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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
Tuesday Nov 21, 2023
EP140 Perfection Is A Luxury You (And Your Clients) Can Ill Afford
Tuesday Nov 21, 2023
Tuesday Nov 21, 2023
At this time of year, more than any other, I find myself chasing my tail to complete everything I need to get done before the seasonal deadlines (otherwise our clients will be disappointed!) Of course, I want everything I do to be perfect but, as I have learned time and again, perfection is something that is unattainable and it is bad business too - finding the sweet spot balancing quality and time is the trick here. In the end, if you spend limitless hours reaching for something that cannot be reached, it would be tough to find clients who could afford it!
I mention an EP that a friend of ours recorded and created a vinyl record as well as uploaded to Spotfy. The EP can be found here on Spotify.
I only played on "I Think We're Alone Now" and "Teenage Dirtbag" but let me know what you think!
The Superclass and Masterclass we will be running at the Societies Convention 2024 can be found at https://thesocieties.net/convention/speakers/paul-wilkinson/ and we would love to see you there - either at the workshops or just for a well-deserved pint!
Finally, all of our workshops at our studio can be found at https://www.paulwilkinsonphotography.co.uk/photography-workshops-and-training/
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.
Saturday Mar 18, 2023
EP135 Winning (Or Not) And Finding Positives - Whatever The Outcome
Saturday Mar 18, 2023
Saturday Mar 18, 2023
Well, this weekend has two big events: Mother's Day and the Societies Of Photographers Annual Convention In London.
Sadly I wasn't able to make the Convention this year - though I was there in spirit! That didn't stop me entering the print competition though. I didn't come away with any gongs this year and that always stings just a little. Somehow, I have to convert the feeling of missing out on a fantastic convention with photographers who I love to spend time with (FOMO anyone?) and also not getting the scores I would have loved for my entries.
It's all part of the puzzle when it comes to entering photographic competitions.
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 Oct 09, 2022
EP129 - What Is Your Inner Energy Source?
Sunday Oct 09, 2022
Sunday Oct 09, 2022
At the end of a long week, the exhaustion can creep up on you. Fatigue is not an unusual feeling for a professional photographer. But finding your source of energy, whether it's your work, your clients, your colleagues or just some time out with family, is crucial.
For me? Well, for me it's always been about people in one form or another!
The details of the Photo Hubs Oxford workshop mentioned in this episode can be found at:
https://photohubs.co.uk/product/oxford-light/
This is a hands-on, three-hour workshop for no more than ten people and is all about the thing that I love doing most: finding and using available light for fantastic portraits!
Would love to see you there!
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 Feb 19, 2021
EP96 Don't Let Habit Hold You Back!
Friday Feb 19, 2021
Friday Feb 19, 2021
Photographers - or, more precisely, photography trainers - talk about muscle memory - creating habit and comfort in what you do. But have you ever thought it might hold you back?
In this caffeine-fueled, bleary-eyed podcast recorded early on a Friday morning, I ponder on how to break out of your self-imposed limitation - one that we constantly refer to as a necessary thing: your muscle memory.
BE WARNED: there is a modicum of rudeness and one or two swear words at the beginning. Should you happen to be listening to this in the background while doing a little homeschooling with the kids, I suggest you pause it (the podcast, not the homeschooling) until you have a glass of wine and no youngsters around!
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?
Monday Sep 28, 2020
Monday Sep 28, 2020
In this episode, I get a chance to talk to the team of qualification judges that I am privileged to be a part of for the British Institue of Professional Photography.
I thought it would be interesting (and so it proved to be) to ask each of them before and after the judging, what they would love to see, what (after the fact) was a highlight and what they would say to anyone thinking of getting themselves qualified.
The two days of judging are really intensive - you can hear the fatigue in the judges' voices later in the podcast - but what they have to see is inciteful and priceless.
