Today’s conversation with photojournalist Claire Thomas takes a remarkable turn within just 20 minutes, shifting from casual beginnings to the profound realities of her work now. From those early travel ‘snaps’ to capturing global crises, Claire’s photography isn’t just about documenting what she witnesses; it’s about her genuine desire to share stories of resilience and hope. Working with clients like The New York Times, National Geographic, Amnesty International and UN agencies, her work is respected worldwide. Claire shows real humanity behind the lens and a commitment to her subjects that surpasses the act of photography alone.

Also, on the show from the mailbag, Tim Bindner believes he’s discovered his true creative WHY, Bob Shonkoff has insomnia but has turned it into a photographic opportunity, Lynn Fraser and David Higton are making proper pictures of proper snow, and Mark Krajnak is celebrating Hogmanay in a place far from Scottish shores. We’ll also remind you of January’s assignment set by the Art of Photography’s Ted Forbes, plus there’s some more information about April’s ENCOUNTERS workshop and experience.

Links to all guests and features will be on the showpage, my sincere thanks to MPB who sponsor this show and the Extra Milers without whom we wouldn't be walking each week.

WHY: A Sketchbook of Life is available here.

Jack Lowe’s Lifeboat Station Project is a profound photographic tribute to the courageous British lifeboat crews who risk everything to save lives at sea. Using a Victorian camera and wet plate collodion methods, Jack makes powerful portraits that honour the resilience and humanity of these everyday heroes and today, he is on the show to talk about his incredible undertaking and risk-taking. Jack’s project has taken a toll, though, both emotionally and financially, and he discusses and reveals how that has affected him personally. 

Also today from the mailbag, Randy Bullerwell is having a crisis of photographic direction, Mark Christensen finds pelicans have quite the attitude, Matthias Focks is making excellent pictures under an umbrella in a small German town, and Michael Mixon introduces us to a photographer who is questioning human connection. We have a new TEACH ME STREET series that launches today with Valérie Jardin, plus the inspirational Ted Forbes sets this month’s ONE WORD ASSIGNMENT.

Links to all guests and features will be on the showpage, my sincere thanks to MPB who sponsor this show and the Extra Milers without whom we wouldn't be walking each week.

WHY: A Sketchbook of Life is available here.

Ted Forbes is a photographer, educator, and creator of The Art of Photography YouTube channel. His new book, Visually Speaking, explores photography as a universal language, offering 21 chapters filled with insights and examples for photographers of all levels to create images that truly communicate.

From the mailbag, Gavin Perry shows the World is at your shutter fingertips without boarding a plane, Craig Wilson is yomping through Welsh landscapes, Simon Blakesley has a seven-decade-old personal pilgrimage picture, and Paul Friday has me revisiting photographers who make pictures of things that go bump in the night. We reveal a new assignment for this month and last month’s winner of the show flask, plus announce a new storytelling experience and workshop in London.

Links to all guests and features will be on the showpage, my sincere thanks to MPB who sponsor this show and the Extra Milers without whom we wouldn't be walking each week.

WHY: A Sketchbook of Life is available here.

In photography, knowing your WHY can guide each choice you make, from composition and lighting to the themes you explore, ensuring your work feels authentic and meaningful. But it’s not just about the art of photography, but expressing what and how you feel and believe. Today, on this last celebratory show before Christmas, 23 of this year's guests once more reveal their own WHY in a compilation of inspiration to close out on the year.

From the mailbag, Mark Christensen sets out on his first street mission, Harald Kahles has some ideas for specials in ’25, Susan Larsson has found a social replacement for Insta, Peter Turnbull is making environmental portraits, Glenn Sowerby has found the secret for enjoying photography, and Allin Sorenson with a story of 370 million pairs of eyes staring down the lens of a television camera lens at Christmas.

Links to all guests and features will be on the showpage, my sincere thanks to MPB who sponsor this show and the Extra Milers without whom we wouldn't be walking each week.

WHY: A Sketchbook of Life is available here.

PHOTOGRAPHY IS MY ANCHOR is something that’s said by one of my three guests today. A friend of the show, Andrew Gifford, through his Glass profile, describes in pictures the most potent personal photo project, which conveys how it feels to have M.E. in a story of resilience. Then Dana Stirling’s book ‘Why am I sad?’ is a testament to just how important creative expression is during times of adversity, and a former guest of the show Jack Lowe, who’ll be appearing in a longer interview early in the new year, shares a very special project called ‘A photo for you,’ probably one of the simplest but most profound ideas I’ve heard about this year.

Also, from the mailbag, Melissa Berman finds that her late uncle was somewhat of a photographic legend as his pictures of New York in three decades from the 60s go on display at one of the world’s most prestigious photo events, Craig Wilson is celebrating originality, Rikki-Paul Bunder has set himself a weekend photographic challenge with rules of curiosity and the photojournalist Peter Dench has a reminder for December’s assignment.

Links to all guests and features will be on the showpage, my sincere thanks to MPB who sponsor this show and the Extra Milers without whom we wouldn't be walking each week.

WHY: A Sketchbook of Life is available here.

Today on the show, we recognise love as "Universal, regardless of identity and sexuality." Valérie Jardin's ONE LOVE is a new black-and-white photography project in America celebrating the LGBTQ+ community, aiming to inspire greater understanding and acceptance, sharing stories of love in its most authentic form. 

Lydia Robinson's 'Queer Love' started as a passion project based around queer relationships and documenting couples in the UK. Through this series, Lydia aimed to show a more intimate and personal insight into LGBTQ+ relationships and how they are no different than cisgender heteronormative partnerships. She is recognised as an emerging talent by many publications, including Gay Times.

