Prime Lenses
Prime Lenses
Iain Farrell
Episode 131 - Graham Niven
1 hour 3 minutes Posted Sep 13, 2026 at 8:00 am.
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Show notes

Mentioned in this episode

People

Colin Prior — cited as one of the landscape photographers whose 1990s work first caught Graham's eye, before that kind of image became common in the social media era · colinprior.co.uk

Jocelyn Bain Hogg — London-based documentary photographer known for his books on British organised crime, The Firm and The Family · theviifoundation.org

Martin Parr — referenced as one of the few photographers who can "get away with" a heavy, unflattering flash aesthetic on his subjects · martinparr.com

James Popsys — landscape photographer and YouTuber based in Snowdonia, Wales, cited for his discipline of carrying a bag deliberately too small to fit his camera; a future guest on the show · jamespopsys.com

Places

Nethy Bridge — the Cairngorms village where both Graham and Iain live, and home to Graham's Arbor Gallery · Wikipedia

Torridon / Liathach — the mountain and viewpoint (seen from Beinn Alligin) behind Graham's punishing winter hike story · Liathach — Wikipedia

The Cuillins — the Skye mountain range referenced both as a backdrop and in Graham's composited "Madeira and Cuillin" image · Wikipedia

Coire an t-Sneachda — a corrie on the Cairngorm Plateau where Graham photographed wind-whipped snow and a reindeer herd · Wikipedia

St Kilda, including Boreray — the remote Scottish archipelago where Graham shot his well-known black-and-white sea cliff image from a boat · St Kilda — Wikipedia · Boreray — Wikipedia

The Buachaille (Buachaille Etive Mòr) — mentioned in relation to one of Graham's early-morning mountain shots · Wikipedia

Aviemore — mentioned in passing as the location of Graham's five-a-side football game · Wikipedia

Gear and tools

Olympus OM-1 — Graham's first camera, already 30 years old when he acquired it in the early 2000s · Wikipedia

Leica M (digital back on a film body) — one of two bodies Graham colour/black-and-white "loads" like film stock · leica-camera.com

Nikon — Graham's current system, chosen, by his own account, essentially by coin flip · nikon.com

DJI Osmo Pocket — his go-to for casual video, bought secondhand · dji.com

Ricoh GR — referenced as the classic "glove box camera" for always-with-you shooting · Wikipedia

Companies and institutions

Niven Photography / Arbor Gallery — Graham's studio and the small gallery he and his wife run on Dell Road, Nethy Bridge · nivenphotography.com

Monocle — cited as the magazine that adopted a flash-heavy portrait style for its diplomat and official portraits, to mixed effect · monocle.com

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More about this show:

A camera is just a tool but spend enough time with photographers and you’ll see them go misty eyed when they talk about their first camera or a small fast prime that they had in their youth. Prime Lenses is a series of interviews with photographers talking about their photography by way of three lenses that mean a lot to them. These can be interchangeable, attached to a camera, integrated into a gadget, I’m interested in the sometimes complex relationship we have with the tools we choose, why they can mean so much and how they make us feel.