The Podcast
Paul chats about life, the universe and anything portrait photography. You can listen to the podcasts here or you can subscribe on your favorite podcast player.
EP138 Interview With Toastmaster Simon Shirley | Simple Steps For A Successful Client Business
In this interview with an old friend of ours, Simon Shirley, Toastmaster extraordinaire, we end up chatting about some of ...
EP137 Habit Hackers: Supercharging Your Studio with Good Habits
Pick up any book on business in your local bookstore, and it will almost certainly talk about processes. Yawn. But ...
EP136 Interview With Margaret And Peter Aldington OBE | On Creativity And Relationships
Peter Aldington OBE, world-renowned architect and garden designer, with his wife Margaret - whose energy and partnership have been as ...
EP135 Winning (Or Not) And Finding Positives – Whatever The Outcome
Well, this weekend has two big events: Mother's Day and the Societies Of Photographers Annual Convention In London. Sadly I ...
EP134 The Power Of Thank You
Photographers are supremely visual, right? Of course. But have you ever wondered about the power of words? Two words, in ...
EP133 Dealing With The Year Ahead With Joy And Positivity!
So it's 2023 already! What happened to 2022? This episode says a big thank you for 2022 and kicks off ...
EP132 Interview With Michele Jennings, Former CEO Hearing Dogs For Deaf People
We are a lucky business. OK, I know you make your own luck to a greater or lesser degree, but ...
EP131 National Print Competition | Notes From The Judging
A couple of weeks ago, we judged the British Institute Of Professional Photographers (BIPP) 2022 national print competition. I have ...
EP130 Invest In Things That Benefit Your Client
Figuring out where to spend your (limited) budget is never apparent - but one thing is for sure: always spend ...
EP129 – What Is Your Inner Energy Source?
At the end of a long week, the exhaustion can creep up on you. Fatigue is not an unusual feeling ...
EP128 Stay Positive: That ’No’ Might Just Be A ’Yes’ For A Later Date
I have honestly grown to love the sales process - from pitch to payment, it is something I never thought ...
EP127 – Things Change (The Z9 Has Changed Them)
Sometimes, you have to change the way you do things. Listen to this episode to hear how the Nikon Z9 ...
EP123 Interview With Street Photographer Ross Grieve
The interview is with one of the nicest guys in the industry - Ross Grieve - who is a street ...
EP122 Fireworks and Finding Freedom In The Studio
I absolutely love portraits, no matter what style - and, it turns out, corporate portraits are every bit as creative ...
EP121 Portraits Are Portraits, Even If They’re Corporate!
I absolutely love portraits, no matter what style - and, it turns out, corporate portraits are every bit as creative ...
EP120 Service Is King, No Matter The Price
So it's been a month since recording the last podcast. A busy month. A very very busy month. But during ...
EP119 Everyone Included: Interview With Author Helen May
If there is one skill I have, it's recognising an opportunity when it bops me on the nose. Today was ...
EP118 Admit It. Own It. Fix It.
It's 2022 and I have to say it's starting off in a very positive mood! Admittedly New Year didn't go ...
EP117 Interview With Grays Of Westminster
Well, this is the last episode of 2021. Unless I find a moment to drag myself away from the turkey, ...
EP116 Suck, Squeeze, Bang, Blow: Your Business Is An Engine
Suck, squeeze, bang, blow: four words that drive an engine. OK, so maybe an obtuse analogy but a business is ...
EP115 On Why Mirrorless Is About To Come Of Age – The Nikon Z9
So it's Sunday as I both record and write this and I'm having a frankly chilled day. Not that this ...
EP114 On Why The Studio Is NOT A Dull White Box
When I first set out in this crazy, camera-carrying career, I had mixed views about working in the studio - ...
EP113 On Moving To Mirrorless
Switching to a mirrorless system was always going to happen - SLRs (and their requisite mirrors) are slowly heading the ...
EP112 Interview With Julia Fensom, Sleep Consultant And Author
I knew this would be an entertaining podcast and so it proved to be: Julia Fensom, author of With Sleep ...