Also, from the mailbag J. Reed Gidez is living my dream on Route 66, Shiraz Chanawala has started making 30,000 step walks finding the therapeutic process of photography both mentally and physically, our man in Finland, Pekka introduces us to Harry Potter-like wizardry to rescue lost digital files and a NEW assignment courtesy of the photojournalist Peter Dench lays in wait for you as we’re now in December.

Links to all guests and features will be on the showpage, my sincere thanks to MPB who sponsor this show and the Extra Milers without whom we wouldn't be walking each week.

WHY: A Sketchbook of Life is available here.

My guest Peter Dench is a celebrated writer and photojournalist known for his wit and intimate storytelling. His expertise spans editorial, reportage, commercial, and portrait photography, with work published globally. An award-winning author and speaker, Peter records the quirks of modern life through humour and empathy.

Also today from the mailbag, Complaints Corner returns thanks to Extra Miler Colin Mayer in Australia, Bryan Patterson is planning a breakout, Daisei Ikatani shares a slice of English country garden from Yokohama, Eduardo Lara reflects on how photography connects with us deeply and to close, a tribute to two remarkable women: one in my family, the other a photojournalist who documented at great personal risk, the mafia, Letizia Battaglia. It's also the last call at the bar for November’s one-word assignment set by Lynn Fraser and Jacquie Matechuk.

Links to all guests and features will be on the showpage, my sincere thanks to MPB who sponsor this show and the Extra Milers without whom we wouldn't be walking each week.

WHY: A Sketchbook of Life is available here.

Joe Madsen's visit to a doctor results in a street photography photo book project that could be described as lifesaving. Husband and wife team James and Karla Murray are bookmarking the great bars of NYC, and Valérie Jardin discovers the most extraordinary personal stories photographing centenarians.

Also, today in the mailbag, Cody Shultz on the phrase imposter syndrome, Anja Poehlmann introduces the concept of a long portrait, Bob of the Desert flourishes in Arizona, more mystery sofa sightings in nature by Marshall Rimann and Chris Pillings, Gert Jan Cole finds a creative life truism and Michael Brennan is finding comfort in his portrait of a truly great man, plus the assignment for November is set by Lynn Fraser and Jacquie Matechuk.

Links to all guests and features will be on the showpage, my sincere thanks to MPB who sponsor this show and the Extra Milers without whom we wouldn't be walking each week.

WHY: A Sketchbook of Life is available here.

This is a special episode where I try to unpick those inner battles that so many of us quietly fight. Imposter syndrome, confidence, perfectionism, self-doubt. These aren’t just words; they’re real feelings that can shape and even hold back our lives, creatively and emotionally.

Today on the show, I’m peeling back the layers with special guest Sean Tucker to uncover the reality behind these challenges, opening up honest conversation about how they impact us and what we can do to reclaim our confidence.

This isn’t a show about quick fixes or easy answers. It’s about exploring what really happens beneath the surface, where feelings of inadequacy, comparison anxiety, and fear of failure often lie.

Whether you’re struggling with undervaluing your achievements or simply seeking ways to find peace with who you are, this conversation might help you see things refreshingly differently.

Also, today, your letters into the show about the subjects featured, plus the assignment for November set by Lynn Fraser and Jacquie Matechuk.

Links to all guests and features will be on the showpage, my sincere thanks to MPB who sponsor this show and the Extra Milers without whom we wouldn't be walking each week.

WHY: A Sketchbook of Life is available here.

For three decades, British photographer and filmmaker Chris Floyd has "Been privileged to photograph people who are the best in the World at what they do. Whether it's Stephen Hawking, Paul McCartney or David Hockney, these people have defined the era in which we live."

Today, I walk in Oxfordshire with this humble powerhouse of British photography whose work has appeared in some of the world’s most highly respected publications, including Vogue, Vanity Fair, The New York Times Magazine and The Sunday Times Magazine, among others.

We talk about how saying YES at important moments in his life has unlocked doors to people and experiences he might never have experienced if he'd followed an expected path into accountancy.

Also today, one of the most revealing answers to the question of WHY, with stories about photographing the Royal Family and 'our' Superman.

There's news about Scotland 2025, plus the assignment for November set by Lynn Fraser and Jacquie Matechuk.

Links to all guests and features will be on the showpage, my sincere thanks to MPB who sponsor this show and the Extra Milers without whom we wouldn't be walking each week.

WHY: A Sketchbook of Life is available here.

Today, Canon Canada Ambassador Jacquie Matechuk is my special guest as we chat about her extraordinary photographic transition from being at the top of motorsport photography to embracing a new wildlife adventure, a transition that has seen her win some of the most coveted photo awards, travel far and wide to destinations she might never have imagined, come face to face with giant bears, stared into the eyes of a silverback at close quarters, tracked polar bears and had conversations with an owl, all features of our conversation.

But also, and I think this is one of the most important parts of our discussion today, Jacquie has, I think, revealed a true why of photography, and if I could make a fender or bumper sticker large enough, is going to share some words with you during our conversation today, that will have you think perhaps differently about life behind a lens.

Also, news about Scotland 2025 plus a new assignment for the month of November set by Lynn Fraser and Jacquie Matechuk.

Links to all guests and features will be on the showpage, my sincere thanks to MPB who sponsor this show and the Extra Milers without whom we wouldn't be walking each week.

WHY: A Sketchbook of Life is available here.