Well, this weekend has two big events: Mother's Day and the Societies Of Photographers Annual Convention In London.  

Sadly I wasn't able to make the Convention this year - though I was there in spirit!  That didn't stop me entering the print competition though.  I didn't come away with any gongs this year and that always stings just a little.  Somehow, I have to convert the feeling of missing out on a fantastic convention with photographers who I love to spend time with (FOMO anyone?) and also not getting the scores I would have loved for my entries.

It's all part of the puzzle when it comes to entering photographic competitions.

Enjoy!

Cheers

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to Mastering Portrait Photography, for more articles and videos about this beautiful industry. You can also read a full transcript of this episode.

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 [email protected]. 

Photographers are supremely visual, right?  Of course.  But have you ever wondered about the power of words?  Two words, in particular, can have a bigger impact than any image ever can (and I am speaking as someone whose entire life is living and breathing pictures).  The words? "Thank You".  These two words, when given or received, can bring a huge amount of joy.  Trust me.

In the podcast, I mention the dates of our upcoming workshops:

• 6th March, Mastering Essential Studio Lighting

These can all be found on our website.

Every workshop is limited to six delegates so we can fine-tune the content for the attendees.  They're an absolute blast! If you're a portrait photographer, whether a pro or looking to break into the industry, these workshops are perfect for you.  We also provide a delicious lunch!  Never underestimate the need for good food! haha.

Enjoy!

Cheers

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to Mastering Portrait Photography, for more articles and videos about this beautiful industry. You can also read a full transcript of this episode.

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 [email protected]. 

So it's 2023 already!  What happened to 2022?  This episode says a big thank you for 2022 and kicks off the year ahead with some thoughts on how to deal with so much negativity in the years and the media.  We're hitting it all with positivity, energy, creativity and laughter!  Well, you wouldn't expect anything different from us would you?

We also say thanks to some incredible brands who have put a little faith in us and asked us to be ambassadors:

Graphistudio (they create the best photographic albums on the planet!)

Pixellu (we use their brilliant Smart Albums application to do the heavy lifting for all of our album designs). If you fancy a discount, use the following link and discount code:

Panasonic Eneloop Batteries (not as sexy maybe as let's say, a camera but massively important!) These guys have very kindly helped with a little funding for the podcast - useful given that we entirely fund it, write it and produce it ourselves.  A little help like this goes a long way - just like the life of their AA batteries (sorry, couldn't resist!)

Finally, we mention a package that is proving priceless for us in our colour correction - Imagen AI.  Machine Learning (aka. Artificial Intelligence) is certainly going to be a huge part of all of our lives in the future - some of it for good and some of it otherwise - and one or two applications have already emerged that are stunningly elegant in the way they support our business: this is one.  Since we added this to our workflow, it has not only saved us hour upon hour but has also improved the consistency of our colours and grading. Ai isn't all bad!  If you fancy getting 1500 free credits, use this link:

We also want to thank all of our clients - both as subjects and as delegates to our workshops - we could not be happier and more grateful that you're part of our lives!

THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU and here's to a fabulous year ahead!

Cheers

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to Mastering Portrait Photography, for more articles and videos about this beautiful industry. You can also read a full transcript of this episode.

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 [email protected]. 

We are a lucky business.  OK, I know you make your own luck to a greater or lesser degree, but we really are a lucky business.  Every day I work with people I love - from our team in the studio to our clients across the UK and further afield.  

As we run into the festive holidays, our studio has been full of laughter (and the smell of gingerbread, thanks to our Christmas candles!) as clients come to pick up their last-minute gifts as well as albums and frames they ordered during the year.  The shelves have creaked under the weight of the boxes; each bowed with our distinctive ribbons and tags.  Today, with just a few days to Christmas, the shelves look empty, with just a few items left to be picked up. Every client through the door has brought joy and festive cheer and taken away photographs it has been a joy to create.

Like I said, we are a lucky business.

And so it is that I feel incredibly fortunate to have worked with my guest for this interview for the past decade.  Michele Jennings was, up until a couple of months ago, the CEO of Hearing Dogs For Deaf People - an incredible charity that provides assistance dogs for deaf adults and children.  I have worked with the organisation for the past 11 years and so it has been my pleasure to spend time with Michele and her team, creating images for the brand.

This is a lovely interview and we cover all sorts of things from positivity to passion, from vision to values.

As ever, I asked Michele to nominate a book and she recommended Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman and it's available on Amazon here https://www.amazon.co.uk/Four-Thousand-Weeks-Time-How/dp/1847924018

Definitely worth a read!

If you're curious, Hearing Dogs For Deaf People can be found here: https://www.hearingdogs.org.uk/ 

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the interview!

Cheers

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to Mastering Portrait Photography, for more articles and videos about this beautiful industry. You can also read a full transcript of this episode.

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 [email protected]. 

A couple of weeks ago, we judged the British Institute Of Professional Photographers (BIPP) 2022 national print competition.

I have always loved being a judge and now, in my role as Chair Of Qualifications And Awards for the BIPP, I couldn't be happier!  I get to see so many incredible images and sit with so many incredible photographers.  It's one of the best gigs imaginable.

In the first half of the episode, I step through the rigour of judging, how it is done, and how we ensure it is fair. In the second half of the episode,  I go through some of the notes I made while the judges assessed and commented on each of the entries.

If you are curious about image competitions or fancy entering one - not just the BIPP competition - some of the things we spotted might be of use to you!

Enjoy!

