DAVID WALKER 6/26/26 DAVID WALKER 6/26/26

More Than Hot Dogs

Last week, I had a fun afternoon shooting for Wine & Such, an independent wine shop just down the road in SE12. The owners Steph and Freddy have created a wonderfully welcoming space where people can discover natural, organic and biodynamic wines without feeling overwhelmed or intimidated. They’ve even put their own descriptive labels on each bottle making choosing that bit more fun.

Battle of the dogs

Alongside the general vibe, i was here to capture the ‘battle of the dogs’. A fun tasting event involving Three American-style hot dogs, Chicago v NY v Texas, all topped & singed to perfection by Freddy and his blowtorch, each one paired with a carefully chosen drink.

Despite the heatwave, the shop was buzzing and It didn't take long to realise why this place is such a community hub. The irony wasn’t lost when someone arrived with a dachshund (sausage dog), like one of those visual tests life occasionally throws us photographers.

Closer Than Comfort

One thing I’m always conscious of is the challenge of getting in closer to strangers. Only by pushing beyond the comfort zone can you create images where the viewer feels part of the story, rather than observing from a distance.

While getting in close with the lens is never comfortable, it’s just something you have to do. if you're respectful, friendly and honest, people will understand why you're there. Most are relaxed for the camera, some will even enjoy it. The often used (but pretty accurate) quote by Robert Capa famously goes, "If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough."

Stories on Your Doorstep

Increasingly, I believe the best documentary comes from returning, familiarity and allowing stories to unfold over time which is why I'd love to photograph more for Wine & Such, and independent local companies like them. It feels a good thing to do. They aren't just businesses but places that give a community its character.

As photographers it's easy to think the best stories happen in far-flung places but in reality the richest stories are happening a few streets from your own door. Sometimes all you need is to slow down, look around and get involved.

DAVID WALKER 5/14/26 DAVID WALKER 5/14/26

Dare Workshop. May 26

Last weekend I attended The Dare Workshop in London, hosted by Gary Lashmar better known as The Street Thief, aka “The Smudge with a Grudge”. For anyone unfamiliar with Gary’s work, his approach to photography is about honesty, confidence, and stepping outside your comfort zone in the interest of becoming a better photographer. Lately, I’ve wanted to get closer with my photography, closer to people, closer to emotion, and closer to the uncomfortable moments I’d usually avoid behind the camera and that’s exactly what this workshop is for.

No Spoilers

What happens during the workshop is best experienced first-hand, there are no spoilers here. Let’s just say the methods are effective and you’ll definitely be challenged but in a good way. This isn’t a workshop about settings or technically perfect images. It’s about approaching strangers, engaging with people, directing subjects with confidence, pushing past hesitation and fear, and taking portraits with honesty rather than distance.

Stranger Danger

One of the biggest takeaways for me was becoming more comfortable photographing strangers and directing people. Anyone who photographs people regularly will know how much resistance can appear the moment you actually have to approach someone. Alongside photographing strangers in the busy streets of Camden, we also worked with models to create more intentional portraits. Working with Tink Face was a highlight with her dramatic poses, colourful styling, and expressive energy and Louis also was brilliantly patient and comfortable in front of the camera.

The more I reflected on the weekend, the more I realised this wasn’t really just about photography. It was about hesitation, fear, confidence, and learning how to step into uncomfortable moments rather than avoid them. The conversations we hesitate to start. The risks we avoid taking. And learning how to quiet that inner voice long enough to properly connect with the world around us.

It honestly doesn’t matter what kind of photographer you are, there’s something valuable here for anyone willing to push themselves creatively and personally. By the end of the weekend, I felt creatively re-energised and far more connected to both people and my photography than when I arrived. Gary is a brilliant teacher/mentor/nice guy and i can thoroughly recommend this workshop to any photographer open to growth.

“The moment you label something, you lose touch with what it actually is. You stop seeing the depth of an object, a person, or a place and instead see a flat, one-dimensional idea of it. We end up moving through life not in reality, but inside our own interpretation, a static, pale version of the living world.” 
Gary Lashmar

A huge thank you to:
@the_street_thief @katie_dares
Assistants: @iris.straatfoto @millsyshoots Models: @tinkfacerh. @louislashmar

And with that… here are some of my favourite images from the weekend.

Portrait image taken at the Dare Workshop with Gary Lashmar. May 2026

DAVID WALKER 2/15/26 DAVID WALKER 2/15/26

FOG LIGHTS AND Focaccia

First of all, that’s not me below. That’s my friend and fellow photographer Thomas Skovsende. We’re in Erice, a medieval hilltop town in western Sicily. Actually we were there a while back now but for one reason and another, only just getting round to sharing. I’m here in my art director role for purple creative and one of our clients. Thomas has been commissioned to create the hero image for their new campaign.

Erice sits about 750 metres above sea level. I can only describe the drive up from the airport as nothing short of ‘genuinely terrifying’. Dense fog. A metre of visibility. Dead of night and 180-degree corners on the mountain edge for a good 40 minutes. I honestly didn’t think we were going to make it. Thankfully we survived and after a short check in, grabbed our cameras and headed straight back out to recce (in the fog).

