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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.
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.
Wednesday Oct 06, 2021
EP112 Interview With Julia Fensom, Sleep Consultant And Author
Wednesday Oct 06, 2021
Wednesday Oct 06, 2021
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1788164490/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_QMAF854F9DEE3JCQ8QVY
Why We Sleep: The New Science of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0141983760/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_1TYQTNRNTM1PX0JYZ81X
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1983378925/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_C8XC47XMX02A5NRK4VKA
Cheers
P.
If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to Mastering Portrait Photography, where there are 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.
If you'd like to use one of the other players out there, why not try Vurbl?
Thursday Sep 23, 2021
EP111 On Technique vs Imagination
Thursday Sep 23, 2021
Thursday Sep 23, 2021
Cheers
P.
If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to Mastering Portrait Photography, where there are 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.
If you'd like to use one of the other players out there, why not try Vurbl?
Wednesday Jul 28, 2021
EP110 Interview With Best Selling Author Eni Obi
Wednesday Jul 28, 2021
Wednesday Jul 28, 2021
Cheers
P.
If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to Mastering Portrait Photography, where there are 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.
If you'd like to use one of the other players out there, why not try Vurbl?
Saturday May 22, 2021
EP105 On Using Your Own Portfolio To Inspire YOU!
Saturday May 22, 2021
Saturday May 22, 2021
In this episode I'm back in the Land Rover Defender heading out to buy our evening's supper: fish'n'chips! We were due to go and sit on a hill side and eat them with a pint of beer but, sadly, the brassic weather has other ideas. Instead, I am pootling through Midsommer Murders territory on a wet and wild Friday evening.
In this episode, sponsored by Panasonic Eneloop Pro Batteries, I have an idea about how you might use your own portfolio - the images that you've taken that you love - to inspire you and keep you energised ready for whatever walks through the door.
Enjoy!
Cheers
P.
If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to Mastering Portrait Photography, where there are 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.
If you'd like to use one of the other players out there, why not try Vurbl?
Friday May 14, 2021
EP104 On The Courage For Competitions
Friday May 14, 2021
Friday May 14, 2021
Well, this episode is recorded from my nearly-finished workshop which, while it is ultimately built for making things, also seems to have great acoustics! That wasn't a design choice but it makes for a coincidentally glorious recording studio!
It's great at the studio right now, as everything is opening back up and the business is returning to its familiar buzz.
This episode, sponsored by Panasonic Eneloop Pro Batteries, discusses entering and learning from image competitions: you cannot win if you don't enter - and there may be other rewards beyond the obvious prizes! Besides, if you're careful about which ones you enter, they're completely anonymous unless you win something! How scary can it be? And yet, they are just that: scary. But if you can find a way past the fear, the rewards make the nerves worthwhile.
Enjoy!
Cheers
P.
If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to Mastering Portrait Photography, where there are 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.
If you'd like to use one of the other players out there, why not try Vurbl?
Friday Apr 23, 2021
EP102 On Leaving Lockdown And Loving To Laugh!
Friday Apr 23, 2021
Friday Apr 23, 2021
It's been an amazing week and you can really feel the change in energy as the Covid lockdown is gradually eased. Emails coming in, the phones are ringing, shoots are happening (rather than perpetually postponed) and in-person sales sessions are back and in full force! Yay!
On the other hand, everything feels rusty, unfamiliar and slightly unnerving. Weird. Getting back up to speed is going to be an exciting process for us here at the studio! Every day is a school day huh?
As long as we're laughing all the way, things will be just fine!
Cheers
P.
If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to Mastering Portrait Photography, where there are 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.
If you'd like to use one of the other players out there, why not try Vurbl?
Friday Feb 12, 2021
Friday Feb 12, 2021
In this interview, I get a chance to talk with the incredible photographer, Sanjay Jogia. To quote from Canon's website (he is a Canon Ambassador):
Sanjay Jogia is one of the world's most decorated wedding photographers, with a clutch of awards from both the Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers (SWPP) and Wedding & Portrait Photographers International (WPPI). The Briton is known for capturing a mix of posed and unposed images, all bursting with emotion and charm. He also shares his expertise, travelling the world to deliver lectures and workshops.
Serving the luxury wedding market, Sanjay's company, Eye Jogia Photography, specialises in wedding photography of the most demanding kind: destination weddings all over the world, and Indian weddings, which pose distinct challenges compared to other types of ceremony. "Indian weddings are more intense and much longer: a typical day can be 12 to 16 hours," says Sanjay. "There are many separate rituals on the day of the main ceremony, and all the days tend to be an onslaught of colour, energy, emotion, socialising and fun."
Well, that may be the official line but I know him as someone who I thoroughly enjoy judging with - his sharp attention to detail, the emotion and his humanity (he is always respectful of each and every image we assess) make him a pleasure to work alongside.
In this interview we talk about a wide range of topics though I had originally intended to talk about what we have learned through judging - it is still in there somewhere but there is much more besides!
I talk about one particular image in the podcast - this is that image:
I just love the subtlety of it! More of Sanjay's beautiful work can be found at https://www.eyejogia.com/
As always, I asked him for a book submission for ou library and he recommended "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" by Robert Kiyosaki. This is a book I've read a couple of times and is well worth the investment!
Enjoy!
Cheers
P.
If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to Mastering Portrait Photography, where there are 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.
If you'd like to use one of the other players out there, why not try Vurbl?
Friday Jan 08, 2021
Friday Jan 08, 2021
In a podcast last year, I lamented that I had lost a little mojo - the penalty for having a massively busy season prior to that. This triggered a couple of threads of conversation, one of which is this interview with Trevor Long PhD.
To quote from his bio: "Trevor brings an extensive experience in education and consultancy to this work, from many different countries and cultures, with a primary interest in individual development as a means of building long-term growth and well-being. Working with several business schools, including Cambridge, Duke, Henley and Warwick, he has designed and delivered programmes on strategy, leadership, change, personal development and cultural awareness. He focuses on the educational content of the charity.
"With a strong interest in the benefits of personal motivation, Trevor’s research is rooted in the personal experience of engagement and its application in leadership and business growth. He has a PhD, an MBA and other qualifications involving coaching and psychology."
In this fascinating interview, Trevor talks about ways in which we can be more creative, stay motivated and generally be happier in everything that we do. And right now? Well, I'll take every bit of information on joy and contentment that I can find!
Trevor, and his wife Nikki, run a charity in The Gambia, called Be Reel, that helps the community form viable, sustainable micro-businesses to feed themselves and their families. Details of the charity can be found here.
As always, I asked Trevor to nominate a book for our every-growing Photography Library here at the studio. In typical enthusiastic fashion, he nominated two!
The first is called "Mindfulness And The Natural World", by Claire Thompson:
The second, by Micah Mortali, is called Rewilding.
Enjoy the interview and please share with anyone you think might find it useful.
Cheers
P.
If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to Mastering Portrait Photography, where there are 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.