s work on Instagram.
ADRIANO HENNEY
The photograph was made last January during a trip to Lake Garda, at the Villa San Vigilio just outside Bardolino. As was pointed out in the introduction to this Assignment, “Grounded” can mean many different things, amongst which are included: mentally or emotionally balanced, connected to the present moment, centred, and present in your own body or environment. This photograph shows a single person, quietly sitting on a dock looking out to the Lake as the sun is setting on a cold winter’s evening. The scene is tranquil, quiet, devoid of any distraction, and conveys a feeling of calmness and complete connection to the present moment. In that sense, in my view, it is an representation of one of the many definitions of being “grounded”.
JAN CURLE
Grounded in Venezia. I was in Venezia for a 5-day bookbinding course and was looking for a grounded gondola to capture on camera. Couldn’t find one, but this boat seemed to fit the brief in a very literal sense of grounded.
Whilst the image isn’t great quality, it’s a bit grainy - taken across the canal with iPhone SE, ie. no real lens options - I particularly like the red details, it’s almost a red, black and white photo.
So difficult to find anything straight in a image taken in Venezia. What to straighten? I chose the red metal pole, highlighting the angles of the canal poles.
See more of Jan’s work on Instagram.
MAURICE WEBSTER
Please find attached my photo for the Assignment this month - hopefully no words needed as to why I have chosen this. Let the viewer provide the narrative.
[At first I was worried it was an accident, but I looked a little closer! Neale]
See more of Maurice’s work on Instagram.
JADE CALEGORY
What grounds me is taking advantage of the simplicity of grabbing my camera and going for a neighborhood stroll during golden/blue hour. Taking in the smells of the neighborhood, watching the planes fly overhead, I am washed over with a wave of calmness and a refreshed feeling for how beautiful just taking in your surroundings can be. To be able to capture an image that then is able to take into account the beauty of what your eyes are taking in, is the cherry on top.
See more of Jade’s work on Instagram.
STEEVEN ZEISS
I’ve attached my interpretation of this month’s assignment, „Grounded.“ The picture is from my September road trip across Norway, covering 5000 kilometers. It shows the Vøringsfossen waterfall.
The topic is explored in various ways. One obvious aspect is the people standing on the platform over the edge. However, the scale and beauty of the scene are what truly capture the essence of the assignment. I hope the 14mm lens in the picture conveys the scale effectively.
Driving through the fjords of Norway and standing at these breathtaking points of our planet fills me with a profound sense of grounding and peace. The natural beauty is simply awe-inspiring.
SIMON COLLINS
MARILYN DAVIES
The assignment for "Grounded" had me thinking about what really feeds my soul and anchors me. Every time I pick up my camera I feel grounded as I love looking at the world through my lens.
However, for a while now I have been intending to go to Scarborough Marina at dawn and as our summer months are drawing close, the sun is rising so much earlier! We've had a fair bit of rain recently and when I woke at 3am today the clouds were still hanging around after a rainy night. But I decided to go to Scarborough despite the weather. The sun was due to rise just before 5am so I left home at 4:30am.
My photowalk around the edge of the marina grounded me and fed my soul with memories of many years walking around the beach on the Redcliffe Peninsula at dawn. I moved away from Redcliffe many years ago.
The image I've chosen is a panorama crop of the Glasshouse Mountains looking across Deception Bay. It's not the best image I've made of this scene as it was very hazy and the mountains were buried in mist. The Glasshouse Mountains hold a special place in my heart and from the right location (if you're high enough) you can see them from a lot of places in the Northern suburbs of Brisbane. The reason I chose this image is because the photowalk this morning filled my soul and with the sea breeze blowing across my body, my spirits were lifted.
Thank you for your continuing efforts with the photowalk, you are my companion many times when I'm in the car. I hope you enjoy the image.
See more of Marilyn’s work on her website and YouTube channel.
