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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
Sunday Mar 15, 2020
Ep.71 First And Foremost, First Impressions
Sunday Mar 15, 2020
Sunday Mar 15, 2020
During a conversation the other day, a visiting photographer to the studio passed a comment about the frames he displayed in the entrance to his own studio. This one, short, passing comment, led me to the obvious observation that first impressions count. And, importantly, you cannot have a second go at it.
But everyone knows that right? Of course. So I thought I'd take a walk through our studio here to see if we live up to that very same ideal that I so often advise others.
Listen to the podcast to see if our clients' initial impact when arriving at the studio is everything I think it should be!
During the podcast I mention the one-on-one workshops we run here at our studio, right in the heart of our little village. More details can be found at https://www.paulwilkinsonphotography.co.uk/photography-workshops/
Enjoy!
If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to Mastering Portrait Photography where there are articles and videos about this wonderful 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 simply like to come and be interviewed on the podcast, please contact me at paul@paulwilkinsonphotography.co.uk
Wednesday Jan 22, 2020
Ep.67 You Have To Relate (Whatever It Takes!)
Wednesday Jan 22, 2020
Wednesday Jan 22, 2020
Relating to your client is a key skill in social photography - and there is no escaping it. Whatever it takes, you need to find ways of having a meaningful conversation even if you're client is (literally) a rocket scientist!
Right now I am sitting at the 2020 Societies Of Photographers Convention, typing this in the hotel bar, watching photographers laughing and joking as we begin the annual print judging. Always fun. Hopefully I'll get a chance to record daily updates while I'm here but we'll see how it goes!
In the meantime Enjoy!
If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to Mastering Portrait Photography where there are articles and videos about this wonderful industry. You can subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, PodBean and Spotify.
PLEASE also 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 simply like to come and be interviewed on the podcast, please contact me at paul@paulwilkinsonphotography.co.uk
Monday Jan 13, 2020
Ep.66 It’s January And It’s A Studio Revamp
Monday Jan 13, 2020
Monday Jan 13, 2020
We are already 2% of the way through 2020. 0.02 of 2020. Go figure.
I've used that time so far to grab tools, some wood and to hack away at our studio - goodness knows it (and me) needed it. It's a long time since I've drawn up engineering drawings and I am, honestly, loving every second.
Oh, and I've been creating pictures too. So you didn't need to worry that I had retired the cameras. They're just having a breather.
Enjoy!
If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to Mastering Portrait Photography where there are articles and videos about this wonderful industry. You can subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, PodBean and Spotify.
PLEASE also 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 simply like to come and be interviewed on the podcast, please contact me at paul@paulwilkinsonphotography.co.uk
Friday Nov 29, 2019
Ep.64 The Importance Of Being Present
Friday Nov 29, 2019
Friday Nov 29, 2019
So you know what it's like: you're in the middle of a busy week, the weather is crappy, you're tired and you have a shoot to do...
Not exactly conducive to creativity. And yet, and yet... your job is to weave your magic - from the experience to the images, your clients rely on you, nay your business relies on you to kick into gear and perform to the absolute limit of your ability. Even if you'd rather be sitting with a cup of tea (or a glass of wine!)
And that is always the case. No matter what, it is crucial that you turn up and you're present. 100%. Each. And. Every. Time. Your clients deserve it.
Enjoy!
If you do enjoy this podcast, please head over to Mastering Portrait Photography where there are articles and videos about this wonderful industry. You can subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, PodBean and Spotify.
PLEASE also 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 simply like to come and be interviewed on the podcast, please contact me at paul@paulwilkinsonphotography.co.uk
Sunday Nov 17, 2019
Ep.63 Interview With Photographer Richard Bradbury FBIPP FMPA
Sunday Nov 17, 2019
Sunday Nov 17, 2019
A real pleasure to have interviewed Richard Bradbury FBIPP FMPA. Richard is one of the world's great photographers and an all round nice guy and the interview is full of little gems about preparing for sales, customer service and authenticity. In fact, our chat in his west London studio is full of useful stuff for anyone interested in running a photography business.
As is our way, I asked Richard to recommend a book or two for our ever-expanding library of interesting books. Richard recommended Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind and The Work Of Hipgnosis : Walk Away Renee by Storm Thorgerson.
Enjoy!
If you do enjoy this podcast, please head over to Mastering Portrait Photography where there are articles and videos about this wonderful industry. You can subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, PodBean and Spotify.
PLEASE also 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 simply like to come and be interviewed on the podcast, please contact me at paul@paulwilkinsonphotography.co.uk
Monday Oct 28, 2019
Ep.61 Interview With Su Kaye, MPA Chair Of Judges
Monday Oct 28, 2019
Monday Oct 28, 2019
It's always a pleasure when I get to sit and chat with someone with such a wide and interesting view of photography as Su Kaye, MPA's Chair Of Judges. I've known Su for a few years and, as ever, she is intriguing, knowledgeable and engagingly honest about her life, career and what the future holds for her and the photography industry.
As always, I asked my interviewee to choose a book or two for our ever-expanding library and she chose the following brilliant editions:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1846149649/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_bx1TDbYEFFBMM Obama: An Intimate Portrait: The Historic Presidency in Photographs
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cyclops-Collection-Photographs-Albert-Watson/dp/0821223887 Cyclops: A Collection of Photographs by Albert Watson
I've used the Amazon links for these (as these offered the best value I could find) but they're available in various online booksellers.
Enjoy!
If you do enjoy this podcast, please head over to Mastering Portrait Photography where there are articles and videos about this wonderful industry. You can subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, PodBean and Spotify.