EP111 On Technique vs Imagination
I am so sorry it's been a couple of months since I last published an episode - a very busy ...
EP110 Interview With Best Selling Author Eni Obi
Every day new clients, new stories, new laughter. That is the joy of a portrait photographer. At the end of ...
EP109 On Why Being Busy Creates Energy All Of Its Own
Dad was always right. Of course, it took me a decade or two to acknowledge that fact, but dad was ...
EP108 On Treating Each Client Like They’re You’re ONLY Client
Have you ever stood back and thought about how you feel when your suppliers forget that, while you may be ...
EP107 On The Importance Of Polished Shoes
As a kid, I hated polishing my shoes. Every week, on a Sunday evening before school, I would be sent ...
EP106 On Taking Pride In Everything You Do
In this episode, sponsored by Panasonic eneloop Pro Rechargeable Batteries, I am pondering on the difference between being 'proud' and ...
EP105 On Using Your Own Portfolio To Inspire YOU!
In this episode I'm back in the Land Rover Defender heading out to buy our evening's supper: fish'n'chips! We were ...
EP104 On The Courage For Competitions
Well, this episode is recorded from my nearly-finished workshop which, while it is ultimately built for making things, also seems ...
EP103 On The Witchery Of Words (And The Power Of The Positive)
Have you ever wondered how just a few words can make your day or break your heart? In this episode ...
EP102 On Leaving Lockdown And Loving To Laugh!
It's been an amazing week and you can really feel the change in energy as the Covid lockdown is gradually ...
EP101 Interview With Terrie & Colin Jones Of The Societies Of Photographers
After the last episode's interview with Sarah (my one-and-only!), this week, I am talking to another husband and wife team ...
EP100 An Evening In With My Missus: My Favourite Place To Be!
Well, it's been 99 episodes to date, and now this, the 100th! Whoever thought we'd get to that milestone? Well, ...
EP99 Who Buys All The Ugly Cars?
One from the Land Rover this week - I recorded it while heading over to photograph puppies at the Hearing ...
EP98 Keep It Simple
I admit this is a shorter episode than some - I am multitasking and getting prepped and rehearsed for the ...
EP97 The Graphistudio Live Lounge – Interview With Jeremy Price
Things are definitely looking up! Today, I had my vaccine, and I cannot help but think things are (gradually) appearing ...
EP96 Don’t Let Habit Hold You Back!
Photographers - or, more precisely, photography trainers - talk about muscle memory - creating habit and comfort in what you ...
EP95 “Evolve Or Evaporate” – Interview With Wedding Photographer Sanjay Jogia
In this interview, I get a chance to talk with the incredible photographer, Sanjay Jogia. To quote from Canon's website ...
EP94 Stop Being Your Own Personal Troll!
Ever wondered if you're your own worst enemy? Your very own, personal, TROLL? Well, stop it at once! It really ...
EP93 It Doesn’t Matter HOW You Do It!
So why do people think it's OK to criticise HOW you do something? In this episode, I am more or ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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, ...
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) ...
EP81 Death By Diary
Today I am musing (and, additionally, interrupting myself - not once but twice!) on being beholden to my diary. It ...
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 ...
EP79 Interview With Andy Blake, General Manager of Kaleidoscope Framing
Life as a photographer can feel like you're working on your own - all those hours with the camera, lights, ...
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) ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
Ep.72 Staying Positive In These Weird Times
Well, in just one week things have changed incredibly rapidly! But we're stocked up, we have each other and we ...
Ep.71 First And Foremost, First Impressions
During a conversation the other day, a visiting photographer to the studio passed a comment about the frames he displayed ...
Ep.70 – Interview With Gary Hill
It's so lovely to be in the position to sit and chat with some incredible people - and that they ...
Ep.69 Where Have All Our Teaspoons Gone?
Where have all our teaspoons gone? Seriously. They just seem to evaporate from the studio! Soon we'll be using the ...
