JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024: NEALE JAMES
“A PHOTOGRAPH of RESILIENCE”
I get to set one assignment per year, although I missed doing that in 2023, so I’m playing my card early with this one to set a theme for 2024’s challenges, which will be the one-word assignment. The Photowalk podcast often talks of hope, belief and achievement against adversity. It’s a running unspoken theme of many conversations with studio guests and certainly of the incredible personal letters you send into the show, so I’m asking you to make a photograph that speaks of resilience.
THE ASSIGNMENT BRIEF
From Neale: “The Oxford Dictionary describes the noun resilience as the capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties; or the ability of a substance or object to spring back into shape; elasticity such as, ‘nylon is excellent in wearability and resilience.’
I think the word as a photograph can say so many more things besides. The great outdoors in extreme temperatures, a loved one crossing the finishing line during a first half-marathon, our own mental health to deal with the day-to-day, particularly during times when the news might otherwise have us believe hope is all but lost, these can certainly be shown creatively in a photograph.
This, then, could be a picture that depicts or suggests psychological resilience or something that poses a challenge that nature or indeed human spirit and determination overcomes to thrive. It’s really very open to interpretation.
I’m looking for one or two pictures at most to go with this challenge, and ideally, I really would like you to make this a photograph you take in this month of January 2024, as you’ll be going out with the theme in mind.
Feel free to write your thoughts about the picture too, although the photo may of course tell the whole story.”
HOW TO ENTER. IMPORTANT NOTES ON FILE SIZE AND ENTRIES
Send your entries to stories@photowalk.show. Pictures should be 2,500 pixels wide, if possible, for online optimisation. Or send the full-resolution photo, which we will optimise. Feel free to provide text as well, if you think it will help explain the location, context etc.
Entries are shown below, and good luck!
Neale
NEALE JAMES
I made this picture on a trip to London’s Imperial War Museum, Wednesday 3rd Jan, 2024. We’d visited to help with research for our eldest’s forthcoming school history project, for which he is studying elements of the Great War. In the atrium, there is a fortified Landrover, which was used by members of the press. Its armour-plated windows show the scars of bullet ricochets, but what you don’t see from ground level is a hole where a rocket fragment entered the roof of the vehicle, injuring occupants inside. With respect to the current geopolitics and not wishing to enter a debate of that nature, the full story can be read here.
I visited knowing that this month’s assignment would be the word resilience and open to the idea a photograph may come from this visit to a place I’ve not been to since childhood, but I wasn’t expecting this.
Over the past three years of presenting this podcast, I have spoken with a number of photojournalists who put their lives on the line increasingly more, so that we might understand the news from places we wouldn’t wish to visit in our deepest nightmares. It’s never been a safe occupation, of course, and it takes a particular kind of person, let alone photographer, to cover subjects that bury themselves deep within the human psyche when exposing oneself to the dangers of conflict, for example.
I peered through the darkened bullet-proof windows, whilst being cautious not to touch (which carried a degree of irony considering the evidence of far harsher contact), and wondered what kind of person sits within a vehicle knowing that each trip could be his/her last, so that we might be able to understand and be more informed about our World. Many words come to mind, but certainly, resilience is a leading one. There’s mechanical resilience, a spirit of resilience for what this vehicle means, and the human factor of resilience.
SIMON BLAKESLEY - FLASK WINNER FOR JANUARY/FEBRUARY
Best greetings from Canada’s Yukon Territory, Neale.
Last week at short notice, my wife, Janine, and I drove the 2000km or 1200-mile journey back up the Alaska Highway, having flown down to purchase a new-to-us truck in Alberta, Canada, and drive it home. To make the 23-hour winter drive as enriching as possible, we listened to #420 The Gambian Retreat Special, #419 Do Something for Nothing, #418 Leaps of Faith and Finding Balance, as well as caught up on numerous Extra Mile episodes. Thank you for making the multitude of miles go by even faster!
On one of the episodes, we took note of your request with respect to the Resilience assignment. Attached is an image taken in January, in our hometown of Whitehorse, Yukon, where I am photographer for our local airline, Air North.
While out running errands with Janine during a January cold snap, I was intrigued by the presence of this shopping cart, frozen into the ice on the Yukon River. I commented that I felt there was something “there”, perhaps a story waiting to be told. I ruminated on the scene, and then a few days later, with an hour between shooting aircraft arrivals and departures on a near -40C day, I left the airport and headed to the river to see if I could make a photo or two of the cart.
We often never know the impact or reach a photo that we take might have, and I certainly could never have imagined that this image could spark the imagination of many.
