A Small Voice: Conversations with photographers and filmmakers

Lebanese photojournalist Christina Assi on early years in Lebanon, her route into photojournalism, the Israeli tank attack that changed everything, recuperation, rehabilitation, advocacy, her new relationship with her camera, and the way in which her experience has changed her perception of the kind of stories she wants to cover, and letting go of perfectionism.

Multidisciplinary artist Reuben Wu on his creative family, industrial design, musical success with Ladytron, the challenge of reinvention, how his incredible light paintings came about and the role of serendipity.

Ukrainian photographer Iva Sidash on daily normality in Kyiv, how a road accident led her to street photography, the power of trying to portray life during wartime, ethical concerns, her project What Is Unseen, and joining the Ian Parry Grant ‘family’.

American documentary photographer Richard Sharum on reaching a mainstream audience, team window vs. team mirror, remembering our roots, time, empathy, openness, his forthcoming book, American Murder, and the dodginess of the photobook biz.

French photographer Clémentine Schneidermann on formative years with a camera in Paris, falling in love with Wales, collaboration, community, and the challenge of trying to create stable income.

Aria Shahrokhshahi on attending eleven schools, how a photo lab provided an early education, falling in love with Ukraine, his debut photobook, Wet Ground, why it isn’t enough for him to just take pictures, the way in which war rearranges the social hierarchy, collaboration, commercial work and his feature documentary project, While We Heal.

Italian photographer and Magnum Photos member Lorenzo Meloni on his transition from professional hacker to photographer, borders, history, the Islamic State, how the power of photography is metaphorical not descriptive, why the cover of his book is orange, his ongoing project 'Revelation', instability, freedom and focussing on one thing at a time.

Uruquayan photographer, Ximena Borrazás, on life before photography, early forays into documentary work, Ukraine, her job there with the UN, the challenges of being a freelancer in a conflict zone, and The Scars of War, her long-term project on conflict related sexual violence.

British photographer Sam Faulkner on looking for adventure, coming back from Afghanistan with the six rolls of film that won him the Ian Parry Award, his global 'war on drugs' story, changes in the industry, the threat of AI, eroded trust in news brands, his decision to step back from photojournalism and his new iOS app., Print Swap.

British photojournalist Harriet Logan on falling in love with photography at art college in the USA, formative experiences in Sudan, Somalia, Kosovo and Afghanistan, the reality of being a female photographer in the 90s, motherhood and her subsequent move away from photojournalism, how she ended up as Executive Director of the Ian Parry Photojournalism Grant, which she herself won in 1992, and her extraordinary collection of photographic prints - The Incite Project.

French/British photographer Henri Kisielewski on how this podcast has been part of his photographic education, lessons learned assisting Magnum photographer Olivia Arthur, including how to edit, how he ended up running a dilapidated hotel for three years, how a year in Valencia changed his life, photography and documentary media’s relationship to truth, his book Non Fiction, post-truth America and the amazing story behind his new book project, Agloe N.Y.

British society and celebrity photographer, Richard Young, on learning that trust is currency, how his journey into photography began with a roll of blank film, having a guardian angel, the importance of apologising, turning up to Freddie Mercury's party in drag by mistake, and how one picture paid for his first house.

Dutch photographer Ilvy Njiokiktjien on how things have changed since she started, why it’s good to reinvent yourself, using a simple Google search to generate ideas, why she got kicked out of her internship on The Star newspaper, her interest in interactive long reads, and the importance of failure.

Australian photographer, educator, conservationist and professional tech nerd Jon McCormack on his formative experience growing up in the outback, disovering a love of mathematics... nature... and photography, AI, how his ‘impossible to predict’ career in tech began, how his day job with Apple allows him to ‘live photography’ and his newly released photobook, Patterns: Art Of The Natural World.

Croatian photographer and filmmaker Dragana Jurišić on trying to make sense of her formative experiences during the war in the Balkans, family history, imposter syndrome, being 'ergonomic' about making things, her debut documentary, The Last Balkan Cowboy (working title), and how she would measure its success.

A Special report from the new home of the national museum of photography in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

American documentary filmmaker and photographer Zackary Canepari on the coming of age years, the experience of India, transitioning to filmmaking, learning from his collaborator Drea Cooper, being smiled on by the documentary gods, and his most recent co-directed film Thoughts & Prayers.

American photographer and documentary filmmaker Jessica Dimmock on her attraction to dark subject matter, forming close relationships with her subjects, the random coffee shop interaction that changed her direction forever, the chance encounter that led to her first big photography project and her transition into filmmaking.

Australian photographer Philip Blenkinsop on his ‘cabinet of curiosities’ studio space, why he left Australia at 23, his recent powerful urge to return there to photograph, first impressions on arriving in Bangkok, anger at injustice, process, shooting film and working close up, a near death experience, and why he ultimately moved to rural France.

Danish photographer Joachim Ladefoged on having arthritis as a teenager and the impact it had on his life (good and bad), getting ‘the best job in the world’ at the newspaper Politiken, winning the World Press Photo award, words of wisdom received from Magnum legend Constantine Manos and why changing direction on becoming a father was “the right decision, but a hard decision”.

