The Mastering Portrait Photography Podcast

https://podcast.masteringportraitphotography.com/feed.xml

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Episodes

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

Friday Nov 05, 2021

EP114 On Why The Studio Is NOT A Dull White Box

Friday Nov 05, 2021

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?

Sunday Oct 31, 2021

EP113 On Moving To Mirrorless

Sunday Oct 31, 2021

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?

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?

Friday Jul 09, 2021

EP108 On Treating Each Client Like They're You're ONLY Client

Friday Jul 09, 2021

Have you ever stood back and thought about how you feel when your suppliers forget that, while you may be one of the thousands of customers to them, they are the ONLY supplier to you? It has always irritated me that companies forget themselves and send out blanket messages that remind me that I am just one of their masses, yet another annoying customer - possibly the worst message you can possibly receive.

The asymmetry of that relationship between a client and a company is really at the heart of customer service: making sure that your clients feel truly unique is one of the keys to a successful business.

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 Jun 19, 2021

EP107 On The Importance Of Polished Shoes

Saturday Jun 19, 2021

As a kid, I hated polishing my shoes. Every week, on a Sunday evening before school, I would be sent out, brushes in hand, to put some shine on my trusty (and boring) Clarke's shoes.

These days, I do it religiously before each and every wedding. And I do it willingly.

In this episode, I muse about that and why such inconsequential details matter so much.

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?

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?