The Mastering Portrait Photography Podcast

Yay! Other than a crappy cold, a very good week.  Won a Gold Bar with the Guild Of Photographers a couple of days ago which got me to thinking about competitions: why we do them, how to do them and the fear of failure (when in fact, the only failure is to not enter at all!) There are one or two other things to bear in mind and I step through them in the podcast. Enjoy! Cheers P. If you enjoy this...

Suddenly it washed over me - that odd euphoric sensation of contentment.  No idea what triggers it, but it's well worth holding onto!  Also in this episode, a quick review of ACDSee 10 (the Mac version).  If you'd like to try it yourself, please use this link (there is no kickback or finance attached, but it does let the guys at ACDSee know that the referral has come from me and the Mastering Port...

Mastering Portrait Photography Podcast: Land Rover Edition This is one of our "Land Rover Editions" which is to say, slightly noisy.  I'm on my way to and from the Hearing Dogs for a shoot, which is always lovely.  Various topics, but mostly "Yvonne's Law: Shoot For Dough Before Shooting For Show".  In other words, it's all about your client before it's about us and our lust for awards! haha.  Sad...

I am recording this having just spent the day running one of our workshops with some of the nicest people imaginable.  A top day (though I am now shattered!) at the end of a top month (January has been amazing) and who knows?  Maybe it's the start of a top year.  Don't want to tempt fate though... This episode was triggered by a shoot I did last week, when just a few words seemed to change the cou...

Well we're back from The Societies Convention in London and it's been a blast (though I am a little weary!) However, no matter how tired I am, I am going to have to find the energy for my clients - just as we all need to.  And that is the topic of this episode. Enjoy! Cheers P. If you enjoy this podcast, please head over to  Mastering Portrait Photography , for more articles and videos about this...

Hi all! I am sitting writing this late on a Sunday evening with a glass of whisky in one hand (a small glass I hasten to add) and typing with the other.  It's already a business year and we're only a week or two in! In this episode, I have been pondering how you build your business and how, in particular, you do it one client at a time. It's the Societies Convention in London next week and I spent...

So we're kicking off 2024 with a slightly random podcast from the cab of my Land Rover (thank you Craig from New Zealand for telling me he quite likes the rawness - pretty much gave me permission to once again strap on my Madonna-esque headset mic and ad-lib my way through the first episode of the year!) This episode is a blend of a summary of 2023 and some ideas for 2024.  If anyone is curious, t...

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 balancing quality and tim...

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 one or two may be new to yo...

In this interview with an old friend of ours, Simon Shirley, Toastmaster extraordinaire, we end up chatting about some of the simple things that make for a successful client-facing business for responding quickly, to getting a crowd onside (even when the odds are stacked against you!) I mention a few workshops we'll be running, so here are the links: Sunday 10th September 2023 The Guild Of Photogr...

Pick up any book on business in your local bookstore, and it will almost certainly talk about processes. Yawn.  But what if we thought about processes as good habits? The things you do every day that you don't need to think about. As a business, you need good processes: doing the right things, at the right time in the right way is the foundation of any successful studio. And besides, it gives you...

Peter Aldington OBE, world-renowned architect and garden designer, with his wife Margaret - whose energy and partnership have been as fundamental to his success as any other creative's, though she professes to not being a designer of any kind. I have wanted to record this interview for a long time. Peter is a world-renowned architect, having achieved no less than 9 (yes, you're reading that correc...

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...

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 ment...

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...

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...

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...

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, th...

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...

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...

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 r...

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...

In this week's episode, I am talking about how we set up the sale in the shoot - not in the salesroom; the salesroom is where we close the deal.  I love this process, and it works, too: happy clients, great images and consistent (and high-value) sales.  Perfect.   Also, this episode is kindly sponsored by Pioneer Eneloop Batteries.  Once again, I am extolling the virtues of replacing all those sin...

Well, I'm back in the shed for this episode - love the acoustics in here.  Also, the peace and quiet as no-one disturbs me. This week's episode is inspired by an email we received from Bob and Sylvia (two of our lovely listeners) who described how they dragged out their wedding album and what they felt when going through it after fifty years of marriage. Enjoy! Cheers P. If you enjoy this podcast,...

This episode was recorded in a bar - possibly my favourite but, in contrast to our studio garden - not the quietest place to record audio.  But it makes me happy.  It was at this year’s incredible Societies of Photographers Convention in London where I spent the week judging and, well, generally feeling liberated from the previous two years of lockdown! The interview is with one of the nicest guys...