Ep.68 Print-Judging Comments From The Societies Convention
I've just returned from the Societies Of Photographers Convention in London which has been an absolute ball! Though I admit, ...
Ep.67 You Have To Relate (Whatever It Takes!)
Relating to your client is a key skill in social photography - and there is no escaping it. Whatever it ...
Ep.66 It’s January And It’s A Studio Revamp
We are already 2% of the way through 2020. 0.02 of 2020. Go figure. I've used that time so far ...
Ep.65 2020 Vision: Twelve Months In Training
Ah, and so here we are: 2020. We've careered through the holidays like a kid on a brand new scooter, ...
Ep.64 The Importance Of Being Present
So you know what it's like: you're in the middle of a busy week, the weather is crappy, you're tired ...
Ep.63 Interview With Photographer Richard Bradbury FBIPP FMPA
A real pleasure to have interviewed Richard Bradbury FBIPP FMPA. Richard is one of the world's great photographers and an ...
Ep.62 Think About The WHY Not Just The WHAT!
In this episode, I ponder on WHY on earth I am taking the shot? There has to be a reason, ...
Ep.61 Interview With Su Kaye, MPA Chair Of Judges
It's always a pleasure when I get to sit and chat with someone with such a wide and interesting view ...
Ep.60 Dealing With That Disappointment
You've finished your shoot (in this case, a wedding), everything is packed up, the memory cards are shared between you ...
Ep.59 Constancy Or Invention: The Photographer’s Dilemma
Well, I'm back on the microphone! Had a bit of a break as the summer peak workload kicked in but ...
Ep.58 Interview With Melanie East, Newborn Photographer
In this interview, I get to spend a very happy hour in the company of Melanie East, an extraordinary Newborn ...
Ep.57 Interview With Rob Panting, Communications Manager, OxLEP
Meet one of our clients. Rob Panting, Communications Officer for OxLEP (The Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership) has been a commissioning ...
Ep.56 Faith, Fear, Fatigue: The ‘F’ Words Of A Photography Business
In this episode, I am talking about the all-too familiar feelings of running a photography business: faith, fear and fatigue ...
Ep.55 Karen Massey, Photographer
"You soon start to learn a lot more about business" In this interview, I get to talk to Karen Massey, ...
Ep.54, Interview With Steve Gregory, Founder Of Fitlife Gym
"To keep them coming, to keep them inspired, you have to give them an experience." So true. In this episode ...
Ep.53 Chris Cooze from Hasselblad
In this episode, I get to to sit and chat with Chris Cooze, Technical Communications & Training Manager at Hasselblad. It ...
Ep.52 Tom Stogdon, Sculptor
One of the greatest pleasures of recording this podcast is that I get to talk to all sorts of people ...
Ep.51 Thinking About Clients
Well, it's just me in this podcast: me, a microphone, a couple of hours in the car and Friday night ...
Ep.50 Terry Hope, Editor Professional Photo Magazine
In this podcast I get to chat with Terry Hope, the long standing editor of Professional Photo Magazine and its ...
Ep.49 On The Way Home From The Gym…
This podcast really is about the importance of relationships - particularly those with your clients - how some of those ...
Ep.48 Mark Seymour, Documentary Photographer
In this podcast it is an absolute joy to interview the fantastic documentary photographer, Mark Seymour. Mark has spent many ...
Ep.47 All Things Brand From Cars To Conversations
This podcast was triggered by us selling our trusty Land Rover Defender (though we are replacing it with a newer ...
Ep.46 Interview: David Bostock, Wedding Photographer
This episode was recorded in the hotel lobby at The Societies Convention 2019, so forgive the background noise (and the ...
Ep.45 Photography Judges Should Not Be Rude
It's just me this episode, wittering away about the week that's been and something that was raised during a recent ...
Ep.44 Interview: Scott Johnson, The Edge Photography
So it's been a week or three since recording a podcast primarily due to being out on location in Italy ...
Ep.43 Interview: Keith Roberts Paragon Pixels Founder
In this interview, I get to chat with Keith Roberts who had the masterstroke idea of matching top portrait photographers ...
