Episode #520 JUST ONE SHOT, PART 1

Episode Link: https://photowalk.show/episodes/one-shot-giles-penfound-5x4

Sometimes the most profound photographs aren't made in an instant, they're cultivated over days, even weeks. In this special two-part episode, I walk with photographer Giles Penfound in Penwood in Berkshire, as he slows down to make a single large-format image of a giant tree, a portrait created in honour of a photographer known to us both. Working with a 5x4 plate camera, Giles has transformed his practice from the fast-paced world of documentary work to something more deliberate, contemplative, and rooted in presence. Across two weeks, we explore what it means to truly slow down: waiting for light, sitting with a ‘subject’, and navigating the mental space that opens up when you're no longer chasing the next frame.

We discuss mental health, the quality of light, and choosing a different pace of life in a world that demands speed. This is photography as meditation, as ritual, as a way of being fully present with the world.

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