The Mastering Portrait Photography Podcast

Paul Wilkinson

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!

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172 episodes
Updated July 9

Episodes172

Newest first

Jan 8, 2021 · 1 hr 22 min
EP92 We Are Human 'Beings', Not Human 'Doings' - An Interview With Trevor Long PhD
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. "With a strong interest in the benefits of personal motivation, Trevor’s research is rooted in the personal experience of engagement and its application in leadership and business growth. He has a PhD, an MBA and other qualifications involving coaching and psychology." 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.
Jan 1, 2021 · 28 min
EP91 Happy New Year? Let's Hope So!
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.
Dec 24, 2020 · 31 min
EP90 Why Do We Take Pictures Anyway?
This question was asked by our model on a recent masterclass: "Why do you take pictures?" she enquired of me and our attendee. I suspect a pro, and an amateur may give slightly different answers but it's a simple and yet profound question: indeed, what on earth fuels our desire to create images? In this episode, recorded on a cold, crisp Christmas Eve, I ponder on that and look forward to a couple of days of laughing with my family and,well, maybe consuming a little sherry along the way! Happy holidays one and all! 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.
Nov 2, 2020 · 22 min
EP89 Steering A Covid Course - Taking Control Of All That I Can
Well, it's only gone and happened again: we're back in lockdown from this Thursday. Finding out on a Saturday night that you have five working days left in what is normally the busiest month of the year, is not ideal, to put it mildly. Still, we have to find ways of coping, ways of staying positive. This is a quick podcast I recorded to talk about the things we're doing here to stay in the right frame of mind to see our way through what is undoubtedly going to be a tough end of this year and, probably, beginning of next. There are no silver bullets in here - just the things we're planning right now. In the end, I have to think of this time as an opportunity: an opportunity to finish the jobs I never have time for; an opportunity to find new avenues for revenue and an opportunity to reach out to our clients when they, too, will be feeling low. Taking control of what I CAN be in control of and figuring ways around everything I CAN'T be in control of is the only thing I can do. I hope you're all OK and I hope this podcast is, in some way, useful. Take care, 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.
Oct 31, 2020 · 27 min
EP88 How Thinking Like A Musician Can Help Your Images
In this episode we look at ways of seeing your images as your clients will. When I used to work in recording studios, we would dump a copy of the music track onto cassette (yes I am that old) and walk it out into the car park and sit in a band member's car, listening to the audio. It was the best way to make sure it sounded good somewhere other than in a sophisticated mixing room! Making sure your images look great to your end client is much the same - but you don't need an old Ford Capri, a Sony Cassette deck and five sweaty musicians! In this podcast I also mention (well, someone has to blow my trumpet!) the award we won a couple of weeks ago at the Master Photographers Association International Photography Awards - I won the title of 'Portrait Photography Of The Year' with this image of Carol. You can read the story on the BBC News website. Enjoy! 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.
Oct 15, 2020 · 19 min
EP87 The More You Learn The Less You Know
Well this is one of those catchup episodes (I have discovered that our studio microwave has a grill!) but it also deals with one of those odd bits of human nature: that as you develop your talents and knowledge, the insecurity never seems to leave you. Funny ol' world isn't it?! Enjoy! 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.
Oct 6, 2020 · 1 hr 15 min
EP86 Interview With Kate Nicolle, Relationship Counsellor
I don't know quite what inspired me for this podcast, but I thought it would be interesting (and so it proved to be) to invite someone onto the podcast that really does understand relationships and the language that people use. Every day in a portrait photography business, we're facing families and couples, watching their behaviour, listening to their conversations and creating beautiful images of them and their loved ones. I wondered if there were techniques we could use to improve their experience - in particular, ways of diffusing the natural tensions that are present when a family arrives for a portrait session. Kate Nicolle is a long-standing friend and client of the business and, as it happens, is also a qualified relationship counsellor. The way she views a couple is going to be distinctly different from the way we see things through the viewfinder, but there is plenty to be learned in this conversation. We mention the portrait session that Kate and her friends, Karen and Rachel, had a few years ago (and the picture that now hangs in her downstairs loo!) If you're curious, a short blog about this can be found here on my portrait website. If you'd like to see more of what Kate is involved in, her website can be found at www.katenicolle-happierrelationships.co.uk and she is, truly, one of the nicest, smartest people you could meet! NOTE! If you would like a virtual relationship counselling session, Kate has very kindly offered a 20% discount to anyone who mentions this podcast! Enjoy! 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.
Sep 28, 2020 · 1 hr 1 min
EP85 Fifteen Candidates, Seven Judges, Two Days Of Qualifications, One Podcast
