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Tales, techniques, tricks and tantrums from one of the UK’s top portrait photographers. Never just about photography but always about things that excite - or annoy - me as a full-time professional photographer, from histograms to history, from apertures to apathy, or motivation to megapixels. Essentially, anything and everything about the art, creativity and business of portrait photography. With some off-the-wall interviews thrown in for good measure!
Episodes
Wednesday May 31, 2023
EP136 Interview With Margaret And Peter Aldington OBE | On Creativity And Relationships
Wednesday May 31, 2023
Wednesday May 31, 2023
Peter Aldington OBE, world-renowned architect and garden designer, with his wife Margaret - whose energy and partnership have been as fundamental to his success as any other creative's, though she professes to not being a designer of any kind.
I have wanted to record this interview for a long time. Peter is a world-renowned architect, having achieved no less than 9 (yes, you're reading that correctly, 9) listed buildings in his lifetime. Each of the nine houses he designed while working as an architect, along with the garden that he created in the eighties, is listed (aka protected) by English Heritage.
Some record.
He's also a charming guy. We have based our photography business in the original studio where he began his architectural practice, Aldington, Craig and Collinge, a building we have completely fallen in love with in the past 11 years.
As you can imagine, I wanted to record an interview with him; in particular, I wanted to ask him about creativity and how he turned his influences into something tangible.
Sometimes, however, the more exciting topics creep in as you talk, which was the case during this interview. Sitting with Peter and his wife Margaret, it quickly became apparent that the more important questions were about relationships: relationships with colleagues, clients and, of course (and you'll hear this throughout the interview), the relationship between Peter and Margaret and their family.
It's funny how you can plan all you like, but ultimately, life (and creativity) have a way of taking you on unexpected journeys.
But for me, well, I think it is a lovely interview with an architect who has made an immeasurable contribution to architecture and garden design.
Usually, I would ask Peter and Margaret for their book choice, but I have chosen two that feature Peter's work for this episode.
The first is A Garden and Three Houses: The Story of Architect Peter Aldington's Garden and Three Village Houses by Jane Brown.
The second is Houses: Created by Peter Aldington, a beautiful book choc full of stunning line drawings (and if you know anything about me, you'll know just how much I adore exceptional illustrations!)
Enjoy!
Cheers
P.
If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to Mastering Portrait Photography, for more articles and videos about this beautiful industry. You can also read a full transcript of this episode.
PLEASE also subscribe and leave us a review - we'd love to hear what you think!
If there are any topics, you would like to hear, have questions we could answer or would like to come and be interviewed on the podcast, please contact me at paul@paulwilkinsonphotography.co.uk.
Sunday Jan 15, 2023
EP133 Dealing With The Year Ahead With Joy And Positivity!
Sunday Jan 15, 2023
Sunday Jan 15, 2023
So it's 2023 already! What happened to 2022? This episode says a big thank you for 2022 and kicks off the year ahead with some thoughts on how to deal with so much negativity in the years and the media. We're hitting it all with positivity, energy, creativity and laughter! Well, you wouldn't expect anything different from us would you?
We also say thanks to some incredible brands who have put a little faith in us and asked us to be ambassadors:
Graphistudio (they create the best photographic albums on the planet!)
https://www.graphistudio.com/en/
Pixellu (we use their brilliant Smart Albums application to do the heavy lifting for all of our album designs). If you fancy a discount, use the following link and discount code:
https://www.pixellu.com/?fpr=masteringportraitphotography
Code: MPP@2022
Panasonic Eneloop Batteries (not as sexy maybe as let's say, a camera but massively important!) These guys have very kindly helped with a little funding for the podcast - useful given that we entirely fund it, write it and produce it ourselves. A little help like this goes a long way - just like the life of their AA batteries (sorry, couldn't resist!)
https://amzn.eu/d/gbinUuT
Finally, we mention a package that is proving priceless for us in our colour correction - Imagen AI. Machine Learning (aka. Artificial Intelligence) is certainly going to be a huge part of all of our lives in the future - some of it for good and some of it otherwise - and one or two applications have already emerged that are stunningly elegant in the way they support our business: this is one. Since we added this to our workflow, it has not only saved us hour upon hour but has also improved the consistency of our colours and grading. Ai isn't all bad! If you fancy getting 1500 free credits, use this link:
https://www.imagen-ai.com/start?ref=paulwilkinson
We also want to thank all of our clients - both as subjects and as delegates to our workshops - we could not be happier and more grateful that you're part of our lives!
THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU and here's to a fabulous year ahead!
Cheers
P.
If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to Mastering Portrait Photography, for more articles and videos about this beautiful industry. You can also read a full transcript of this episode.
PLEASE also subscribe and leave us a review - we'd love to hear what you think!
If there are any topics, you would like to hear, have questions we could answer or would like to come and be interviewed on the podcast, please contact me at paul@paulwilkinsonphotography.co.uk.
Wednesday Dec 21, 2022
EP132 Interview With Michele Jennings, Former CEO Hearing Dogs UK
Wednesday Dec 21, 2022
Wednesday Dec 21, 2022
We are a lucky business. OK, I know you make your own luck to a greater or lesser degree, but we really are a lucky business. Every day I work with people I love - from our team in the studio to our clients across the UK and further afield.
As we run into the festive holidays, our studio has been full of laughter (and the smell of gingerbread, thanks to our Christmas candles!) as clients come to pick up their last-minute gifts as well as albums and frames they ordered during the year. The shelves have creaked under the weight of the boxes; each bowed with our distinctive ribbons and tags. Today, with just a few days to Christmas, the shelves look empty, with just a few items left to be picked up. Every client through the door has brought joy and festive cheer and taken away photographs it has been a joy to create.
Like I said, we are a lucky business.
And so it is that I feel incredibly fortunate to have worked with my guest for this interview for the past decade. Michele Jennings was, up until a couple of months ago, the CEO of Hearing Dogs For Deaf People - an incredible charity that provides assistance dogs for deaf adults and children. I have worked with the organisation for the past 11 years and so it has been my pleasure to spend time with Michele and her team, creating images for the brand.
This is a lovely interview and we cover all sorts of things from positivity to passion, from vision to values.
As ever, I asked Michele to nominate a book and she recommended Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman and it's available on Amazon here https://www.amazon.co.uk/Four-Thousand-Weeks-Time-How/dp/1847924018
Definitely worth a read!
If you're curious, Hearing Dogs For Deaf People can be found here: https://www.hearingdogs.org.uk/
Anyway, I hope you enjoy the interview!
Cheers
P.
If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to Mastering Portrait Photography, for more articles and videos about this beautiful industry. You can also read a full transcript of this episode.
PLEASE also subscribe and leave us a review - we'd love to hear what you think!
If there are any topics, you would like to hear, have questions we could answer or would like to come and be interviewed on the podcast, please contact me at paul@paulwilkinsonphotography.co.uk.
Friday Oct 28, 2022
EP130 Invest In Things That Benefit Your Client
Friday Oct 28, 2022
Friday Oct 28, 2022
I recorded this podcast at 7am while sat in the studio, waiting for a new TV to be delivered. Luckily it actually arrived when they said it would! The TV is for our Client Reveal Room as we want our customers to have the best possible experience when they come back to see their pictures.
But exactly how do you figure out where to spend your limited budget? On things that benefit your client, that's where!
In this episode, I mention a couple of different things. Firstly, a reminder of the colour correction tool I love: Imagen AI If you use this link: https://www.imagen-ai.com/start?ref=paulwilkinson the lovely guys at Imagen AI will give you 1500 free (yes 1500 FREE) file corrections. I get some as well, so feel free to use the link, and we BOTH get a freebie!
We have just announced a brand new workshop: Mastering The Essentials Of Studio Lighting.. This workshop is very anyone who is venturing into studio lighting and wants to get to grips with creating stunning images with simple techniques and easily available kit. We'll go through everything you need to know, from setting up the camera to getting the best out of your space. Details can be found at https://www.paulwilkinsonphotography.co.uk/store/workshops/mastering-essential-studio-lighting-21st-november-2022/ As always with our workshops, the number of attendees is strictly limited to 6 (or half a dozen if you prefer it in words) so everyone gets plenty of time to try things out and ask questions.