JEFF SMERALDO
Attached is my entry of for the last One word Photo Assignment of the year for Grounded. I have done a lot of traveling this year. I gave this a lot of thought and after being on on 3 continents and 5 countries, I kept coming back to 2 ideas that helps me to reset. When I need to recenter, I tend to head to lakes or the sea coast. In particular I am drawn to lakes and coastal areas of northern latitudes. I spent a lot of my youth on the lakes of western Maine and the New England Coast here in the US. This past year I found myself visiting Ireland and the Northern Ireland on 3 occasions. My daughter is a student filmmaker and lives on the west coast of Ireland so I would go visit there in between trips to the Middle East for work to recharge after the intensity of the heightened awareness and difficult logistics of working in that environment, I found that the Northwest coast of Ireland and the coast of Northern Ireland to be perfect places to reset. I do enjoy spending time with the family and they more than anything keep me grounded. I am sending in this photo of my wife and daughter walking along Silver Strand Beach in Co. Donegal, Ireland where we visited this fall. Silver Strand is quiet, peaceful, rugged and beautiful and is a great place to reconnect with loved ones when we all need a little grounding.
JEAN-DAVID N’DA
This picture, HERE, WE LIVE, was taken in the Ivory Coast, West Africa in a tiny place called Etuessika which is the very last village one comes across before embarking for the Éhotilé Islands, a 550 ha Unesco World Heritage Site of six islands located on the Aby lagoon. These traditional, seemingly fragile huts shelter entire families and defy the modern architecture of nearby brick houses, all while retaining their original pride. Pretty grounded if you ask me.
See Jean-David’s work on his website.
AXEL TRAPP
I hope my photo postcard finds you in a good mood and good health. This card is also my entry for the October assignment "Grounded".
So please look at the photo and then turn the card over. Here's the text on the back.
Hi Neale,
Greetings from Lubmin. In case you don't know: Germanyland, near Greifswald, Baltic Sea. I stayed there with a group of incredible people whom I trained as wildlife trackers. After finishing my work, I went on my daily photowalk...
You find me grounded in the truest sense of the word. Yes, it is indeed a selfie. I took this photo one evening on the pier in Lubmin.
Amazingly, there were no tourists or other people around. So I set up the tripod, checked the settings, and click. That was really fun, and of course, it took a few tries to get the photo.
Some people told me the photo looked like a scene from a crime or horror movie. Hmmm, what do you think?
However, as a tracker, I usually feel pretty grounded (in the sense of being close to nature and down-to-earth).
Oh yes, that reminds me: have you ever noticed the bird alarms on your photo walks? They're usually ground alarms, which could, of course, have been triggered by Sir Barkalot, although I suspect you, too.
H!
Terry and I go down to Cornwall several times a year, one time is always on the cliffs of North Cornwall, with the sight and sound of the sea all the time we are in the village. I spend a deal of time trying to get better pictures every year, and due to that I feel it’s my time for grounding.
SCOTT GINTHER
This photograph displays a mix of water, air and hidden earth. You need all three. The gull knows that at any moment it has the gift of choosing between them. In this case and at this time, the bird chooses to be grounded while still touching the other two.
See more of Scott’s work on Instagram.
MICHAEL TENBRINK
I took this shot near Inverness, California. I found it to be evocative of how I was feeling at the time; I imagine others may feel something similar. To see more of my work, please check out my Substack, “The Way I See It," at https://michaeltenbrink.substack.com/.
KELLY MITCHELL
Early morning walk through the bird sanctuary, the light was low, just skimming the little dew drops in the tall grasses. The wind was still letting the grasses sit and not a thing was moving.
The world was quiet, and I could study my surroundings and observe all the little backlit grasses and how everything sparkled.
I felt grounded on this day as I walked, I breathed, I let things go for the day. Work, World, Home and all of those things that were bothering me. And I just focused on the light that was creating diamonds in the long grass.
See more of Kelly’s work on her website blog.
CHRISTOPHER GRAY
See more of Christopher’s work on his website.