In this episode, I get a chance to talk to the team of qualification judges that I am privileged to be a part of for the British Institue of Professional Photography. I thought it would be interesting (and so it proved to be) to ask each of them before and after the judging, what they would love to see, what (after the fact) was a highlight and what they would say to anyone thinking of getting themselves qualified. The two days of judging are really intensive - you can hear the fatigue in the judges' voices later in the podcast - but what they have to see is inciteful and priceless. The judges in this episode are: David Stanbury - https://www.stanburyphotography.co.uk/ Catherine Beltramini - http://www.catherine-beltraminiphotography.com/ Sean Conboy - http://seanconboy.com/ Saraya Corteville - https://sarayacortaville.co.uk/ James Musselwhite - https://www.portraitofawrestler.com/ and me - https://paulwilkinsonphotography.co.uk The chair of judges is Scott Johnson -https://www.theedgephotography.co.uk/ And if that weren't enough, I also get the chance to chat with Martin Baynes, the CEO of the British Institute of Professional Photography about qualifications and what the future holds. The British Institue Of Professional Photography - https://www.bipp.com/ So, all in all, quite a long podcast (just over an hour), but well worth it. So pour a cuppa, sit back and enjoy an insight into the judges and judging for professional photography qualifications. Enjoy! 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
Sep 18, 2020 · 28 min
EP84 - Critiques, Competitions & Qualifications: How DO You Get Useful Feedback?
Another Land Rover based podcast I'm afraid (at one point it sounds like I am being shaken to pieces!) but this time I have a little help with the noise reduction and sound quality. Hopefully, it'll take the edge off it! In this (bumpy) episode, I wanted to mull on the value of critiques, competitions, and qualifications and how judges, such as me, evaluate images across all genres irrespective of specialism and come to the conclusion they all have their place. As for judging? There is no shortcut - you need to have a wide variety of experience! 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
Sep 2, 2020 · 23 min
EP83 Do You Have To Be An Extrovert To Be A Portrait Photographer?
You'll be happy to hear that this episode is recorded in the peace and quiet of our studio - actually, I had intended to record it in the studio garden as the cool and the smells of late summer and early autumn are so seductive. Sadly, about a million drills, chainsaws, strimmers, lawnmowers and jackhammers ruined that for me. It wasn't nearly as peaceful as I'd hoped! Goodness knows what our neighbours are building! Still, we're lucky to have a nice calm studio in which to record so, with a microphone, recorder and a cup of coffee, I decamped to our consultation room which is currently not being used as we impose some Covid-19 policies for safety. Anyway, this podcast was triggered by a lovely email that included a question about whether someone who is gentle and quiet could be a successful wedding or portrait photographer: do you have to be energetic and confident or does gentle and reserved have its place too? Here are my thoughts on the matter. 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
Aug 31, 2020 · 37 min
EP82 Understanding Stops (More Importantly - Why It's Useful!)
Today's podcast was recorded as I travelled to photograph a wedding. Given this is August 2020 (the year of Covid-19) that is not a particularly common occurrence, with most of our weddings being postponed to 2021 / 2022 so I am probably sounding a little giddy! As usual, there is an update on what's been happening and then the main topic is all about understanding 'stops' - or, more precisely, why it's USEFUL to understand stops, even in this day and age of automatic everything. I promise I do, eventually, get to the point after going through the whys and wherefores of stops, their definitions and some examples. So a slightly technical episode this one but hopefully useful nonetheless! 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
Aug 20, 2020 · 28 min
EP81 Death By Diary
Today I am musing (and, additionally, interrupting myself - not once but twice!) on being beholden to my diary. It is, of course, completely to be expected when you run a successful portrait photography business but that doesn't make it easy. Instead, you have to find strategies for keeping motivated, keeping the excitement and keeping up the creativity. PS. there is a slight irony in today's recording that, having had a massively scheduled day, I felt the need to add a couple of updates to the recording to talk about just how much I have enjoyed today - both personally and creatively! 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
Aug 16, 2020 · 19 min
EP80 You Don't Get Something For Nothing
Along with thousands of other students, Jake, our son, has just had his 'A' level results. An interesting time to put it mildly. However, it did get me thinking about how incredibly hard he worked for his mock exams (it's lucky he worked as hard as he did as it has meant he HAS been given a place on the university course that he desperately wanted!) and the parallels with our industry. It is always easy to look around and think other people have it easy but the truth is that no-one gets to be successful without a huge amount of dedication and effort. I'm not tub-thumping in this podcast, just musing on the fact that no matter what level you're at - or in what field - to make those next steps, you have to be prepared to put in a huge amount of work. But it is always well worth the effort. 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
Aug 12, 2020 · 58 min
EP79 Interview With Andy Blake Of Kaleidoscope Framing
Life as a photographer can feel like you're working on your own - all those hours with the camera, lights, with Photoshop and the complexities of your own business. But, of course, the truth is a little more nuanced than that: we may be here in our studio on our own, but we have a wealth of talent around us - our suppliers. Every day, I sell their products, their talents, their ideas to our clients, whether it's a frame, an album or a portfolio, I am wholly reliant on numerous other people to carry my brand. In this interview, I get the chance to talk with Andy Blake, the General Manager at Kaleidoscope Framing - a company whose wonderful products we have relied on for well over a decade now. It's a lovely interview (you may get the impression we get on well - and you'd be right!) and we talk about various aspects of the photographic industry and how things are changing - something particularly pertinent in these complicated times. The fact that we get on well isn't a coincidence - building a relationship with your suppliers is as important as building them with your clients as it's your suppliers who, ultimately, provide the platform on which your products will shine. It's not about the products, of course, it's about your photography, but displaying your craft in the very best light is what this business is all about. And your suppliers make that possible. As always with our interviews, I asked Andy to recommend a book to add to our every-expanding library. He recommended "One Day For Life", a book of photos all taken on a single day in 1987 in aid of Cancer Research. I couldn't find any new copies but this link https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0593014642/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_OV6mFbGKHVT2G takes you to second-hand copies on Amazon (I bought mine for £2.95!) Enjoy the interview! 