The atmosphere in this cobbled Roman mountain-top town was unreal. Thick mist, near silence, winding streets so we wandered and shot in awe. Given the lack of visibility, it soon became obvious that a 5am sunrise recce would give us a better chance of finding “the shot” so it was a sandwich, a glass of wine with the locals, and an early night.

Come 5am and navigating what felt like a network of highly territorial stray dogs who clearly had a problem with photographers, we found the perfect location. Composition sorted. Everyone happy. One major issue, we were here to photograph a sunny medieval town and by 11am, fog visibility had improved to about 2 metres. Not good! Thankfully we had another day and sure enough was greeted by an epic sunrise. We scurried back to our early morning recce location during the golden hour and Thomas finally nailed the shot!

Sicily is absolutely somewhere I’d love to revisit. What we didn’t realise until afterwards is that there’s a cable car up from Trapani to Erice. My advice, forget the drive and just take the cable car, suitcases and all.

All these recce/walkabout images are all mine (taken on my 35mm Summilux). The portrait of Thomas, is now his profile pic. “I never have anyone to take my photo,” he says. His campaign image is, as you’d expect glorious — but I can’t share that on here for obvious reasons.

DAVID WALKER 8/17/25 DAVID WALKER 8/17/25

Portraits of Penge - Lucy Bénézet Min

Lucy Bénézet Minns is a pro-cyclist in the Lotto Cycling Team. Penge Cycle Club, in South East London, was where she got started. Learning to race, practicing skills on a bike and having fun with new friends.

During a break from her training in Europe, I was commissioned to capture some portraits of her with some other young Penge riders, and with Winnie Farquharson, the owner of SE20 Cycles, where the club meet after rides.

Penge Cycle Club and SE20 Cycles, were her sponsors at the Recent UCI Track Championships, where she was riding for Ireland - you can see the official skin-suit in some of the shots. The images are going to be used in a PR campaign to help attract a new generation of young riders to Penge. Not just racers, the youth section of the club club is for anyone aged 5- 16 - who wants to get better, fitter, faster on a bike - and have some fun along the way.

90% of the current Great Britain Cycling Team started out in Go-Ride registered clubs like PengeCC, so this is a winning formula for aspiring racers. When they founded the club back in 2008 they wanted to give local young riders of all abilities the chance to ride bikes in a safe, fun environment.

The club is very proud of Lucy of course , but from the sessions you can tell that the club and coaches are just as proud of every young rider who pulls on a Penge CC Jersey. You can find out more about the club on their website or on their socials. Links below

https://pengecycleclub.org.uk/
https://www.instagram.com/pengecycleclub/
https://www.instagram.com/lotto.cyclingteam/

DAVID WALKER 3/24/25 DAVID WALKER 3/24/25

Greetings from Canterbury

A recent walkabout in Canterbury and trip to the cathedral. Such beautiful light and amazing architecture. The £18 entry fee (cough cough) more than paid itself back in images. Thanks to our guides Oscar and Stephen for a great day.

DAVID WALKER 9/26/24 DAVID WALKER 9/26/24

Things that go bump in the day

Street images from my recent “spook-cation” in York, described as the most haunted city in England. A few days well spent devouring Yorkshire pudding wraps, mingling my camera with the tourists and waiting for my beer to float across the bar in the Golden Fleece. (Spoiler…didn’t happen!)

Highlights include a dark tour of deathly tales with stories of the monstrous Barghest beast and the chilling tear-streaked girl of “plague house,” who taps on the window at passersby. I also learn’t a Snickelway is not a northern chocolate bar crammed with peanuts. We couldn’t end our trip without popping by the Yorkshire Ghost Merchants, for our very own ghost, each comes complete with a spirit of their own.

Spooky York is a place I would return!

DAVID WALKER 7/27/24 DAVID WALKER 7/27/24

It never rains in Spain

…unless it’s your own wedding day but that’s another story!

I recently returned from a sunny trip to Madrid where i was blessed to observe and capture the wedding for the amazing Marcos and Rubén. A day full of generations, laughter, dancing and as much carved ham as i’ve ever seen under one roof.

The day started in the village with make up and preps followed by a short coach to the Plaza Mayor to greet the awaiting couple. The ceremony took place in the historic Casa de la Panaderia followed by a short walk to the equally beautiful Coolrooms, aptly named and much needed given it was around 38 degrees.

A beautiful day inside and out, full of warmth and fun. Here’s a selection of some of the moments.

DAVID WALKER 4/17/24 DAVID WALKER 4/17/24

Easter PREPARATION

Images from my recent family visit to Madrid. This Holy Weekend got off to a bit of an eye-opener when my wife’s neighbour said she had something sitting in the garage to show me. Not sure what I were expecting but obviously a bit surprised to see this.

It’s definitely a family occasion when we visit and this time was no exception. I managed to go walkabout with my 35mm though was struggling to find people in this sleepy little village. We capped off with a visit to an uncles old farm to collect a bucket of eggs and of course, an obligatory sit on the tractor. HERE