After posting the photo (which is vastly different than my usual aviation offerings) on my social media, I was contacted by the local branch of our national radio service, the CBC. An interview regarding the image ensued which grew to include interviews with one of our local grocery store owners on the business aspects of losing shopping carts, a local shopping cart aficionado (who knew there were such interests out there!), and a subsequent interview with a person who had written a poem based on the photo. I learned far more than I ever thought there was to know about shopping carts!
The story aired locally and was also carried nationally across Canada on another CBC radio show. Given your interest in stories and the recording of them, I’ve included a link to the 7-minute interview to help round out the story, which I ended with my suggestion that the image was symbolic of the resilience of Yukoners.
Hear the interview HERE and see more of Simon’s work on his Instagram.
PAUL HUGHES
I wanted to submit the attached image of my son Seb. I felt that this really captured his physical resilience taken while gathering his breath after a very muddy cross country run as part of a recent Pony Club triathlon (run, shoot, swim) - no ponies are used in this event although they are at the tetrathlon events. Seb is a great little runner and always seems to give it his all. It is not until you see him at the end - like in this picture - you realise how deep he digs to get himself around. Super proud!
See more of Paul’s work on his Instagram.
WALEED ALZUHAIR
One of the most difficult challenges in life, is having to leave family and loved ones to earn a living. We can see many expats here in Saudi Arabia, from different countries around the world. Sometimes they’re specialists, while other times they’re workers performing difficult tasks.
Water wells are extremely valuable to people, and farms are founded in areas just because of the availability of underground water.
With time and usage, the well dries or collapses, and this requires maintenance. By either digging the well deeper, or enforcing its walls. This is where the tough gets going, they go deep underground and perform the needed tasks.
Resilient people, performing difficult tasks, to earn a living, to send to their loved ones.
WENDY BRANDON
This is a photograph that I suggest epitomises resilience. Here in Aotearoa-land it is summer, and this year is a fairly typical hot dry summer for where I live in the Wairarapa - in the lower part of the North Island, north from Te Whanganui a Tara (Wellington). This photograph was made recently in a food forest at Tinui, an area not far inland from the East Coast. Just 12 months ago our summer was very different - lots and lots of rain - culminating in Cyclone Gabrielle, an atmospheric river that devastated parts of the North Island. It was a deluge - but the rains and flooding were only part of the story.
Parts of the East Coast, including the Tinui Food Forest, were left under a metre or more of soil silt that was washed off the hill country and forestry slash. Large parts of the hill country where native forests were burned and cleared for farming are now planted in pine forests. As these have been harvested, great quantities of waste wood product has been left behind, which is called ‘slash’.
During Gabrielle, slash washed off the hills, destroying everything in its path. Much of it now lies on the seabed off the coast destroying the inland fishery and coastal habitat. The food forest was devastated by Gabrielle.
In this photograph you can see not only several of the 7 layers of a food forest: the Canopy, the Low Tree Layer, the Shrub Layer, the Herb Layer, The Soil Surface, the Roots and the Vertical Layer but also, in the background, you can see what bare soil remains on the hillside being much diminished by the quantities of it that washed down into the nearby Tinui River and from there into various tributaries and local streams that adjoin the food forest. Pine forest is also visible in the background, some of the thousands of hectares now planted throughout the Wairarapa, displacing farmland, and communities.
What you see of the food forest in the photograph has regenerated during the year since Gabrielle. Near 2 metres of water flooded the land in the photograph. The floods left behind silt up to the knees. While the owners, with the help of friends and local resources have managed to clear some of the silt for pathways and replanting, silt still covers the land compacted into a concrete-like covering restricting growth and starving plants and stifling growth as it slowly breaks up - a process that may take years. Piles of slash have been cleared and removed and/or stacked to create new homes for insects and the like as it slowly rots down.
In spite of the destruction and damage wrought by Gabrielle barely a year ago, the Food Forest, the land, and the people, are recovering and regenerating - a great story of resilience in the face of climate change and short term environmental policies on the part of successive governments.
JOHN LANCASTER
Times are tough these days and lots of people have lots of challenges to face. You see this a lot when out and about in Liverpool, as you no doubt did on your recent pilgrimage. This was taken on Bold Street. I’ve no idea why one guy uses a wheelchair or the other sells Big Issue, but the (decisive) moment between them shows compassion, understanding, generosity and no small measure of resilience. From an arty perspective I like the logo on the bin too, mirroring the action - but I can’t claim that, I didn’t notice at the time!
