The Mastering Portrait Photography Podcast

Well, in just one week things have changed incredibly rapidly! But we're stocked up, we have each other and we are staying positive.  Together we can get through this thing.

So, for a while at least, the podcast will be shorter and (hopefully) more frequent. That way I might just be able to keep up with the latest news!

Stay safe and be kind to yourself.  Oh, and be kind to others too.

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 

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 

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 

We are already 2% of the way through 2020.  0.02 of 2020.  Go figure.  

I've used that time so far to grab tools, some wood and to hack away at our studio - goodness knows it (and me) needed it.  It's a long time since I've drawn up engineering drawings and I am, honestly, loving every second.

Oh, and I've been creating pictures too. So you didn't need to worry that I had retired the cameras.  They're just having a breather.

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 

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 

So you know what it's like: you're in the middle of a busy week, the weather is crappy, you're tired and you have a shoot to do...

Not exactly conducive to creativity.  And yet, and yet...  your job is to weave your magic - from the experience to the images, your clients rely on you, nay your business relies on you to kick into gear and perform to the absolute limit of your ability. Even if you'd rather be sitting with a cup of tea (or a glass of wine!)

And that is always the case. No matter what, it is crucial that you turn up and you're present.  100%.  Each. And. Every. Time. Your clients deserve it.

Enjoy!

If you do 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 

A real pleasure to have interviewed Richard Bradbury FBIPP FMPA.  Richard is one of the world's great photographers and an all round nice guy and the interview is full of little gems about preparing for sales, customer service and authenticity. In fact, our chat in his west London studio is full of useful stuff for anyone interested in running a photography business.

As is our way, I asked Richard to recommend a book or two for our ever-expanding library of interesting books. Richard recommended Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind and The Work Of Hipgnosis : Walk Away Renee by Storm Thorgerson.

Enjoy!

If you do 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 

You've finished your shoot (in this case, a wedding), everything is packed up, the memory cards are shared between you (you know, just in case you're in a car crash - you have clean underwear on too, just like your mum told you) and you're trundling your way home. 

And then it hits you.

That all-too-familiar wave of paranoia and disappointment. 

You start to think of all the images that you didn't take.  Ignoring the hundreds, maybe thousands, that you did capture - beautiful images, maybe even a competition image or two.  And the constraints of a wedding. And the UK weather. Yet still, you focus on the things you didn't manage to capture.

And it's a normal feeling.  Uncomfortable? Yes of course, but still normal.

This podcast is all about that disappointment.

Enjoy (and don't be disappointed!)

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 

Well, I'm back on the microphone!  Had a bit of a break as the summer peak workload kicked in but once more, I am sitting in the cab of the Land Rover Defender, muttering musings into the microphone on the move. Haha, a little alliteration for you.

Anyway, this episode's topic is the choice between constancy or invention: should we, as photographers, creatives, artists, strive for constancy - recognisable, familiar images - or push the boundaries of invention, looking for new images, new ideas, originality.

Of course, there is no easy answer to this; it is more of a discussion about personal preference and effective business choice, but it's an interesting topic nonetheless and one that was actually driven by conversations with my clients so I thought it might be of use.

Let me know your thoughts!

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 

In this interview, I get to spend a very happy hour in the company of Melanie East, an extraordinary Newborn Photographer and Trainer: Melanie is known around the world for her passion and creativity for newborn photography and is the author of the book The Art Of Newborn Photography.  She is equally passionate about running a business which is key to the success of any social photographer!

We get to talk about how (and why) she became a newborn photographer; her views on safety; running a business; the love of the sales process and her taste in soft furnishings (which, it has to be said, is flawless.)

Her chosen book - which I initially struggle to spot under a huge pile of publications that permanently resides on her coffee table - is the Icons Of Photography by Peter Stepan which is a wonderfully worthy addition to our ever-expanding library.  And you can get 2nd-hand copies for less than a fiver!  Bargain.

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