At the mentioned workshop, we'll be serving a delicious lunch care of the guys at What's Cooking. Admittedly this link is a little geo-restrictive (I doubt it's much use to listeners more than a few miles away!), but the lunch was sooooo good at the last workshop that I felt we just had to give a quick link!
Enjoy!
Cheers
P.
If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to Mastering Portrait Photography, for more articles and videos about this beautiful industry. You can also read a full transcript of this episode.
PLEASE also subscribe and leave us a review - we'd love to hear what you think!
If there are any topics, you would like to hear, have questions we could answer or would like to come and be interviewed on the podcast, please contact me at paul@paulwilkinsonphotography.co.uk.
Friday Sep 30, 2022
EP128 Stay Positive: That ’No’ Might Just Be A ’Yes’ For A Later Date
Friday Sep 30, 2022
Friday Sep 30, 2022
I have honestly grown to love the sales process - from pitch to payment, it is something I never thought I'd get my head around but have surprised myself.
One key aspect is understanding that a 'no' may not be all it seems. In this episode, Sarah and I have stood out in the weather at Thame Food Festival, pitching to prospective clients. Not everyone says 'yes' but learning that there are grades of success when it comes to selling, helps me not worry about those who've said 'no'.
During this episode, I mention a piece of software we're now using to expedite our colour correction. It's called ImagenAI and it uses machine learning to learn how YOU like YOUR colours, and then applies them. It's very fast, it's very cool, it's incredibly accurate and it's cost-effective. And, no, I am not in any way being paid to say that - it's just that this podcast was always meant to be helpful to other photographers and this is one of those moments when software is part of that value.
It can be found at https://www.imagen-ai.com/
Enjoy this episode!
Cheers
P.
If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to Mastering Portrait Photography, for more articles and videos about this beautiful industry. You can also read a full transcript of this episode.
PLEASE also subscribe and leave us a review - we'd love to hear what you think!
If there are any topics, you would like to hear, have questions we could answer or would like to come and be interviewed on the podcast, please contact me at paul@paulwilkinsonphotography.co.uk.
Wednesday Sep 14, 2022
Podcast 0126 - How A Winery Won Us Over (and Lessons We Can Learn)
Wednesday Sep 14, 2022
Wednesday Sep 14, 2022
After a little bit of a break from recording over the summer, this episode is a quick update and reflects on the experiences we had while visiting the beautiful Tuscany area of Italy. As with so much in business, it's the experience that completely won us over (though the product was delicious too!)
Huge shout to the Buglioni Winery (and, in particular, to Lorenzo, who could not have made us feel more special! We'll be back!)
We have also been announced as ambassadors for three different top-flight companies (so these links are going to become familiar territory!)
- Graphistudio The best photographic albums in the world!
- Pixellu Smart Albums If you design albums, this is a lifesaver!
- Panasonic Eneloop Our whole studio has these rechargeable batteries powering it!
It is an honour to be associated with all of these products as we already use them all (because they're the best!) Wouldn't have it any other way for our clients!
If you're reading this before Tuesday 20th September, 2022, Sarah and I will be talking on the Graphistudio stand at 1pm - we're going to be talking about five key things while creating a very special personal project with Graphistudio. The lessons were personal they apply to any photographer wishing to make the most of their client opportunities. Come say hello!
Enjoy!
Cheers
P.
If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to Mastering Portrait Photography, for more articles and videos about this beautiful industry.
PLEASE also subscribe and leave us a review - we'd love to hear what you think!
If there are any topics, you would like to hear, have questions we could answer or would like to come and be interviewed on the podcast, please contact me at paul@paulwilkinsonphotography.co.uk.
Thursday Jul 07, 2022
EP125 You Set Up The Sale In The Shoot (Not The Saleroom)
Thursday Jul 07, 2022
Thursday Jul 07, 2022
In this week's episode, I am talking about how we set up the sale in the shoot - not in the salesroom; the salesroom is where we close the deal. I love this process, and it works, too: happy clients, great images and consistent (and high-value) sales. Perfect.