The judges in this episode are:
- David Stanbury - https://www.stanburyphotography.co.uk/
- Catherine Beltramini - http://www.catherine-beltraminiphotography.com/
- Sean Conboy - http://seanconboy.com/
- Saraya Corteville - https://sarayacortaville.co.uk/
- James Musselwhite - https://www.portraitofawrestler.com/
- and me - https://paulwilkinsonphotography.co.uk
The chair of judges is Scott Johnson -https://www.theedgephotography.co.uk/
And if that weren't enough, I also get the chance to chat with Martin Baynes, the CEO of the British Institute of Professional Photography about qualifications and what the future holds.
- The British Institue Of Professional Photography - https://www.bipp.com/
So, all in all, quite a long podcast (just over an hour), but well worth it. So pour a cuppa, sit back and enjoy an insight into the judges and judging for professional photography qualifications.
Enjoy!
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
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
Tuesday Jan 07, 2020
Ep.65 2020 Vision: Twelve Months In Training
Tuesday Jan 07, 2020
Tuesday Jan 07, 2020
Ah, and so here we are: 2020. We've careered through the holidays like a kid on a brand new scooter, bouncing down the road until we've crashed headlong into the New Year, and here we are, bruised and smiling, all ready to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves down and get back on for the ride ahead.
This year, this year, is all about development and learning. I LOVE this job - more than you can imagine - but by the end of 2019 I was utterly shattered. Now, don't get me wrong here, 2019 was the best year we've ever had in terms of clients, shoots and, ultimately, revenue, but it was a brutal 12 months and by the time we bounced into the festive season, I was feeling anything other than festive. Unless by 'festive' you mean sat useless in an armchair craving, of all things, sherry, a little junk TV and a sausage roll or two. Or four.
It had not been a year for taking time for personal development.
So we kick off this year while the paint is still wet and it's going to be a year of learning. I need to spend 2020 focussing (forgive the pun) on driving my creativity forward. I don't quite know where that will lead - or how I'll do it - but I am utterly determined to get out there and adding some new arrows to the quiver, tools to the toolbox, colours to the palette: basically, I need to get out there and learn some new stuff.
And I cannot wait to get started!
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
Tuesday Jul 09, 2019
Ep.54 Interview With Steve Gregory, Founder, Fitlife Gym
Tuesday Jul 09, 2019
Tuesday Jul 09, 2019
"To keep them coming, to keep them inspired, you have to give them an experience."
So true. In this episode I talk to Steve Gregory, founder and owner of the inspirational Fitlife Gym about his career as professional footballer (soccer player for my U.S. friends), his motiviation for fitness and how he deals with the highs and lows of running a business. A wonderfully frank interview that deals with the low points of suddenly running a successful business (yes, that is often how it can feel), having good mentors and finding ways to keep the business exciting and fast moving. This is one of those interviews where the parallels to the photography industry are all too apparent. Except for the fitness bit...
This episode's addition to our every-expanding library is Start With Why by Simon Sinek - a great book if you're building a new business!
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 Jul 11, 2018
Ep.21 - On Mentoring And Keeping Calm
Wednesday Jul 11, 2018
Wednesday Jul 11, 2018
Welcome to episode 21 of the Mastering Portrait Photography Podcast!
It's been a busy week here with portrait shoots (both family and commercial) and a wedding thrown in for good measure! But it's not all been work, it's also been our local Summer Beer Festival which is a glorious celebration of all things summer with some ale, cider, Pimms, gin and laughter for good measure: plus it was the World Cup with England playing Sweden so it was always going to be a lively affair!
And it's the football that set me thinking about coaching (or as we, in the photography fraternity prefer to call it: mentoring) - it's importance and benefits.
This week also saw one of our shoots rearranged on the fly and I talk a little about the psychology of dealing with a dramatic change in the schedule while still (somehow) satisfying the brief. All in all, a busy week!
Oh, and we're now prepping the Mastering Portrait Photography site (www.masteringportraitphotography.com) to go live at the beginning of August. Can't wait!
Enjoy!
All the best
Paul.