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PODCAST

The Mastering Portrait Photography Podcast

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!

arts visual arts

All Episodes

52:44

EP169 Stop Killing Your Prints: A Judge’s Guide To...

The Mastering Portrait Photography Podcast ·

2025/11/18

If you’ve ever stared at a “competition worthy” image and thought, “Is this actually any good, or am I just emotionally attached and mildly delusional?” then this episode is for you.In this one, I’m lifting the lid on what really happens inside a judge’s head when your prints hit the panel: the mindset you need, the mistakes we see over and over again, and the tiny details that can quietly kill an otherwise beautiful image. We’ll talk blown highlights, grubby greys, over sharpening, dodgy mounts,

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50:37

EP168 Inside The Print Room - What It's Like To Be A...

The Mastering Portrait Photography Podcast ·

2025/11/08

Husky voice, Friday night whiskey, and a mountain of cheese from the book launch. In this episode I lift the lid on what really happens inside a print judging room. The rotation of five from a pool of seven. Silent scoring so no one nudges anyone else. How a challenge works, what the chair actually does, and why we start with impact, dive through craft, then finish on impact again to see what survives. Layout over composition, light as the whole game, and a final re-rank that flattens time drift so

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40:44

EP167 The New Book Is Out!

The Mastering Portrait Photography Podcast ·

2025/10/24

Ten years, 50,000+ copies, four languages, and about a million stories later… the second edition of Mastering Portrait Photography is here. Sarah flips the mic and grills me about why we did a new edition, what changed (spoiler: basically everything but one image), how mirrorless and AI have shifted the craft, and why a tiny chapter on staying creative might be the most important two pages I’ve ever written. There’s a Westie called Dodi, a cover star called Dory, and a street scene in La Boca that

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52:12

EP166 Interview With Mark & Simon From Elinchrom UK

The Mastering Portrait Photography Podcast ·

2025/10/10

EP166 Interview With Mark & Simon From Elinchrom UKI sit down with Mark Cheatham and Simon Burfoot from Elinchrom UK to talk about the two words that matter most when you work with light: accuracy and consistency. We dig into flash vs. continuous, shaping light (not just adding it), why reliable gear shortens your workflow, and Elinchrom’s new LED 100 C—including evenly filling big softboxes and that handy internal battery. We also wander into AI: threats, tools, and why authenticity still

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01:09:07

EP165 AI Won’t Take Your Job. But Another...

The Mastering Portrait Photography Podcast ·

2025/07/29

This one starts with a dodgy lane choice, a Starbucks coffee, and a misjudged underpass. As always.I’m back in the Land Rover — which might be its final podcast outing before it finds a new home — and today’s episode is a rambling, reflective road trip through customer service, creative resilience, and the rapidly growing presence of AI in our industry. The day started badly. Cold shower (thanks British Gas), broken editing software, and a head full of terabytes. But it ended with a reminder of why

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52:50

EP164 Inside Graphistudio: Heirlooms, AI, And The...

The Mastering Portrait Photography Podcast ·

2025/07/15

Join me in the foothills of the Dolomites for a warm, funny, and surprisingly philosophical conversation with Mauricio Arias — Graphistudio’s strategist, storyteller, and, as I’ve dubbed him, their “Product Philosopher.” We dig deep into why printed work still matters in a digital world, how to make your images sing in print (and what that print will brutally reveal), and what photographers need to believe if they want clients to invest in heirlooms, not hard drives. There’s laughter, there’s wine

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26:20

EP163 The Secret Sauce: Calm Under Pressure, Trust In...

The Mastering Portrait Photography Podcast ·

2025/06/04

This week, I’m recording late in the lounge with a glass of Irish whiskey, reflecting on the usual mix of chaos and joy in a photographer’s life. Some good news first: the Mastering Portrait Photography podcast has landed in the https://podcast.feedspot.com/photography_podcasts/https://podcast.feedspot.com/portrait_photography_podcasts/ https://podcast.feedspot.com/uk_photography_podcasts/ I share stories from a beautiful small wedding at Le Manoir, talk about how AI is both transforming and

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26:23

EP162 Beyond Soft Shadows – What Really Makes Light...

The Mastering Portrait Photography Podcast ·

2025/05/10

In this episode, I dig into a question that’s always lurking in the back of a portrait photographer’s mind – what really makes light flattering? It’s a term we all use, but what does it actually mean? Is it just about soft shadows and low contrast, or is it more about the connection between the subject and the photographer?I talk through this while reflecting on a busy week – from a stunning wedding at Head Saw House to a corporate shoot for Barclays, and a spontaneous portrait session that

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18:44

Ep161 AI Wrote Me an Email… and Other Adventures in...

The Mastering Portrait Photography Podcast ·

2025/04/27

It’s a late Sunday afternoon, the sun is shining, and the smell of freshly cut grass (and the inevitable hay fever) is drifting through the studio as I sit down to record this episode. After a whirlwind few months — including seven incredible weeks photographing on Crystal Cruises — it feels good to be back behind the mic, even if I’m a little sniffly.In this episode, I’m reflecting on the magic of authentic portrait photography, the rapid rise of AI in our world (and our inboxes!), and why the

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24:13

EP160 From Fear To Elation, The 9 Emotions Of Judging...

The Mastering Portrait Photography Podcast ·

2025/01/19

Well, it's the day after The Socieities Of Photographers Convention in London. What a blast! Judging, laughing, making friends, presenting workshops, representing Elinchrom Lighting and Evoto Ai, learning, exploring, creating and very little sleeping! The Convention is quite something to be a part of! In this episode, I try and explain what it feels like to be a small part of it whether judging the print competition, presenting or mixing with the trade - the various stages I pretty much always go

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24:04

EP159 Change The Subject, Change The Shot, Change...