British artist and film director, Lee Shulman on Martin Parr and the documentary he made about him, his love of making photo books, The Anonymous Project and his recent book Golden Memories.

A compilation of clips from all the guests who featured on the podcast in 2025

American filmmaker, Rachel Elizabeth Seed, on the feature documentary she made about her mum (and herself), A Photographic Memory.

A Special Report from this November's Paris Photo Fair.

Ed Kashi on, contributing to positive change, why he donated his archive to the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, a lesson learned on assertiveness, journal entries, identity politics, advocacy journalism and his new retrospective book, A Period In Time.

British Chinese filmmaker Paul Sng on early challenges, outsider syndrome, the 'confidence of ignorance', structure, narrative principles, the creative treatment of actuality, and finding an audience.

A Special report from Bristol's annual BoP (Books On Photography) Festival, organised and hosted by the Martin Parr Foundation.

American photographer Mike Brodie on his period of juvenile prosperity, romanticism vs. misery, the push/pull of ’normal’ life, exploitation and ethics, grief and loss, success and its downside, and his strong desire to photograph machines.

Netherlands-based British photographer Merlin Daleman on Brexit, his new book Mutiny, and how a serious motorcycle accident improved his photography.

African American photographer and Magnum Photos member, Eli Reed, on mentors, luck, how working in a hospital was good preparation for the kind of work he did, how his project Black In America came about and a teaser on the book he is in the process of writing.

Dutch photographer and visual artist Tony Dočekal on Josef Koudelka, dealing with the weight of the photographic history, the advantage of being an outsider, working with the unhoused for non-profit the Sheltersuit Foundation, and the story behind the picture of a man in a pink frilly dress.

British photographer Rankin on critical thinking, being confrontational, the Trojan Horse of Dazed & Confused, being ‘a dick’ and taking cocaine, how he was saved by photography and fatherhood and the benefits of losing your imposter syndrome.

France-based Dutch photographer Marjolein Martinot on her debut book Riverland, getting through Covid, fairy tales, seeking comfort in nature during difficult times, raising and photographing her six children, and being a tightrope walker in her mum's circus as a kid.

German photographer Anna Arendt on growing up in the GDR, being ‘connected’ to pictures, wolves, family history and mystery, and allowing the photograph to tell her what it wants to be and where.

Algerian-born French artist Mohamed Bourouissa on community, graffiti art, staging images, masculinity, the challenges of fatherhood, valuing your own work, art as a playground and why he’s an ‘extremely bad photographer’.

Northern Irish artist and academic Paul Seawright on resisting the ‘dramcentric’ imagery of Northern Ireland, not taking a position, ‘allusive’ documentary, the danger of losing the meaning, and the importance of research… and titles.

The annual pilgrimage to the Photo London fair, in the year of its 10th anniversary, and a visit to A Bigger Book Fair at Peckham24 in an attempt to sell some unwanted photobooks.

British photographer Marc Wilson on Ukraine, A Thousand Days of Longing, failed attempts, wandering lost, adventures in self-publishing and getting arrested in Moldova.

Mackenzie Calle on winning a World Press Award, her project the Gay Space Agency, experimentation being the fun part, tall person sports, her love of TV, and letting the story tell her what it needs.

Polish photographer Tomasz Tomaszewski on physics, philosophy, truth, freedom, progress, metaphor, bravery, wisdom and the appeal of lying in a hammock with a good single malt.

Australia-based German photographer Katrin Koenning on how the sudden tragic death of her best friend put her on the path of photography, her work as a ‘relational encounter’ …and a daily practice, having a ‘web of projects’, and her new book Between The Skin and Sea.

British photographer Ian Macdonald on how his love of drawing took him to art college, discovering photography, growing up and working in the industrial North East, his year as artist in residence at Eton College and his recent exhibition Fixing Time.

British documentary photographer Mike Abrahams on growing up in post-war Liverpool, Network Photographers, religious ceremony and the impetus behind his new book, This Was Then.

Joseph Michael Lopez on NYC, moving to Rome, working for Bruce Weber, shooting as a coping mechanism, light & sun, and how what we see is who we are.

Ukrainian New Yorker Dina Litovsky @dina_litovsky on psychology, hacking the algorithm, shooting weddings, her Substack newsletter In The Flash, missing caviar, why photographers should stop calling themselves artists and how working for exposure is photography’s biggest Ponzi scheme.

Ian Howorth on his formative years in nine homes across three countries, the influence of his adventurous dad, belonging, cinema, combining real life with fiction and striving to spend as much time as possible not compromising.

British photographer and visual artist Ed Sykes on early days at The Independent, Operation Restore Hope, disillusionment, day jobs, darkroom practice and embracing mistakes.

A highlight reel from all the brilliant photographers who joined me for a chat in 2024.

A special report from the 2024 edition of the International Paris Photo Fair.

Masterful Belgian photographer Stephan Vanfleteren on memory, skin, light, photographing men, fear of success, the intensity of a collaborative portrait session and the beauty of dead animals.