The Mastering Portrait Photography Podcast

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?  

One from the Land Rover this week - I recorded it while heading over to photograph puppies at the Hearing Dogs UK Charity.  Tough gig huh?

A bit of a rambly update, I admit, but the excitement of being out in the sunshine had taken hold. I was later to find that the sunshine belied just how cold it was!  That'll teach me not to forget my coat!  Anyway, that was later.  In this podcast, there is a short update on life, broken websites, flat batteries and scrubbing the studio spotless like a surgical theatre ready to be open for commercial clients.

The actual subject of this mobile recording, is "Who Buys All The Ugly Cars" (or, with a more business-style paraphrase, "There is a market for everything.")

Please do subscribe to the podcast and leave a review - it's a nice thing to do and we really appreciate it!

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?  

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?  

Things are definitely looking up! Today, I had my vaccine, and I cannot help but think things are (gradually) appearing more positive.  At the end of the day, vaccines are the only way out of the pandemic, so it feels good to not only have done my bit but also to see what an amazing job the NHS and all those volunteers are doing getting it out there - and it's all being done with huge smiles and a ton of love.

Graphistudio is running a Live Lounge on the 6th / 7th March, so I thought it would be a great time to get Graphistudio UK's Managing Director into an interview to talk about the state of the industry, the future of social photography and to get excited about what's going to be broadcast during the event.

As always, I asked for a book to add to the library - and this one is an absolute stunner (it's smart, inciteful and tells exactly what it's like to be the wife of an MP.) It's called "The Diary Of An MPs Wife" by Sasha Swire and it's a great read, though a bit depressing if you think politics should all be above board and completely democratic!

Incidentally, this podcast was recorded with a video version as well - if you'd like to watch Jeremy and me chatting (and who wouldn't?!) then head over to Youtube to see the version.  Would love to know what you think and whether it's worth producing all of our podcasts like this.

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?  

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?  

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?  

Ever wondered if you're your own worst enemy? Your very own, personal, TROLL?  Well, stop it at once!  It really isn't helping!

I mention a couple of things in this podcast - here are the links for the curious:

• The camera I am talking about is the Nikon Z7ii - you can read about it on Nikon's site. 
• The focus checker is the Datacolor SpyderLensCal

Of course, remember that my book Mastering Portrait Photography is still very much available on Amazon (it's still in the top 20 photography books after all these years!)

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. 

So why do people think it's OK to criticise HOW you do something?  In this episode, I am more or less muttering about something that is prevalent in our industry: snobbishness about how you create your images rather than the celebration of what you've created.

I may have uttered an expletive during the recording of this podcast.  Sorry - don't judge me.  I've left it in because I think a little passion is a good thing. Besides, bleeping it out wouldn't have hidden the fact I said it. 

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. 

In a podcast last year, I lamented that I had lost a little mojo - the penalty for having a massively busy season prior to that.  This triggered a couple of threads of conversation, one of which is this interview with Trevor Long PhD.

To quote from his bio: "Trevor brings an extensive experience in education and consultancy to this work, from many different countries and cultures, with a primary interest in individual development as a means of building long-term growth and well-being.  Working with several business schools, including Cambridge, Duke, Henley and Warwick, he has designed and delivered programmes on strategy, leadership, change, personal development and cultural awareness. He focuses on the educational content of the charity.

In this fascinating interview, Trevor talks about ways in which we can be more creative, stay motivated and generally be happier in everything that we do.  And right now?  Well, I'll take every bit of information on joy and contentment that I can find!

Trevor, and his wife Nikki, run a charity in The Gambia, called Be Reel, that helps the community form viable, sustainable micro-businesses to feed themselves and their families.  Details of the charity can be found here.  

As always, I asked Trevor to nominate a book for our every-growing Photography Library here at the studio.  In typical enthusiastic fashion, he nominated two!

The first is called "Mindfulness And The Natural World", by Claire Thompson:

The second, by Micah Mortali, is called Rewilding.

Enjoy the interview and please share with anyone you think might find it useful.

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. 

I think I recorded the previous episode on a cold, crisp day.  Well, the cold has remained, but instead of 'crisp' it is now grey, gloomy and damp (though quite how it is still damp when the temperature is hovering around freezing, I have no idea!)

We're closing 2020 and opening a whole new chapter, bright and clean, as yet unsullied by Covid, Brexit, politicians or social media.  I doubt it'll stay that way but let's enjoy the moment, just like stepping out into fresh white snow: it is clean and white, with only your footsteps to be seen, though you know it'll soon be brown and yellow, slushy and melting away. 

But right now?  Clean, white, untouched and exciting.

You never know, maybe it will stay that way!

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.