PLEASE also 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 simply like to come and be interviewed on the podcast, please contact me at paul@paulwilkinsonphotography.co.uk
Monday Sep 23, 2019
Ep.60 Dealing With That Disappointment
Monday Sep 23, 2019
Monday Sep 23, 2019
You've finished your shoot (in this case, a wedding), everything is packed up, the memory cards are shared between you (you know, just in case you're in a car crash - you have clean underwear on too, just like your mum told you) and you're trundling your way home.
And then it hits you.
That all-too-familiar wave of paranoia and disappointment.
You start to think of all the images that you didn't take. Ignoring the hundreds, maybe thousands, that you did capture - beautiful images, maybe even a competition image or two. And the constraints of a wedding. And the UK weather. Yet still, you focus on the things you didn't manage to capture.
And it's a normal feeling. Uncomfortable? Yes of course, but still normal.
This podcast is all about that disappointment.
Enjoy (and don't be disappointed!)
If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to Mastering Portrait Photography where there are articles and videos about this wonderful industry. You can subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, PodBean and Spotify.
PLEASE also 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 simply like to come and be interviewed on the podcast, please contact me at paul@paulwilkinsonphotography.co.uk
Wednesday Aug 07, 2019
Ep.58 Interview With Melanie East, Newborn Photographer
Wednesday Aug 07, 2019
Wednesday Aug 07, 2019
In this interview, I get to spend a very happy hour in the company of Melanie East, an extraordinary Newborn Photographer and Trainer: Melanie is known around the world for her passion and creativity for newborn photography and is the author of the book The Art Of Newborn Photography. She is equally passionate about running a business which is key to the success of any social photographer!
We get to talk about how (and why) she became a newborn photographer; her views on safety; running a business; the love of the sales process and her taste in soft furnishings (which, it has to be said, is flawless.)
Her chosen book - which I initially struggle to spot under a huge pile of publications that permanently resides on her coffee table - is the Icons Of Photography by Peter Stepan which is a wonderfully worthy addition to our ever-expanding library. And you can get 2nd-hand copies for less than a fiver! Bargain.
Enjoy!
If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to Mastering Portrait Photography where there are articles and videos about this wonderful industry. You can subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, PodBean and Spotify.
PLEASE also 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 simply like to come and be interviewed on the podcast, please contact me at paul@paulwilkinsonphotography.co.uk
Thursday Aug 01, 2019
Ep.57 Interview With Rob Panting, Communications Manager, OxLEP
Thursday Aug 01, 2019
Thursday Aug 01, 2019
Meet one of our clients. Rob Panting, Communications Officer for OxLEP (The Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership) has been a commissioning client of ours for nearly decade - starting at the Hearing Dogs charity in 2011 and then with Affinity Trust, Bucks Care and his current employer, OxLEP.
I thought it would be interesting to ask him what he values when selecting (and retaining) suppliers such as photographers. Of course, the answer to that question is a useful insight (and the answer is NOT the quality of the photography!)
It was a pleasure to chat with someone who I really love working with and whose organisation really does value and use photography well - if you look at their website you'll see what I mean. Rob came to our studio to chat along with Leona Weston who is their star apprentice and she also chats a little about why she chose an apprenticeship rather than college or university.
Plenty of stuff in this interview if you want to run a successful photography business.
As usual, I asked our guest to recommend a book for our virtual library and Rob recommended two. There's enthusiasm for you.
The first is Coming Back To Me - the autobiography of Marcus Trescothick. This is a true-life sporting memoir of one of the best batsman in the game who stunned the cricket world when he prematurely ended his own England career. Trescothick’s brave and soul-baring account of his mental frailties opens the way to a better understanding of the unique pressures experienced by modern-day professional sportsmen.
The second is not a book but a magazine: Sports Illustrated. You'll have to listen to the interview to understand Rob's passion for sports photography. While I can't give a link to be able to download the one book, you can subscribe to the magazine (if you fancy)_ here.
Enjoy!
If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to Mastering Portrait Photography where there are articles and videos about this wonderful industry. You can subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, PodBean and Spotify.
PLEASE also 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 simply like to come and be interviewed on the podcast, please contact me at paul@paulwilkinsonphotography.co.uk
Sunday Jul 21, 2019
Ep.56 Faith, Fear, Fatigue: The ‘F’ Words Of A Photography Business
Sunday Jul 21, 2019
Sunday Jul 21, 2019
In this episode, I am talking about the all-too familiar feelings of a photography business: faith, fear and fatigue (and possibly one or two other 'F' words!)
When you start you set out from some point of having nothing more than an idea - and a whole heap of faith! Insecurity, sure, ignorance, naivity, risk, maybe a little poverty - but, in the end, an utter belief that it’s the right thing to do. You may not be right, of course, but that faith carries you into the new venture.
Then it works. And the fatigue and the fear kick in.
This podcast is just me chatting away about those feelings and reading out the email I sent to Sarah way back in 2006 that described how I hoped things might pan out and firmly setting the two of us as the team that would make it happen (even though both of us were in different careers at that point!)
I mentioned a book by Anita Roddick in the email I sent to Sarah - I think she bought the bought the book for me as a Christmas present. That book is 'Business Unusual' and can be found on Amazon for 1 pence (the postage is probably a tenner...)
If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to Mastering Portrait Photography where there are articles and videos about this wonderful industry. You can subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, PodBean and Spotify.
PLEASE also 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 simply like to come and be interviewed on the podcast, please contact me at paul@paulwilkinsonphotography.co.uk