Ep.42 Portraits On A Cruise Ship? Things You Never Considered.
It's just me for this episode: me, a microphone and my musings on creating portraits when on board a ship ...
Ep.41 Interview: Ellie Sanderson, Bridal Gown Boutique Owner
The great thing about having my own podcast is that I get to talk to lots of interesting people - ...
Ep.40 Idle Musings on Lists, Plans & Avoiding Disasters!
Just me in this one. Me, a microphone, a failed hard drive, a hacked website and some notes on lists ...
Ep.39 Interview With David Calvert
In this episode, it is my great pleasure to interview renowned photographer David Calvert FMPA FBIPP who is not only ...
Ep.38 Interview With David Stanbury
In this interview it is my pleasure to be interviewing a great friend of mine and supreme wedding photographer, David ...
Ep.37 Be Careful Who You Listen To
Happy New Year! Here's to a fantastic 2019! Had a few weeks off and feeling pretty excited about what this ...
Ep.36 Interview With Terrie Jones On Photography Competitions
Photography competitions can be a bit of a mystery: what are judges looking for; how do I prep the images; ...
Ep.35 Interview With Juliet Jones Of The Societies
One of the most useful things any photographer can do is attend seminars, workshops and trades shows, and one of ...
Ep.34 Interview: Martin Baynes Of Graphistudio
"'Sales' is not a dirty word: it's giving your clients the opportunity to purchase quality products", Martin Baynes. One of ...
Ep.33 Interview with Katy Walsh, Red Fox Studios
This podcast is an interview with Katy Walsh, photographer, owner of Red Fox Studios in Henley and the founder of ...
Ep.32 Learning Lessons In Las Vegas
In this podcast, I have returned from a family trip to Las Vegas where I saw the most amazing things, ...
Ep.31 The Client Experience
In this episode it's back to just me on my own - feels a bit weird not having someone to ...
Ep.30 Interview: Kenny Martin On Life And Running A (Successful) Photography Business
This episode is an interview with the industry giant that is Kenny Martin. Kenny started out as a photographer, ultimately ...
Ep.29 Live Q&A With James Musselwhite FMPA
This episode is a live Q&A taken from the Master Photographers Association "Meet The Masters" day. Myself and James Musselwhite ...
Ep.28 Building On The Positives
In this slightly noisy podcast - yup, I recorded it while driving my Land Rover Defender which, it must be ...
Ep.27 On The Need For Creativity
This week's episode focuses on the need to be creative during portrait shoots. It's scary sometimes, being out there without ...
Ep.26 On Packing For A Location Shoot
In this episode I talk about packing the bag ready for a fashion-portrait session out on location; the kit, the ...
Ep.25 On Correcting Your Mistakes
So it's Sunday evening after a long day of beautiful portrait photography and I'm sitting down to muse on the ...
Ep.24 Interview with Sarah Wilkinson, my business partner and wife
Well, I finally managed to persuade my beautiful wife Sarah to don a microphone and give me her view on ...
Ep.23 Interview with Jeremy Price, MD Graphistudio UK
Ah, in this episode I have a chance to sit down with an old friend of ours, Jeremy Price, the ...
Ep.22 On Files, Files, Files
In today's digital age of photography it's impossible to avoid conversations about selling files. In this podcast (from the deepest ...
Ep.21 On Mentoring And Keeping Calm
It's been a busy week here with portrait shoots (both family and commercial) and a wedding thrown in for good ...
Ep.20 Interview With James Musselwhite FMPA
James Musselwhite is one of the most exciting portrait photographers working in the UK: with his iconic monochrome portraits of ...
Ep.19 On Why Competitions Terrify Me (But Why I Do Them Anyway)
England are playing in the FIFA World Cup today and so I am avoiding the tv and radio - I am not ...
Ep.18 On Whether You Need A Studio
It's a question we're often asked: "Do you need a studio to succeed (in portrait photography)?" I am not sure ...