See more of John’s work on his Instagram.
MARTIN PENDRY
For the last six months, I have been exploring the concept of RESILIENCE in my workspace. Often associated with the ability to withstand or recover quickly from difficulties, resilience embodies toughness and the capacity of a person or material to spring back into shape with elasticity. Resilience appears to belong to individuals and continuity planning in an organisation. Our contemporary focus on well-being tends to attribute blame to individuals when something goes wrong in a more extensive system. The emphasis is on individual resilience, leading to well-being training, while the underlying issues in the system remain unquestioned.
This month, I'm sharing an image of the lanyard I used during my photoshoots for Remember My Baby (RMB). The lanyard features bronze, silver, and gold pins awarded for completing 10, 25, and 50 shoots respectively. Despite assumptions that volunteering for RMB must be challenging, especially as I approach my 100th shoot, I believe my resilience lies in quickly rebounding after capturing and delivering meaningful and precious images.
If you're interested in volunteering, please visit the website, please get in touch with me. See more of Martin’s work on Instagram and the incredible work carried out by the Remember My Baby charity in the UK.
LARS HEGAARD
The Gudenåen flows (more) freely through Silkeborg after being regulated by a weir for more than 100 years.
Silkeborg town was born in the mid-1800s with the establishment of a paper mill alongside the Gudenå River. The mill played a pivotal role in the town's evolution, drawing workers and fostering Silkeborg's growth as an industrial hub. It burned down in 1863 and rebuilt. However, after years of prosperity, the mill shuttered its doors in the 2000s, leaving a significant mark on the town. This closure prompted an economic restructuring, pushing for diversification into other industries and service sectors to sustain Silkeborg's growth and development.
The city now claims the title of Denmark's outdoor capital, located between forests and lakes. The tree in the middle of the Gudenå River - with a mix of old factory buildings and newer apartment complexes in the background - symbolizes the city's return to nature and both the city's and nature's resilience.
See more of Lars’ work on Instagram, plus his Insta sketchbook.
JITHIN S
This is in response to the theme RESILIENCE. A veteran joining the Anzac parade in Sydney, Australia. See more work.
TINA CAMPBELL
I'm sending in a photo for the assignment "Resilience". I was walking, or more appropriately trekking through nearly a foot of snow at a local park when this lone golden leaf caught my attention. It was slightly sunken into the snow and for all I knew it may have just landed there before I came along, but I prefer to think it had been there at least through the morning. In which case it managed to escape the trampling of several other walkers, a few dogs and a couple cross country skiers.
VICTORIA ROBB
The beautiful sandstone rocks at the beach south of Berwick, taken on the 2 January, speak to me of the resilience of the Earth, these rocks having been formed around 330 million years ago. Allowing us to have an insight to the climate and environment of the past, over timescales that are so greater than ourselves When I walk in these landscapes it grounds me and makes me want to stay resilient in the hope photography helps draw attention to the importance of preserving our great geological heritage.
COLIN MAYER
“Resilience” challenge.
Attached is photo of my parents standing next to a statue of walker Tom Weir, taken January 10th 2024, during my recent journey back to Scotland. I took it the day before Susan (my better half) and I returned to Australia.
My Dad is 89 and my Mum had just turned 92 a few days earlier, yet here they were enjoying a day out to Balmaha, Loch Lomond on a bitterly cold winters day. They have survived being evacuated from Glasgow during the war, travelled the world walking and climbing mountains and valleys, were competitive badminton players, worked hard to earn money and bring me and send me off to college to get a degree, and in recent years have seen friends and family pass away.
Dad has new hips, knees, and despite being profoundly deaf still enjoys painting with his easel set up in the corner of the bedroom. He often looks at his hands while sitting at the dining room table and with an undertone of frustration mutters out loud, “If only these hands could do what they used to be able to do.” He has had to learn to cook and clean and makes some great spicy soups, which my mum does not appreciate and prefers a blander tasting soup.
Mum was fit most of her life and walked most places at a place Gurka soldiers would struggle to keep up with. A few years ago she suffered pneumonia, had a collapsed young, and started suffering from a heart condition. Now she only has energy to walk on flat ground at slow speed over short distances. A walk around the duck pond at the local park is a treat for her.
Sadly, not long after we returned to Australia, I received a call from Dad letting me know that Mum was in the hospital in cardiac critical care. I don’t know what happened or why she had to go in, but because Dad is deaf and not exactly IT savvy, it is hard for him to tell me. He just sends short texts or talks a bit and tells me what he thinks I might want to know when I try and speak on the phone. Last week I learned she has had a pacemaker fitted and been transferred to a different hospital. I’m sure Dad just wants her back to their home of over sixty years.
