I’m probably a bit of an oddball when it comes to photography—but not by accident.
I don’t plan shoots beyond choosing the walk. I don’t chase sunrises, wait around for the “perfect” light, or force compositions that aren’t working. The photography follows the walk, not the other way around. The images I make are the ones that stop me in my tracks—the ones that quietly insist, I’m over here.
The places I’m drawn to are local, usually quiet, and increasingly rare. Small English villages with black-and-white or stone cottages, thatched roofs, old tracks, bits of woodland, and open countryside still clinging to their past. I’m also drawn to things that sit slightly apart from the everyday, like my Seat with a View project. Cities and anything too modern have never really held my attention.
Black and white is central to how I see the world. I’ve always been drawn to it—long before photography became serious for me—through old family albums I still have. People often describe black and white as “timeless,” but I’ve never liked that word. For me, it’s about character. A look and a feeling you simply don’t get with colour.
A couple of years ago, I made a decision to shoot exclusively in black and white—both on film and by setting my digital cameras to capture black-and-white JPEGs only. No colour safety net, no RAW conversions later. It brought me back to what I loved about photography in the first place and the way I learned to see.
Walking has always been part of my life. My dad served in the military, so walking and hiking came early—coastal paths back home in Cornwall, mountain trails in Wales, long days outside. Over time, walking became more than exercise. It became a way to clear my head.
The little caption I made on my home page sums it up best: “Walking brings me peace, photography gives me purpose and connection.”
Walking is good for your soul. It clears your head and gives you exercise. Photography, along with Elvis, my dog — gives me the purpose to get out in the first place. The connection is what brings it all together — the link between walking, photography, and how I connect with each composition and its surroundings
Walking With Pics is about everyday photography and being outdoors, paying attention to what turns up along the way. If it encourages others to explore their local surroundings a little more slowly, then it’s doing exactly what it’s meant to do.
— Mark