The Mastering Portrait Photography Podcast

In this week's episode, I am talking about how we set up the sale in the shoot - not in the salesroom; the salesroom is where we close the deal.  I love this process, and it works, too: happy clients, great images and consistent (and high-value) sales.  Perfect.

Also, this episode is kindly sponsored by Pioneer Eneloop Batteries.  Once again, I am extolling the virtues of replacing all those single-use batteries with eco-friendly, long-life rechargeables.  I did the same thing last year and enjoyed using the batteries (and charger) so much that I went out and bought a complete set of them.  The Zoom recorder I used for this episode has Eneloop Pro batteries in it.  Love them.

You can get them on Amazon at https://amzn.to/3utOdzg 

Also, I get carried away and end up chatting about the new headphones I bought - brilliant things!  Was always jealous of Sarah's AirPods Pro that I bought for her (https://amzn.to/3upRhMH), so as I headed off to work in Ibiza a few weeks ago, I bought some Sony equivalents. Life-changing.  Seriously. Life-changing.  Podcasts, Spotify, and even watching Netflix while I'm retouching, I love these things.  

Again, these are available on Amazon at https://amzn.to/3AxhjRT 

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. 

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. 

I think I may have mentioned this before, but I LOVE creating portraits.  The past couple of days have been all about headshots - part corporate, part creative branding.  Either way, these are just portraits.

And that is something that I cannot stress enough: if you're a portrait photographer, creating cool, engaging headshots is no different to creating fine-art portraits - and you get to meet some incredibly interesting people along the way.  

When you're designing your photography business, it is worth remembering that there is more than one way to generate revenue if you have a talent for capturing portraits!

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. 

So it's been a month since recording the last podcast.  A busy month. A very busy month.  But during that time I did manage to get some time out with Sarah and our trusty spaniel, Rufus, and go for a walking holiday in South Wales.  

Wales is my home country so it is always a real joy to be back - there is something about the country, its ruggedness and its friendliness in equal measure: a week of walking, enjoying the sights and laughing.  Glorious.

During the week, I had a chance to experience customer service in all its glory (and otherwise) and I took the opportunity of paying attention to see if there is anything we could learn.  

During this podcast, I mention some  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. 

If there is one skill I have, it's recognising an opportunity when it bops me on the nose.  Today was one of those moments.  Helen May actually came to the studio to update her headshots but the minute we sat and talked about her work on diversity and inclusion, I knew she would be perfect to have on the podcast. 

Luckily both of our diaries had some time after her session and so we sat, chatted and laughed about her life, her work, her new book and how photographers (like me) can learn and improve our approach both as company owners and as people who interact with people on a daily (or hourly!) basis.

Helen's new book Everyone Included is available on Amazon:

Diversity and inclusion (D&I) isn’t just an HR exercise – it can make a real difference to your team performance too.

By making everyone in your team feel like they belong, you’ll be able to boost motivation and productivity. Everyone Included helps you make inclusion, belonging and wellbeing central to your team. By helping everyone feel that they belong, your team will foster genuine inclusion and be ready to adapt and evolve in the future.

With a step-by-step plan to design and implement a diversity and inclusion plan that brings results:

1. Where are you now? – Understand your team profile now by conducting a belonging Audit to identify how inclusive your team is.
2. What do I do next? – Design a D&I plan, including a business case to win support, and identify key metrics to measure its effectiveness
3. How do I keep going? – Ensure your programme continually improves and remains relevant by creating measurements and feedback loops Everyone Included is your comprehensive, step-by-step guide to creating a diversity and inclusion strategy that delivers results for your team.

As always, I asked my interviewee for a book recommendation for our little library and she recommended The Art Of Thinking Clearly by Rolf Dobelli - and can be found here on Amazon.

It was a very funny, very informative hour or so and well worth a listen.  Of course, I would say that but have a listen and see what you think!  

And if you're thinking that Helen and I hit it off immediately?  Well, you'd be absolutely right!

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. 

Well, this is the last episode of 2021.  Unless I find a moment to drag myself away from the turkey, pigs in blankets, roast potatoes, cheese, Quality Street, sherry, wine, stuffing, more turkey, more cheese and maybe just a tad more sherry.  Oh go on then, if I must, best make it a small one.

