The Mastering Portrait Photography Podcast

In this interview, I get to chat with Keith Roberts who had the masterstroke idea of matching top portrait photographers with the world's top cruise line.

He talks about his life prior to setting up Paragon Pixels with many funny stories along the way (listen out for how he managed to screw up a critical roll of film while working in medical photography, leaving him barricaded inside the hospital dark room!)

Keith is a remarkable guy on a number of levels - not least of which, is that he is a phenomenal photographer in his own right but has spent most of his life promoting the work of others (something that is all too rare!) It was his idea to match up some of the world's top portrait photographers with the world's top cruise line and, along with Phil, his brother, and Phil's wife, Lydia, he set up the company which now delivers beautiful images to discerning passengers around the globe. 

And I am very lucky to BE one of those photographers!

Keith cites his favourite book as Steve McCurry's South Southeast. Enjoy!

If you did 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 

It's just me for this episode: me, a microphone and my musings on creating portraits when on board a ship.  

When I first encountered the luxury cruise ship that was to be our home and business for the next month, I thought that creating images on board would be a simple extension of what we do here at the studio.  Of course, there are similarities but there are also innumerable unexpected factors to consider. Such as what happens when the ship changes it's bearing or how the different spaces of the ship are utilised during the day, making picking a spot that bit more complicated!

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 

In this episode it's back to just me on my own - feels a bit weird not having someone to interview (and yet I STILL managed to create a one-hour podcast! Someone stop me!) Anyway, this one is all about the client experience and how it feels from their (not your) point of view. Enjoy!

If you enjoy this podcast, 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.

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 us at info@masteringportraitphotography.com. 

In this slightly noisy podcast - yup, I recorded it while driving my Land Rover Defender which, it must be said, is not know for it's quiet, studio-like ambience - I talk about life and the need to be positive, even when you know there are weaknesses in your own images.

If you enjoy this podcast, 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.

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 us at info@masteringportraitphotography.com. 

Enjoy!

Well, I finally managed to persuade my beautiful wife Sarah to don a microphone and give me her view on what it's like co-running our business and being married to me all at the same time. We talk about bits and pieces but mostly things that we've learnt about putting a successful portrait photography business and how to cope with some of the stresses and strains.

The interview starts on a hill and ends in a pub (well, why woudln't it?), so also includes sound effects from aircraft, wildlife and pub revellers. In that order.

Along with that, having read various threads around the place lamenting the state of the industry (since when did negativity ever help anyone?!), I am having a whine of my own. Well, strictly speaking it's a WINE of the week (d'you see what I did there?) Sarah has a phenominal memory, is a super-taster and flew her Wine And Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Level 3 exams with a mere 98%! Which means I get to drink really nice wine. I thought I'd capitlise on this in-house supremem talent and so every week Sarah is going to pick out a wine that comes highly recommended and won't break the bank. As an added bonus, this forces me to have drink it.  Oh, the hardship.

If you like this podcast, 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.

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 us at info@masteringportraitphotography.com. 

Enjoy!

In today's digital age of photography it's impossible to avoid conversations about selling files.  In this podcast (from the deepest depths of beautiful Cornwall I might add, with sounds of birds tweeting in the background) we discuss the pressures on photography businesses to sell their files and give up copyright.  

As a rule we don't sell high-resolution files (by high-resolution I mean the same pixel resolution as the camera sensor - full size files) but we do sell files that can be printed up to about 10x8".  I'll try and explain the logic!

This podcast is one of the series from Mastering Portrait Photography by Paul Wilkinson.

Enjoy!

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.

It's a question we're often asked: "Do you need a studio to succeed [in portrait photography]?" I am not sure there is one, single, satisfactory answer to that question but, well, you know I have to try.  In this podcast I describe the setup we have here, the setup we used to have (a converted garage) and, prior to that, how I survived without a studio at all.  Do you need one? Have a listen and see if you agree with me.

We all have a bag of some sort: big, small, with wheels, with back-breaking straps, modest, flamboyant, chock full or half empty. We ALL have a bag. This is what's in mine from bodies to brushes, gizmos to gum. 

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