The Mastering Portrait Photography Podcast ·

2025/01/11

Imagine that every person had exactly the same fashion taste. Imagine if each of us had the same clothing or the same hairstyle. Imagine that everyone was the same height and build. Imagine that everyone had identical makeup.Just imagine. Of course, it's a nonsense - different styling suits different people. Short, tall, thin, round, dark-skinned, fair-skinned, red-heads, blondes, straight haired, curly haired: everyone looks for something different to bring out their best. So why do so many

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32:46

EP158 Heading Home From The Awards

The Mastering Portrait Photography Podcast ·

2024/11/28

So after three days of judging images for the British Institute Of Professional Photographers, it's time for me to step down from my role as Chair Of Awards And Qualifications. I have been in the role for three years and it is time for someone else to pick up the reins and run with it (if that isn't a mixed metaphor.)I have loved doing this and if it weren't for a million things I have to go on and do, I think I would do it forever! So as I drive home from my last round of qualifications -

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34:27

EP157 After The Judging Is Done

The Mastering Portrait Photography Podcast ·

2024/10/25

So after three days of judging images for the British Institute Of Professional Photographers, it's time for me to step down from my role as Chair Of Awards And Qualifications. I have been in the role for three years and it is time for someone else to pick up the reins and run with it (if that isn't a mixed metaphor.)I have loved doing this and if it weren't for a million things I have to go on and do, I think I would do it forever! So as I drive home from my last round of qualifications -

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26:31

EP156 Creating Light At The End Of The Tunnel

The Mastering Portrait Photography Podcast ·

2024/09/29

Well, this hasn't been the easiest of years with inflation, geographical tensions and all-out confrontations, terrible weather and political transitions. And last night the trusty Land Rover Defender broke down one more time. Possibly one LAST time.But through all of that, we have to look for the possibles - the light at the end of the tunnel. But maybe it's us that has to create, rather than simply walk toward, the light. Enjoy! Cheers P. If you enjoy this podcast, please head over

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20:42

EP155 Figuring Out The Why (And How To Teach It!)

The Mastering Portrait Photography Podcast ·

2024/08/23

So I have a new toy (or two) - a nice new set of RODE Wireless Pro 32-bit floating point recording units. Nice. But I honestly wasn't sure if the recording had worked (there must be a lesson or two in UX design here, but I'll let that go.)Anyway, the recording DID work, or I wouldn't be publishing this podcast. No editing. No effects. No tricks. Just straight out of the recording unit - 32-bit floating point is good like that, you don't even need to set any levels! The topic is mostly about

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42:53

EP154 A Bit More Different (And Other Thoughts On...

The Mastering Portrait Photography Podcast ·

2024/07/05

Ah, so it's the 4th July as I record this so Happy Independence Day to all my US friends and colleagues! In this episode, I do my regular round-up of things I've heard during judging - I was chairing the Click Expo Print Competition (the standard was incredible!) and I made a few notes from this and a few other things I've been involved in. I mention a couple of products and here are the links: EVOTO AI - https://go.evoto.ai/PaulWilkinson (if you use this link, you'll get 30 free

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38:14

EP153 It Takes Work | There Is No Silver Bullet

The Mastering Portrait Photography Podcast ·

2024/05/27

There are many factors to success and I have listed many in these podcasts, but the brutal reality is that it takes hard work. Lots of it. There isn't a silver bullet, no matter what every influencer, marketer, salesman, advertorial or Facebook campaign might try to convince you - and AI ain't gonna fix it either. All I wish is that I could stop seeing the ads that tell me otherwise!Before all that, though, I head up the episode with a quick chat with Colin Jones, CEO of The Societies Of

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01:30:46

EP152 Interview With Stuart Clark - Still Shooting At...

The Mastering Portrait Photography Podcast ·

2024/05/07

Sometimes it's just a pleasure to sit back and listen. This is one of those moments - for me, certainly, but hopefully for you too. I had the pleasure of sitting and chatting with two icons of the industry - Sean Conboy and the inimatable nonagenarian, Stuart Clark who is not only still shooting at the age of 97 but is a considerable racontour (you can hear me and Sean laughing in the background throughout!) Stuart started his career in 1941, so his stories are not only entertaining but are

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47:06

EP151 What Does It Take?

The Mastering Portrait Photography Podcast ·

2024/04/25

So what does it take to be successful (at least as a portrait photographer?) In this episode I muse on the key building blocks that every successful photographer I've encountered seems to exhibit, at least to varying degrees!This episode also features a quick catchup with Andy Blake from Kaleidoscope Framing (https://www.kaleidoscope-framing.co.uk/) who have been our supplier for nearly twenty years. Why? Because their products and their customer service are second to none! The PMI Smoke Ninja

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23:30

EP150 Sign Your Work | Your Signature Is Your...

The Mastering Portrait Photography Podcast ·

2024/04/03

Ever wondered why you should sign your work? Well, in this, our 150th episode, we have chat about it.But before that, a quick catchup with Charlie Kaufman of Click Group at The Photography Show - head to https://www.clickliveexpo.co.uk/ to see details of one of the most exciting events in years! There is also news of the PMI Smoke Genie / Smoke Ninja competition - a fantastic opportunity to get creative and win some hefty prizes. I'll share the link for this as soon as I have it. If you're

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