In this episode, I have the pleasure of speaking with Grays Of Westminster - a legendary shop of all things Nikon.  I am speaking with Becky and Kon from the shop who not only run rings around me with their knowledge of Nikon gear but are two of the nicest people you can imagine!  It is a lovely interview, irrespective of the camera brand you use. Mostly we chat kit, customer service and the imminent Z9!

In the interview, I ask them both for the book recommendations.

Kon recommended Wonderland, by Annie Leibovitz: 

‘Looking back at my work, I see that fashion has always been there,’ Annie Leibovitz observes in the preface to Wonderland. ‘Fashion plays a part in the scheme of everything, but photography always comes first for me. The photograph is the most important part.  And photography is so big that it can encompass journalism, portraiture, reportage, family photographs, fashion ... My work for Vogue fueled the fire for a kind of photography that I might not otherwise have explored.’ 

Becky recommended The Real Deal, by Jo McNally

'Joe writes about everything from the crucial ability to know how to use (and make!) window light to the importance of creating long-term relationships built on trust; from lessons learned after a day in the field to the need to follow your imagination wherever it takes you; from the random and lucky moments that propel one s career to the wonders and pitfalls of today s camera technology. For every mention of f-stops and shutter speeds, there is equal discussion about the importance of access, the occasional moment of hubris, and the idea of becoming iconic. Before Joe was a celebrated and award-winning photographer, before he was a well-respected educator and author of multiple bestselling books, he was just Joe, hustling every day, from one assignment to the next, piecing together a portfolio, a skill set, a reputation, a career. He imagined a life and then took pictures of it. Here are a few frames.'

I'll be adding them to the library!

If you'd like to see some of their videos, they can be found on YouTube (or just search for 'Grays Of Westminster')

Have a wonderful Christmas, one and all and here's to a happy New Year!

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?  

So it's Sunday as I both record and write this and I'm having a frankly chilled day.  Not that this is in any way your worry, but I thought I'd tell you.

This episode is a rebuttal of my own grumpy podcast (EP113) when I seem to have spent most of it muttering about my Z7ii and how it isn't quite there yet.  Well, this one is the other extreme - here are the reasons I think mirrorless and, by extension, the Nikon Z9 is about to come of age.  If the spec of the Z9 is correct (I don't have my hands on one yet - it's ordered and paid for but could be a while) then this camera won't just be the pinnacle of mirrorless as we know it, it will be the start of a whole new generation of cameras and capability.  Seriously.  

I also give a shameless (and, just to be clear, unpaid) plug for the wonderful institution that is Grays Of Westminster - simply the best Nikon shop in the world.  I should add, I don't know if there are other dedicated Nikon shops in the world.  I don't care if there are: Grays would still come out on top. It is truly like Ollivander's Wand Shop in Harry Potter. But with lenses not wands. And customer service that is every bit as personal.

If you're curious they can be found at https://www.graysofwestminster.co.uk/ and they also have a fabulous range of 2nd hand kit in their online store. 

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?  

When I first set out in this crazy, camera-carrying career, I had mixed views about working in the studio - I much preferred being outside in natural light with the environment as my backdrop.  Over the years, that changed as I realised much of my cynicism was partly because I didn't understand it and partly because many of those who had taught me didn't excite me.

Now?  Well, now I think of studio portrait photography as some of the finest, most inspiring imagery you can imagine.

In this podcast, I try to explain why.

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?  

Switching to a mirrorless system was always going to happen - SLRs (and their requisite mirrors) are slowly heading the same way as film, dark rooms, Black Forest gateaux, prawn cocktail and sandals with socks. Though I happen to love Black Forest gateaux. And film.  And the darkroom.  Prawn cocktails and sandals with socks, well they can stay in the history books!

Anyway, James Keen DM'd me on Instagram and asked for an update on my move to mirrorless and so, while clattering my way home in the Land Rover from a perfect Oxfordshire wedding, here are my thoughts.  With a few rattly sound effects in the background just for authenticity.

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?  

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?