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
Jul 18, 2020 · 28 min
EP78 Coping With Covid As We Re-Boot The Business
This episode was recorded from the cab of my Land Rover Defender as I head to (and come back from) the wedding that held on in the diary despite of the risk of cancellation due to Covid-19 restrictions. You have to admire their bravery and it was, in the end, a perfect day for them and for the team working with them! After everything that has happened, it wasn't obvious just how easy the day would be but, as it turned out, the day was stunning - and it looks like we'll be able to create beautiful imagery and still stay safe. The same is true of everything we're doing at the studio to make both lifestyle and studio portraits not only safe and compliant with the 'new normal' but just as creative and exciting as they've always been. 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
Jun 23, 2020 · 21 min
EP77 All About Joy And A Bag Of Cooking Apples
With everything going on at the moment it's all too easy to lose sight of the joy that this job brings to so many. This podcast is about that and a bag of cooking apples. 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
May 28, 2020 · 49 min
EP76 Interview With Tom Catchesides From Light Blue Software
In this episode, I get to chat with the guy behind the software behind the business - Light Blue Software. We've used this software for over a decade and it is the one application that each of us here is guaranteed to log into every single day. Tom asked if I would help spread the word about an offer that Light Blue extending to all of their customers (new and old) to help through these difficult times and so I thought it would be a good opportunity to invite Tom onto the podcast and ask him about the software, why it's important to track your data and what the future holds. An interesting interview with a really genuinely lovely guy - who, like me is a techy! For details of the generous support Tom and the team at Light Blue are offering, head to lightbluesoftware.com. As is our way, I also asked Tom to nominate a book for our ever-burgeoning library of the curious and the inspirational and his nomination is Landscape Within by David Ward You can get second-hand copies (and I think there are one or two very expensive new copies around - it's no longer in print) on both Amazon and Abe Books. I've just ordered a copy for the studio for just £11.99 so it's an absolute steal! 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
May 15, 2020 · 27 min
Ep.75 To Me, To You, Two Metres Or More
So, how are things with you? Still in lockdown? Well we are here - just trying to make the best of things. Anyway, good news (for me at least!): we've been listed as the top Portrait Photography Podcast on Feedspot (https://blog.feedspot.com/portrait_photography_podcasts/) which is lovely! I only started this podcast for fun (and because I simply love audio nearly as much as I love photography - though I freely admit I'm better with the camera than the recorder!) We're also a regular in the top 20 iTunes podcast charts for both the UK and the US. OK, well we are for Visual Arts podcasts anyway. haha. I don't know how many Visual Arts podcasts there are around the world - maybe not so many - but it still feels good that we listeners and subscribers out there. Thank you! In this podcast, I mention a few things - firstly two incredible magazines: Nphoto and Professional Photo magazines. We've featured regularly in both of them and I'd love to direct you all to both of them: https://professionalphoto.online/ https://www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk/springph/ I also mention two of the best of the Associations in the UK - the BIPP and the SWPP http://www.bipp.com/ http://swpp.co.uk/ If you're a professional photographer (or about to become a professional photoghers) then these are definitely worth looking into as they provide incredible support for photographers like you and me. Anyway, in the midst of everything going on around us, this podcast is really about optimism and planning for the future - at a 2-metre distance of course! 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
Apr 21, 2020 · 29 min
Ep.74 Get Your Portfolio Sorted (Now Is A Good Time!)
Still here, still in lockdown, still working like crazy to make sure we're ready for when things eventually open up again, as they must, inevitably do. Right now, things are busy: we're re-designing our website and rebuilding a platform for our portfolio - a wonderful opportunity to go through images old and new and to decide which images we'll use for the next year or two in all of our literature and articles. It's great fun but hard work! This podcast is all about that task. 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
Apr 5, 2020 · 21 min
Ep.73 - Spread A Little Joy
How is everyone doing? I have to be honest, I am finding it all a little surreal - if it weren't so catastrophic it would be fascinating: from the chaotic economy to the psychology of being interned in your own home, I would love to be reading about this in the history books rather than living through it. However, life continues and I am naturally a pretty positive kind of person so we crack on and do what we can to keep the business going and to add a little joy to the world. 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