The Mastering Portrait Photography Podcast

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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 Oct 09, 2022

EP129 - What Is Your Inner Energy Source?

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.

Saturday Apr 16, 2022

EP122 Fireworks and Finding Freedom In The Studio

Saturday Apr 16, 2022

It's late and I'm driving back from a beautiful spring wedding, shot in uncharacteristic April sunshine. I am, to put it mildly, hot and tired. in spite of this, I thought it would be an idea to record a quick podcast on my way home, so here it is - various musings on finding freedom in the studio and the joy of using the Z9 as a wedding photographer. Oh, and I got to photograph some fireworks which is always a lot of fun!

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.

Wednesday Oct 06, 2021

EP112 Interview With Julia Fensom, Sleep Consultant And Author

Wednesday Oct 06, 2021

I knew this would be an entertaining podcast and so it proved to be: Julia Fensom, author of With Sleep I Can Do Anything: The First Year - A Manual is always funny, energetic and full of ideas. So this interview was always going to be interesting - and long! When the two of us get together it is always a very funny hour or two, laughing about life, having families and running a small business.

While, admittedly, we do talk a bit about babies (and photographing them), mostly the interview is about life, business and what it takes to work well with clients (some of whom are only a few weeks old!)

As usual, I asked Julia to nominate a book - or maybe two - that could be added to the ever-expanding library of interesting reads:

Cribsheet By Emily Oster

A Data-Driven Guide to Better, More Relaxed Parenting, from Birth to Preschool
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

Both these links will take you to the Amazon book store but I am sure they are available elsewhere!

Also, it would be remiss if I didn't include Julia's own book:

With sleep, I can do anything: The first year - A manual
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1983378925/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_C8XC47XMX02A5NRK4VKA

So with 90 minutes of listening time, this might not fit within your regular commute but, hopefully, it'll be interesting enough to pick back up on the way home!

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?

Thursday Sep 23, 2021

EP111 On Technique vs Imagination

Thursday Sep 23, 2021

I am so sorry it's been a couple of months since I last published an episode - a very busy few months here at the studio!

In this episode, numerous conversations at The UK Photography Show 2021 started me thinking about whether technique is more important than imagination (or vice versa).

What do you think? Let me know in the comments or drop me an email (paul@paulwilkinsonphotography.co.uk) - I'm genuinely curious!

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?

Wednesday Jul 28, 2021

EP110 Interview With Best Selling Author Eni Obi

Wednesday Jul 28, 2021

Every day new clients, new stories, new laughter. That is the joy of a portrait photographer.

At the end of a recent headshot session, it seemed a shame to stop the laughter. So we didn't. Instead of packing up and going home, we plugged in some microphones and recorded a podcast. The portrait session had been sunny and full of stories and the interview is much the same!

I love when that happens: you meet someone new and the session flies past, with as much chat as creativity. Serendipity, karma, the luck of the righteous; whoever is looking after me, it is true that I get to meet and talk to some amazing people!

And Eni Obi, best-selling author, speaker and coach is one of those people.

The podcast touches on her life, her career, her book, her energy and her positivity.

If you're curious, her bestselling book, Your Life Is Calling: How To DO YOU And Live Without Regrets is available on Amazon.

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 Jul 19, 2021

EP109 On Why Being Busy Creates Energy All Of Its Own

Monday Jul 19, 2021

Dad was always right. Of course, it took me a decade or two to acknowledge that fact, but dad was always right.

Of many pearls (of the wisdom variety) he threw in my direction, is this: if you want something doing, give it to someone who's already busy.

I don't know if I believed it at the time. That's the thing about fathers: you don't like to tell them they're right. But he always was.

And on this one, he was spot on.

If you want something doing, get someone who's already busy to do it.

Dad's wisdom extends to your business. The busier you are, the more you will get done. And, more importantly, the more people will book you.

Life is funny like that.

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?

Sunday Jun 06, 2021

EP106 On Taking Pride In Everything You Do

Sunday Jun 06, 2021

In this episode, sponsored by Panasonic eneloop Pro Rechargeable Batteries, I am pondering on the difference between being 'proud' and 'taking pride' in everything you do. A subtle but important distinction - particularly if you're British and have been brought up that pride always comes before a fall!

Some ideas about how to get around that familiar feeling of not wanting to brag about your images - tell the client how amazing they look instead! Much more comfortable for us Brits and has the added bonus of making the client feel great too!

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?

Saturday May 22, 2021

EP105 On Using Your Own Portfolio To Inspire YOU!

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?

Saturday May 01, 2021

EP103 On The Witchery Of Words (And The Power Of The Positive)

Saturday May 01, 2021

Have you ever wondered how just a few words can make your day or break your heart? In this episode I ponder on how words are the backbone of portrait photography: during the shoot, they're the only thing you have!

From the minute your client arrives, to the moment you're saying your goodbyes and waving them from your doorstep (you do actually make the effort to see them to their card don't you?!), it's your words and what you say with your body language that is going to make or break the shoot. Yes, the images will ultimately be the thing you sell, but the experience and the way your client feels during the shoot are so much important than any pixels can be.

Words. It's all in the witchery of the words.

I mention a piece of software called FoCal in the episode - this is a fantastic app for calibrating your lenses if you happen to own a Nikon or Canon camera (sorry Fuji, Sony, and Olympus users!) It was recommended by one of our Mastering Portrait Photography members - Bob Foyers (https://foyers.photography/) and may be one of the most useful apps I will see all year!

FoCal can be found here: https://www.reikanfocal.com/ You're welcome. Oh, and thanks to Bob for mentioning it!

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

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?