January 29, 2024 • 22 mins
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 course of a shoot.
Enjoy!
Cheers P.
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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 paul@paulwilkinsonphotography.co.uk.
Full Transcript:
[00:00:00] Can you believe it? January has nearly gone. We are almost into February, the second month of only 12 in a year, and this has already been one of the best starts we've ever had to any year. I'm Paul, and this is a very optimistic Mastering Portrait Photography Podcast. Well, I'll be honest, I did not see that coming.
[00:00:39] I think when we got to the end of last year, exhaustion took over, I crashed into Christmas, came out of it the other side, went into the convention, we're having a ball, but I think I don't know why I wasn't expecting this year to be quite as lively as it has been, but it does seem to be that there is a ton of energy out there.
[00:00:59] Maybe, maybe I was expecting the general election to be early in the year, and so things tend to get a little bit quieter around elections or around referenda. But the phone is ringing like crazy, emails are coming in. This week we've had a handful of reveals and they've all been brilliant. The clients have loved the images, everything's gone well.
[00:01:23] My bit of the puzzle is to create images, create an experience, send them away with memories and make sure they know what to expect when they come back for the sales, for the reveals. And they've gone really smoothly, which means I've done my bit properly, which makes me very happy because as you all know, a little bit chaotic at the best of times, uh, but it looks like my debriefs are working.
[00:01:43] I'm getting the point across to the client. We're creating pictures that people love and I am having a ball. I did think I might feel a little flat after the success of the Society's convention. It was such a good week. I know I spoke about it in the last podcast, but I'm still smiling at just how much fun we had, just how many people I met.
[00:02:06] The workshops were full. I spend a lot of time chatting photography, having interesting conversations, meeting interesting and funny people, and I think, I suppose, last week, I thought I might feel a little flat about it all, but that could not be further from the truth. If anything, I'm more energetic now than I have been for a long time, ignoring the fact that I'm also pretty exhausted and my eyes. I don't know why, but my eyes have been tired today. You know, you get those days when I put my glasses on and within three minutes, I've got to take them off, even though everything is just slightly blurry because I don't know why, it just makes my, it's just been making my eyes tired today.
[00:02:46] Maybe I just need to go and get them sorted, but this has been the most successful January we've ever had. And sometimes everything goes like that. It's just hectic, it's full of stuff, all unexpected, but being busy is a good thing. I think? Isn't it? Uh, I don't know. Anyway, today we've just finished the first of this year's workshops.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Can you believe it?
(00:01):
January has nearly gone.
We are almost into February, thesecond month of only 12 in a year, and
this has already been one of the beststarts we've ever had to any year.
I'm Paul, and this is a very optimisticMastering Portrait Photography Podcast.
(00:36):
Well, I'll be honest, Idid not see that coming.
I think when we got to the end of lastyear, exhaustion took over, I crashed
into Christmas, came out of it theother side, went into the convention,
we're having a ball, but I think Idon't know why I wasn't expecting
this year to be quite as lively as ithas been, but it does seem to be that
(00:57):
there is a ton of energy out there.
Maybe, maybe I was expecting the generalelection to be early in the year, and so
things tend to get a little bit quieteraround elections or around referenda.
But the phone is ringing likecrazy, emails are coming in.
This week we've had a handful ofreveals and they've all been brilliant.
(01:19):
The clients have loved theimages, everything's gone well.
My bit of the puzzle is to createimages, create an experience, send
them away with memories and make surethey know what to expect when they come
back for the sales, for the reveals.
And they've gone really smoothly,which means I've done my bit properly,
which makes me very happy because asyou all know, a little bit chaotic
at the best of times, uh, but itlooks like my debriefs are working.
(01:43):
I'm getting the pointacross to the client.
We're creating pictures thatpeople love and I am having a ball.
I did think I might feel alittle flat after the success
of the Society's convention.
It was such a good week.
I know I spoke about it in thelast podcast, but I'm still
smiling at just how much fun wehad, just how many people I met.
(02:06):
The workshops were full.
I spend a lot of time chattingphotography, having interesting
conversations, meeting interesting andfunny people, and I think, I suppose,
last week, I thought I might feel alittle flat about it all, but that
could not be further from the truth.
If anything, I'm more energeticnow than I have been for a long
(02:27):
time, ignoring the fact that I'malso pretty exhausted and my eyes.
I don't know why, but myeyes have been tired today.
You know, you get those days when I putmy glasses on and within three minutes,
I've got to take them off, even thougheverything is just slightly blurry because
I don't know why, it just makes my, it'sjust been making my eyes tired today.