Cheers

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to Mastering Portrait Photography, for more articles and videos about this beautiful industry. You can also read a full transcript of this episode.

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 [email protected]. 

I recorded this podcast at 7am while sat in the studio, waiting for a new TV to be delivered.  Luckily it actually arrived when they said it would!  The TV is for our Client Reveal Room as we want our customers to have the best possible experience when they come back to see their pictures.

But exactly how do you figure out where to spend your limited budget?  On things that benefit your client, that's where!

In this episode, I mention a couple of different things.  Firstly, a reminder of the colour correction tool I love: Imagen AI If you use this link: https://www.imagen-ai.com/start?ref=paulwilkinson the lovely guys at Imagen AI will give you 1500 free (yes 1500 FREE) file corrections.  I get some as well, so feel free to use the link, and we BOTH get a freebie!

We have just announced a brand new workshop: Mastering The Essentials Of Studio Lighting.. This workshop is very anyone who is venturing into studio lighting and wants to get to grips with creating stunning images with simple techniques and easily available kit.  We'll go through everything you need to know, from setting up the camera to getting the best out of your space.  Details can be found at https://www.paulwilkinsonphotography.co.uk/store/workshops/mastering-essential-studio-lighting-21st-november-2022/ As always with our workshops, the number of attendees is strictly limited to 6 (or half a dozen if you prefer it in words) so everyone gets plenty of time to try things out and ask questions.

At the mentioned workshop, we'll be serving a delicious lunch care of the guys at What's Cooking.  Admittedly this link is a little geo-restrictive (I doubt it's much use to listeners more than a few miles away!), but the lunch was sooooo good at the last workshop that I felt we just had to give a quick link!

Enjoy!

Cheers

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to Mastering Portrait Photography, for more articles and videos about this beautiful industry. You can also read a full transcript of this episode.

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 [email protected]. 

At the end of a long week, the exhaustion can creep up on you.  Fatigue is not an unusual feeling for a professional photographer.  But finding your source of energy, whether it's your work, your clients, your colleagues or just some time out with family, is crucial.

For me?  Well, for me it's always been about people in one form or another!

The details of the Photo Hubs Oxford workshop mentioned in this episode can be found at:

https://photohubs.co.uk/product/oxford-light/

This is a hands-on, three-hour workshop for no more than ten people and is all about the thing that I love doing most: finding and using available light for fantastic portraits!

Would love to see you there!

Cheers

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to Mastering Portrait Photography, for more articles and videos about this beautiful industry. You can also read a full transcript of this episode.

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 [email protected]. 

I have honestly grown to love the sales process - from pitch to payment, it is something I never thought I'd get my head around but have surprised myself.

One key aspect is understanding that a 'no' may not be all it seems.  In this episode, Sarah and I have stood out in the weather at Thame Food Festival, pitching to prospective clients.  Not everyone says 'yes' but learning that there are grades of success when it comes to selling, helps me not worry about those who've said 'no'.

During this episode, I mention a piece of software we're now using to expedite our colour correction.  It's called ImagenAI and it uses machine learning to learn how YOU like YOUR colours, and then applies them.  It's very fast, it's very cool, it's incredibly accurate and it's cost-effective.  And, no, I am not in any way being paid to say that - it's just that this podcast was always meant to be helpful to other photographers and this is one of those moments when software is part of that value.  

It can be found at https://www.imagen-ai.com/

Enjoy this episode!

Cheers

If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to Mastering Portrait Photography, for more articles and videos about this beautiful industry. You can also read a full transcript of this episode.

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 [email protected]. 

Had a chance this week to go and enjoy some incredible sketches and watercolours at the Ashmolean in Oxford.  The artists?  The Pre Raphaelite Brotherhood - one of my favourite groups of artists. 

Somewhat uncharacteristically, we also developed some Ilford XP2 film (our daughter wants a film camera) and I've been testing a few old boxes we've had laying around for the past 20 years or more. The results, if I was being charitable, weren't a disaster.  But they weren't great either.

And that's in stark contrast to the camera I am using daily: the Nikon Z9.  

This camera is so utterly good that it is literally changing everything I have believed in since I first picked up a DSLR.  Have a listen and see if you agree with me (or not!)

Would love to hear your thoughts.

Also, a quick reminder, if you're listening to the BEFORE 20th September 2022, Sarah and I will be presenting on the Graphistudio stand at the Photography Show at 1pm - grandstanding as usual - and you can also catch us on the BIPP stand, doing business and portfolio reviews.

See you there!

Cheers

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 [email protected]. 

After a little bit of a break from recording over the summer, this episode is a quick update and reflects on the experiences we had while visiting the beautiful Tuscany area of Italy.  As with so much in business, it's the experience that completely won us over (though the product was delicious too!)

Huge shout to the Buglioni Winery (and, in particular, to Lorenzo, who could not have made us feel more special! We'll be back!)

We have also been announced as ambassadors for three different top-flight companies (so these links are going to become familiar territory!)

• Graphistudio The best photographic albums in the world!

It is an honour to be associated with all of these products as we already use them all (because they're the best!) Wouldn't have it any other way for our clients!

If you're reading this before Tuesday 20th September, 2022, Sarah and I will be talking on the Graphistudio stand at 1pm - we're going to be talking about five key things while creating a very special personal project with Graphistudio.  The lessons were personal they apply to any photographer wishing to make the most of their client opportunities.  Come say hello!

Enjoy!

Cheers

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 [email protected].