We all have to be resilient in our own ways during these challenging times in life.
(From Neale) Thank you Colin for the personal nature of this message and picture and you’re right in your observations about resilience, most certainly. See more of Colin’s work on Instagram.
MICHAEL TENBRINK
I took this during a long walk on a brisk winter’s day on the east shore of Lake Como here in northern Italy. I was struck by how insignificant the sailboat appears when contrasted with the forbidding face of the cliffs, yet it sails onward nonetheless. I’ve drawn inspiration from this in recent days as I’ve been navigating my own challenges.
Resilience in the midst of obstacles is one of the themes I explore both literally and metaphorically in my photography and writing on both Instagram and Substack.
MYLES BARFIELD
This image reflects my contemplations over the past year, with a strong focus on resilience. Attached is a condensed version of the narrative I wrote, encapsulating its core essence.
“Water's unhurried dance teaches a profound lesson in resilience, demonstrating how its gentle, persistent force can erode formidable barriers, symbolizing the strength in flexibility. This vital elixir of life showcases its capacity to transform and adapt, providing nourishment to all life forms. Embracing water’s art of metamorphosis, I've learned to flow with life's unpredictable currents, shedding rigidity for adaptability.
This approach prepares me for life's unexpected twists, inspired by water's infinite adaptability and the elegance of adjustment. My aspiration is to embody water's silent strength, offering hope and support, akin to the unwavering solace water provides to life.”
See more of Myles’ work on his website.
MICHAEL MIXON
Does it count as resilience if assistance was provided? I would think it should - holding out long enough until someone can proffer a hand.
When we bought our house, it had been vacant for about two years and so the surrounding woodlands had done some serious reclamation by the time we moved in. Blackberry bushes had proliferated everywhere (wonderful in August when the berries appear but a literal pain the rest of the year - the thorns are vicious) and a few years’ worth of fallen leaves and broken branches carpeted everything.
So the first couple of years were spent slowly re-reclaiming - finding buried sprinklers, rescuing native plants from the choke of the surrounding growth, waging a seemingly endless war against weeds, and sometimes discovering discarded items left by the previous owners - TV monitors, a sink, construction materials, etc. Among those items was this frog, definitely worse for wear having been left out in the elements for that long but still intact and still smiling. :-)
So Fiesta Frog now sits happily at the perimeter of the woods, watching over our house and providing a splash of added color.
MICHAEL HONKOMP
Like a lot of the country the past week we have had temperatures in the low single digits Fahrenheit. There is a local pond that is nearly frozen over, only has open water due to a pump running. The geese and ducks have been toughing it out through all this. Pillars or resilience.
JOHN KENNY
Whilst in Dubrovnik last year, I tried to get out before sunrise to explore and photograph before things got too busy. I saw this Monk come out of the Monastery and start to feed the pigeons. When I made the image, I didn't think much about it until speaking to a tour guide later. He explained that the marks in the wall to the right of the frame were made by mortar and shell during the siege of Dubrovnik in 1991 - 92. The serenity of the Monk feeding and holding the pigeons whilst standing with the scars of the past seemed quite poignant to me.
ERIC JOSEPH
This is a black-eyed junco with some kind of seed it found when foraging for good in freezing temperatures after a snow storm.
KELVIN BROWN
Nature show its resilience in so many ways, from a goat climbing the face of a dam wall, or a Jurassic park dinosaur finding a way to reproduce. And a plant growing where it's not supposed to. How many buddleia plants have you seen clinging on to a brick wall. The shot of a narrowboat bumper with grass growing upon it also shows a lack of human interference.
Kelvin. A bloke with a camera.
ROB SPICER
This little squirrel fits the assignment perfectly. She first came to my feeder in the summer of 2022 with a bad gash on her leg which was obvously broken, I thought she was doomed to an early and painful death. The next time I saw her the leg had healed but was frozen in one position and pretty much useless to her. She would come to my feeder about every 2 weeks. One other time when she came I saw that she contracted mange but like the broken leg she some how survived. The last time I saw her was in October of 2023 so I assumed that she was gone never to be seen again. Lo and behld she arrived at my feeder yesterday, Jan 27th 2024 looking very fat and healthy with a dirty nose from burring nuts. She has raised one litter of pups that I know of and is able to pickup and eat nuts with just one hand. She is the squirrel poster girl for resilience. I hope to see her for a couple of more years.