Maybe I just need to go and get themsorted, but this has been the most
(02:52):
successful January we've ever had.
And sometimes everything goes like that.
It's just hectic, it's fullof stuff, all unexpected, but
being busy is a good thing.
I think?
Isn't it?
Uh, I don't know.
Anyway, today we've just finishedthe first of this year's workshops.
This particular workshop was our FromShutter to Print workshop, uh, which
(03:16):
steps through everything from pickingup your camera all the way through to
prepping your images ready for print.
It's a huge, if you think aboutit, that's a huge field to cover.
And of course, we try really hardto To tune it, we ask all of the
delegates coming, we ask questionson what they're looking for.
So we try to make sure that everythingwe're delivering is in line with
(03:40):
what would be useful for them.
And at this point of the day, it'squarter to eight in the evening.
I don't know, a couple of hours agowhen they left But they all look just
slightly shattered, whether that's justbecause I've thrown so much information
at them, whether it's just because it'sa Monday, a dark Monday in January, or
a combination of the two, I've no idea.
Of course, I'm always slightly nervous ofwhether I've done a good job of delivering
(04:04):
the information that would be useful forthem, but it certainly has been a blast.
And it was Loretta today.
I don't know if I've evertalked about Loretta.
Loretta was one of my clients.
I photographed her wedding.
Oh, it must be 10 years ago now.
Um, and we've been friends ever since.
She is a ball of energy and I absolutelylove it when she's in the studio
(04:25):
because there is not a dull moment.
There's never a flat.
Easy, calm couple of minutes.
It's just 100 miles an hour fromwhen she arrives to when she goes.
So today has been one of those days.
So thank you to everybodywho came on the workshop.
And obviously, thank youto Loretta for modeling.
And once again, best lunch.
(04:48):
ever.
The guys, there's a delicatessen in ourlocal town of Thame called What's Cooking.
I don't know if a shout out to a smallcompany in Thame is any good to them on
a podcast that has photographers all overthe world, but I'm going to give them a
big shout because every time they do thefood for us, it is a highlight of the day.
I like to think the pictures I've createdmight be the highlight of the day.
(05:11):
But no, no, I'm absolutely convinced thatas everybody's driving away, they'll have
been thinking that was a great lunch.
We had beautiful food full offlavor, not your sandwich, not
your average sandwiches that youget in packets or bowls of crisps.
No, no, no.
These are.
Big plates of really beautifulvegetables and salads and a quiche
(05:32):
and chicken and scotch eggs.
It was absolutely incredible.
So thank you to What'sCooking in Tame for yet again.
They're our regular, they caterto our workshops all the time.
I, when I set out with this thing.
I wanted to deliver something that'sgenuinely useful, but also something
that people will enjoy coming to.
And lunch, for me at least,is a big part of that.
(05:54):
I'm always disappointed when I gosomewhere and it's a crappy lunch.
You know, the edges ofthe sandwiches are curled.
It's like tea in Tearns.
Those annoyingly sweetbiscuits that you get.
None of that.
Mid afternoon, so the firstpart of the day, the first half
of the day is all photography.
And the second half of the dayis all Uh, techniques and things
(06:17):
in Photoshop and Lightroom.
And midway through that, Saraharrives with Millionaire's Shortbread
and tea and coffee and just lovely.
And it just picks everybody up long enoughfor them to survive, survive me rabbiting
on about Photoshop and Lightroom andretouching and layers and masks and curves
(06:37):
and color profiles and LUTs and all ofthe things that are part of this thing.
The mid afternoon snack is my highlight.
I actually look forward to it.
So I had this brilliant lunch.
We've had beautiful people around, createdamazing pictures, had a lot of fun.
And mid afternoon, in comesa millionaire's shortbread.
Oh my days.
Yes, please.
Thank you very much.
(06:57):
Uh, anyway, what did Iactually learn today?
One of the things that came up inthe editing section , someone asked
me, Um, why I choose the orderthat I do for making my edits.
And I've never really thought about whyin anything other than, well I, you know,
the background I'll do, I'll do this,then I'll do that, then I'll get all the
(07:18):
way up to the front layers, then I'lldo the retouching on skin, etc, etc,
and any, you know, liquefying things.
And actually when I thought about it,I stopped dead and I thought about it.
I edit in the order of certaintythat I won't need to go back to it.
Now, I've never really thought aboutit logically like that till today.
(07:39):
Maybe I should have.
I've done it instinctively.
So there's a thing called a desire line,or desire lines, and these are those paths
that when you look at like a park, uh,like a park, particularly in a town, like
a big expanse of green, or maybe in ourvillage here we have, um, walk into the
(08:00):
station, you go along the path, and thepath dips into each of the cul de sacs.
