EP140 Perfection Is A Luxury You (And Your Clients) Can Ill Afford

EP140 Perfection Is A Luxury You (And Your Clients) Can Ill Afford At this time of year, more than any other, I find myself chasing my tail to complete everything I need to get done before the seasonal deadlines (otherwise our clients will be disappointed!) Of course, I want everything I do to be perfect but, as I have learned time and again, perfection is something that is unattainable and it is bad business too - finding the sweet spot ...

EP139 The Judging Is Done (And So What Have I Learned?)

EP139 The Judging Is Done (And So What Have I Learned?) The judging for the BIPP 2023/2024 International Print Awards is done and dusted and there some simply stunning images have been on the lightbox. The results come out later in the year, but I thought I'd muse on some of the things I learned along the way by listening to the judges as well as some observations of my own.  Some of these you've heard me mention before, but ...

EP133 Dealing With The Year Ahead With Joy And Positivity!

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 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 ...

EP129 – What Is Your Inner Energy Source?

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 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 ...

Dealing With Disappointment | How To Make Sense Of That Sinking Feeling

How are you feeling?” The groom asked me, as he showed me around the wedding venue on the morning of the big day. “I’m so excited about today,” I started to respond. I should’ve stopped there. Instead, as a perpetual oversharer, I continued. “But I also know I’m going to be so disappointed tomorrow when I think about all the photographs I didn’t capture.” We were at Wells Cathedral, arguably the most beautiful of all the UK’s cathedrals, and a …

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 – 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, …

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 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!

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 ‘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 …

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 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 …

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 to have great acoustics!  That wasn’t a design choice but it makes for a coincidentally glorious recording studio! It’s great at the studio right now, as everything is opening back up and the business is returning to its familiar buzz.   This episode, sponsored by Panasonic Eneloop Pro Batteries, discusses entering and learning from image competitions: you cannot win if you …