Also, this episode is kindly sponsored by Pioneer Eneloop Batteries. Once again, I am extolling the virtues of replacing all those single-use batteries with eco-friendly, long-life rechargeables. I did the same thing last year and enjoyed using the batteries (and charger) so much that I went out and bought a complete set of them. The Zoom recorder I used for this episode has Eneloop Pro batteries in it. Love them.
You can get them on Amazon at https://amzn.to/3utOdzg
Also, I get carried away and end up chatting about the new headphones I bought - brilliant things! Was always jealous of Sarah's AirPods Pro that I bought for her (https://amzn.to/3upRhMH), so as I headed off to work in Ibiza a few weeks ago, I bought some Sony equivalents. Life-changing. Seriously. Life-changing. Podcasts, Spotify, and even watching Netflix while I'm retouching, I love these things.
Again, these are available on Amazon at https://amzn.to/3AxhjRT
Enjoy!
Cheers
P.
If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to Mastering Portrait Photography, for more articles and videos about this beautiful industry.
PLEASE also subscribe and leave us a review - we'd love to hear what you think!
If there are any topics, you would like to hear, have questions we could answer or would like to come and be interviewed on the podcast, please contact me at paul@paulwilkinsonphotography.co.uk.
Saturday Jun 04, 2022
EP124 Our Job Is To Make Memories
Saturday Jun 04, 2022
Saturday Jun 04, 2022
Well, I'm back in the shed for this episode - love the acoustics in here. Also, the peace and quiet as no-one disturbs me.
This week's episode is inspired by an email we received from Bob and Sylvia (two of our lovely listeners) who described how they dragged out their wedding album and what they felt when going through it after fifty years of marriage.
Enjoy!
Cheers
P.
If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to Mastering Portrait Photography, for more articles and videos about this beautiful industry.
PLEASE also subscribe and leave us a review - we'd love to hear what you think!
If there are any topics, you would like to hear, have questions we could answer or would like to come and be interviewed on the podcast, please contact me at paul@paulwilkinsonphotography.co.uk.
Thursday Mar 31, 2022
EP121 Portraits Are Portraits, Even If They’re Corporate
Thursday Mar 31, 2022
Thursday Mar 31, 2022
I think I may have mentioned this before, but I LOVE creating portraits. The past couple of days have been all about headshots - part corporate, part creative branding. Either way, these are just portraits.
And that is something that I cannot stress enough: if you're a portrait photographer, creating cool, engaging headshots is no different to creating fine-art portraits - and you get to meet some incredibly interesting people along the way.
When you're designing your photography business, it is worth remembering that there is more than one way to generate revenue if you have a talent for capturing portraits!
During this episode, I mention the workshops we've introduced here at our studio. Details of these can be found here on our website.
Enjoy!
Cheers
P.
If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to Mastering Portrait Photography, for more articles and videos about this beautiful industry.
PLEASE also subscribe and leave us a review - we'd love to hear what you think!
If there are any topics, you would like to hear, have questions we could answer or would like to come and be interviewed on the podcast, please contact me at paul@paulwilkinsonphotography.co.uk.
Saturday Mar 26, 2022
EP120 Service Is King, No Matter The Market
Saturday Mar 26, 2022
Saturday Mar 26, 2022
So it's been a month since recording the last podcast. A busy month. A very busy month. But during that time I did manage to get some time out with Sarah and our trusty spaniel, Rufus, and go for a walking holiday in South Wales.
Wales is my home country so it is always a real joy to be back - there is something about the country, its ruggedness and its friendliness in equal measure: a week of walking, enjoying the sights and laughing. Glorious.
During the week, I had a chance to experience customer service in all its glory (and otherwise) and I took the opportunity of paying attention to see if there is anything we could learn.
During this podcast, I mention some workshops we've introduced here at our studio. Details of these can be found here on our website.
Enjoy!
Cheers
P.
If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to Mastering Portrait Photography, for more articles and videos about this beautiful industry.
PLEASE also subscribe and leave us a review - we'd love to hear what you think!
If there are any topics, you would like to hear, have questions we could answer or would like to come and be interviewed on the podcast, please contact me at paul@paulwilkinsonphotography.co.uk.