So the designers, the architects, orthe town planners expect you to walk
round the corner by about 20 feet,cross the road, Inside the cul de sac,
and then come back out on the path,and on the corners of each of those cul
de sacs, there's green, there's grass.
But if you actually look, the grass isworn down because people have gone sod
(08:20):
that and walking in a straight line.
Similarly in a park, you'll see wherethe planners and the architects and
the designers wanted you to go, andthen you'll see where people actually
go, and it's never the same place.
Well, there's a name for it,they're called desire lines.
And the same is true in how youdevelop processes in your business.
I've talked about this before,and the trick really is to do the
(08:43):
same thing over and over and overand find your own desire line.
So much as you sit and plan things, muchas you sit and analyse and decide to do
this after that and that before this, inthe end, you'll do what comes naturally.
You'll go and basically Thestraightest line you can,
the path of least resistance.
It's called a desire line,it has a proper name.
So when I was thinking about ittoday, because one of the delegates
(09:05):
asked, why do I do it in this order?
And, what I actually do, isI start with the background.
So I've got my background layerthat's come in from the raw file.
I'll duplicate that, because thenI've always got an original,
uh, layer to go back to.
Then I usually clean up, so if it's astudio shot, I'll clean up the background.
I'll sort out anything to dowith the background, because
(09:26):
that isn't going to change.
It, there's no realdecisions to make there.
I'm just going to do it, becauseOnce it's done, it's done.
I'll never need to go back to it.
Then, I might work on, uh, all of theelements of the image that, although they
might be quite intensive Photoshopping,they definitely need to be done.
So, for instance, if someone'swearing a black outfit, as they were
(09:48):
today, And there's lots of littlehairs and flecks of dust and things.
They're gonna need to be cleaned off.
There's no ifs, no buts, nowherefores, no decisions to be made.
I'm just going to clean it.
I'll never need to go back to itbecause once it's clean, it's clean.
And I can move on to the next stages.
Then I've got a coupleof decisions to make.
Um, probably what I'm gonnado is do my skin work.
(10:11):
So if it's a face, I'ma portrait photographer,
there's nearly always a face.
I'll do some skin work.
I might Photoshop around the edgesof the hair, any stray hairs.
And I might do things like, um,frequency separation and some retouching
with some dodging and burning.
Then once I've got clear of that,probably what I might think about
doing is maybe putting in a textureon top of a background layer.
(10:33):
But things like that I mightchange my mind about, so they're
right at the top of the stack.
Um, then when I've got there If Ineed to do any liquefying or any
puppet warping, this is the moment.
It's really late in thestages of photography.
Why?
Because I'm not certain at thisstage, or I'm not 100 percent ever at
(10:54):
this stage, quite what would be theright amount of that kind of work.
Of all the things we do, I thinkit's probably the most contentious.
Changing someone's body shapebecause I've posed them badly.
It's still an area where it's alittle bit vague as to how much is
the right amount to do, particularlyas someone who photographs all sorts
(11:15):
of walks of life, all sorts of ages.
I don't want to be in that realm of, youknow, everybody has to look a certain way.
But equally, if I've posed someonenot as optimally as I should
have, maybe I'll just fix that.
But it's going to happenreally late in the edit.
If later on, I'm really close to finishingan image at this point, so if I decide,
well, I don't know, maybe I shouldn'thave done that, I can go back and I
(11:38):
don't have to undo any of the rest of it.
And then the final tiny little bit,probably to put a vignette on top, uh,
if I, if I want to, and then maybe finishoff with a black and white conversion,
or something like Nik Color FX.
So basically what I'm doing is I'mworking all the way up from the bottom
with all of the things that really,really, really, uh, are definitely going
(11:59):
to be done no matter what, all the wayto the things actually if I change my
mind tomorrow, I won't have to startagain at the bottom of the layer stack.
And I've never reallythought about it like that.
Um, so many of the processes in ourstudio are my own desire lines, but
I've never thought about that one.
So it's kind of cool that at theend of a workshop I've learned
something really good as well.
So thank you to everyone who came.
(12:22):
Really excited aboutthis year's workshops.
All of them.
They're going to be brilliant.
Particularly if they go like today.
But the one, if I'm honest, thatI am most looking forward to is
the one we're running on the 18th.
So, uh, I've got about six, what's that,six, eight weeks, uh, to think about it.
Uh, it's called at the moment,Ordinary to Extraordinary Studio
(12:43):
Photography, probably because we werehunting around for a title for it.
Sounds alarmingly like someof Gerry Guionis titles.