Ep.16 On What’s In The Bag
We all have a bag of some sort: big, small, with wheels, with back-breaking straps, modest, flamboyant, chock full or ...
Ep.15 On Photography Judges Comments
Sometimes you have to make the best of the time you have and today, well, today I have spent the ...
Ep.14 On Setting Up Your Edit Suite
Whether or not you like it, the modern portrait photographer is going to spend a not insignificant amount of time ...
Ep.13 On What I’d Buy If I Started Again
I am frequently asked to advise on what would I buy if I started from scratch so, as I drink ...
Ep.12 On Developing Your Own Distinctive Style
Someone asked me about developing your own distinctive portrait photography style: if I'm honest, I was never certain I had ...
Ep.11 On Workflow And Being Kind (To Yourself)
Your photography production workflow is supremely important, though it is often an overlooked component. Thinking it through, however, will bring ...
Ep.10 Are Qualifications Relevant In Today’s Marketplace?
In this podcast, we muse a little on whether qualifications from the big photographic associations have any relevance in the ...
Ep.9 On What It Takes To Make It (contd.)
Still answering questions - mostly about business factors and what it takes to make a successful photography business ...
Ep.8 On How I Came To Be A Photographer
In this podcast, I chat through a series of questions we were sent by a student in Maryland, USA (there ...
Ep.7 On The Power Of Conversation
Mastering Portrait Photography Podcast 007. In this podcast, we discuss the merits of talking a lot. Oh, the irony ...
Ep.6 On Plagiarism (Of A Good Sort) And Being Critical Like A Judge
This podcast talks about plagiarism - but of the right kind - and why it's a useful skill to think ...
Ep.5 On Truth And Writing A Book
In this episode, I explain why truth is so important to me and what it was like to co-author the ...
Ep.4 On Life, Lists and Still Loving The Job
It's been one of those days when being a Profession Portrait Photographer is both brilliant and frustrating: that list of ...
Ep.3 On Lighting And Keeping It Simple
This podcast concerns just one image: Bruno. Simple is always best (in my opinion at least) and this image epitomises ...
Ep.2 On Creativity & Pre-Visualisation
Today it's all about different things for different people, whether it's about creativity, your approach to photography or being a ...
Ep.1 On Finding My Feet
This is really just a pilot to see if I can do this quickly, efficiently and (most importantly of all) ...
There’s pod casts and there’s this series of podcast. There’s rarely and now a word from our sponsors or click here there and every ware.is it a polished well edited show well background noises of dropped glasses and cleaners in bars or tenders winched on ships or spontaneous comments on other road users say it’s not polished but real chats. I love the interviews he’s done with people in the industry there not pushing products but informing you about them. I like the insights into family life the funny and hard bits it feels like I have listened to the… Read more »
Thank you so much James – that’s really kind of you! 🙂
Just found your podcast, and I really enjoyed the few episodes I have listened to so far. Truly, other than the History of Photography 101, it is the first photography podcast I have been able to make it through one whole episode, let alone multiple episodes….it resonates with me….have just had a cursory look at the website and I look forward to exploring it!
Thank you so much Teri! When I started the podcast it was just me an’ a microphone as a way of talking about the stresses of running a portrait photography business. Funnily enough it’s still just me an’ a microphone…
It’s still a surprise that people seem to enjoy it and I am so happy that it’s useful. Thank thank, thank you, thank you for your lovely feedback!
So it had to happen. After all, remember “Downton Abbey” and “Game of Thrones”? My strategy has always been to give a program/blog/podcast a few years to prove itself and then jump in and binge watch years of content. But then it comes to an end…I’m caught up and have to wait for the next episode like, well, “common people”. I’m 72 and I don’t wait really well. After months of having Paul Wilkinson accompany me on my morning walk, I miss the guy. It didn’t make any difference if it was just us with Paul musing on his… Read more »
Robert that is the nicest review of the podcast ever! Thank you! I am trying to keep the episodes coming, but, well, real life and dealing with the lockdown have slowed things a little. New episodes coming though! Hang on in there and thank you again!