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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
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 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?
Saturday Mar 20, 2021
EP100 An Evening In With My Missus: My Favourite Place To Be!
Saturday Mar 20, 2021
Saturday Mar 20, 2021
Well, it's been 99 episodes to date, and now this, the 100th! Whoever thought we'd get to that milestone? Well, it's entirely down to you amazing people, our subscribers and the feedback we get: that and the cathartic effect of chatting about life as a professional portrait photographer.
Over the past 99 episodes, some of my favourites have been the various interviews with many more to come, and there isn't anyone I'd rather be chatting with than my amazing wife and co-director Sarah. So I thought this episode would be a nice moment to grab a glass of wine and look forward to the lockdown restrictions being lifted. Oh, and to reminisce about some of the things that have gone wrong over the years!
All while trying to silently consume olives, peanuts, ciabatta and wine! Ah, you gotta love a romantic Friday evening; just the two of us and microphones.
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 Mar 05, 2021
EP98 Keep It Simple!
Friday Mar 05, 2021
Friday Mar 05, 2021
I admit this is a shorter episode than some - I am multitasking and getting prepped and rehearsed for the Graphistudio Live Lounge over the weekend - details can be found at https://www.graphistudio.com/en/accademia/
I'm on stage (as much as there is a stage of course) at 15:40 UK time (16:40 European time, 10:40 US Eastern) talking about shooting for album sales. Would love to see you all there! We could all go out for a drink at the bar afterwards... ....oh.... ...wait... nope, sadly not.
This podcast is about something I've always believed: keeping it simple! Complexity rarely helps you, your photography or your business. Keeping things nice and simple helps the shoot to flow and for your clients to enjoy their experience as much as possible. At least that's true for portrait photography - it may not be so true if you're someone who shoots detailed products where a focus-stacking, light-stacking and hours of retouching are the norm!
For me? Well I'm at my happiest when it's just me, my client, my camera and a little light. Just perfect.
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 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?
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?
Thursday Aug 20, 2020
EP81 Death By Diary
Thursday Aug 20, 2020
Thursday Aug 20, 2020
Today I am musing (and, additionally, interrupting myself - not once but twice!) on being beholden to my diary. It is, of course, completely to be expected when you run a successful portrait photography business but that doesn't make it easy. Instead, you have to find strategies for keeping motivated, keeping the excitement and keeping up the creativity.
PS. there is a slight irony in today's recording that, having had a massively scheduled day, I felt the need to add a couple of updates to the recording to talk about just how much I have enjoyed today - both personally and creatively!
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 Aug 12, 2020
EP79 Interview With Andy Blake Of Kaleidoscope Framing
Wednesday Aug 12, 2020
Wednesday Aug 12, 2020
Life as a photographer can feel like you're working on your own - all those hours with the camera, lights, with Photoshop and the complexities of your own business. But, of course, the truth is a little more nuanced than that: we may be here in our studio on our own, but we have a wealth of talent around us - our suppliers. Every day, I sell their products, their talents, their ideas to our clients, whether it's a frame, an album or a portfolio, I am wholly reliant on numerous other people to carry my brand.
In this interview, I get the chance to talk with Andy Blake, the General Manager at Kaleidoscope Framing - a company whose wonderful products we have relied on for well over a decade now. It's a lovely interview (you may get the impression we get on well - and you'd be right!) and we talk about various aspects of the photographic industry and how things are changing - something particularly pertinent in these complicated times.
The fact that we get on well isn't a coincidence - building a relationship with your suppliers is as important as building them with your clients as it's your suppliers who, ultimately, provide the platform on which your products will shine. It's not about the products, of course, it's about your photography, but displaying your craft in the very best light is what this business is all about. And your suppliers make that possible.
As always with our interviews, I asked Andy to recommend a book to add to our every-expanding library. He recommended "One Day For Life", a book of photos all taken on a single day in 1987 in aid of Cancer Research. I couldn't find any new copies but this link https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0593014642/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_OV6mFbGKHVT2G takes you to second-hand copies on Amazon (I bought mine for £2.95!)
Enjoy the interview!
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
Saturday Jul 18, 2020
EP78 Coping With Covid As We Re-Boot The Business
Saturday Jul 18, 2020
Saturday Jul 18, 2020
This episode was recorded from the cab of my Land Rover Defender as I head to (and come back from) the wedding that held on in the diary despite of the risk of cancellation due to Covid-19 restrictions. You have to admire their bravery and it was, in the end, a perfect day for them and for the team working with them!
After everything that has happened, it wasn't obvious just how easy the day would be but, as it turned out, the day was stunning - and it looks like we'll be able to create beautiful imagery and still stay safe. The same is true of everything we're doing at the studio to make both lifestyle and studio portraits not only safe and compliant with the 'new normal' but just as creative and exciting as they've always been.
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