Uh, but it could also have beencalled, I don't know, the Storeroom
Studio or Lighting Up in the Lounge.
No, no, not lighting up.
That makes it sounds like you'resmoking lighting in the lounge
or maybe the basement backdrop.
I don't know, but whatever it istitled, it's all about creating magic
(13:09):
in small, awkward, tricky spaces, whichis something I've had to do a lot of
when I'm working in office buildings.
When I'm working in otherpeople's homes, you never quite
know what you're going to get.
And this whole workshop isdedicated to things like basements.
Boardrooms, cellars, lounges, hallways,corridors, even store cupboards.
(13:32):
I kid you not, I did a shoot theother week in a store cupboard.
A big store cupboard,but a store cupboard.
So at the moment I am coming up withways to mimic what it's like to work in
these little spaces that are awkward,but still create gorgeous images.
Now I'm really excited about itbecause one of the things about
(13:52):
smaller spaces is you tend to get,assuming you can get your kit.
In there, you tend to get lower contrastbecause the light pings around a
little bit and you can get some reallybeautiful, gentle, effortless setups.
Uh, so that is going tobe an absolute blast.
Cannot wait, uh, for that.
Uh, how am I doing?
(14:13):
What did I say I was doing last week?
Oh yes, the MPP website.
Still rebuilding it.
It's a long process.
We are getting there, slowlybut surely, we are getting
there and it is taking shape.
The content is nearly over.
But I've still got to reorganise it all.
And in the process of doingit, we're reading everything.
I'm reading every article, doublechecking to see if it's still relevant.
(14:34):
One or two of the things we'veported over that came from the
book, and then went to the MasteringPortrait Photography website.
Well, of course, the bookwas published in 2014.
It's 10 years old this year.
And some of the information inthere is now, frankly, outdated.
Anything to do with cameras andlighting, things have moved on.
(14:55):
Probably also the Photoshopping,although luckily, the small bits of
Photoshopping I put in were basicallyabout principles, not about specifics.
So, you know, generative AI hadn'teven been thought of at that stage,
nor had things like the removal tool,nor had actually quite a lot of the
tooling in Photoshop or Lightroom.
It just, the latest versions are worldsapart from what was going on in 2014,
(15:18):
but equally, an awful lot of what'son there is Totally relevant, totally
pertinent, uh, to, uh, what's going on.
So, um, we are working on it.
We will get there, trust me.
When it's done, we willsing it from the rooftops.
Uh, but I'll keep you up to datewith how that is all going, uh,
including my excitement, uh, for it.
(15:39):
Um, this week's Thought of the Week.
And it's a simple one.
Well, they're always simple ones.
I mean, I'm not acomplicated guy, not really.
This week's Thought of the Week isthat you genuinely You genuinely
have the power to make people feelamazing with words, just as you
do with pictures, if not more so.
(15:59):
Why do I say that?
Well, two different clientsthis week, one in particular, he
came, he was just a lovely guy.
Uh, he made the claim right at thebeginning of the session that he
hadn't really ever had a picturethat he really liked of himself.
And I'm looking at him thinking,I'm not quite sure why.
I can't see it visually, butmaybe it's the way he reacted
(16:22):
to being in front of the camera.
We've got shooting and all was goingreasonably well, and then suddenly.
Something about the way he looked and theway he moved reminded me of Vernon Kay.
He's from a different area of thecountry, one's from the North,
Vernon Kay's from Bolton, I think,and my client's from the South.
Different heights, I think VernonKay's about 6 foot 8 or something,
(16:44):
ridiculous, 6 foot 2, I've no idea.
But he's tall and he was amodel, my client, anything but.
But, there were definitely similaritiesin the mannerisms, in the haircut,
and if I got the light in a certainposition and the angle was right,
In the way he, it lit his face.
And I've said this, and I'm laughing.
And he didn't know who Vernon Kayewas, which is a little bit sobering.
(17:08):
Obviously, people who areyounger, uh, maybe Vernon Kaye's
not on their radar just yet.
But.
As I talked it through, visibly,the guy grew in confidence.
You could see his body language change,you could see him just come out of
himself a little bit, and of courseas he's doing that, I'm getting better
pictures because his confidence has grown.
(17:30):
It's paying dividends justhaving someone in front of me who
feels better about themselves.
Now don't get me wrong, youcannot tell someone they look
like Robert Redford if they don't.
That's not what I'm saying.
But in finding really good positivesThings about someone, not only that
you like, but things that you canverbalize, whether it's something to do
(17:52):
with a glint in their eye, whether it'ssomething to do with their clothing.
In this instance, it was someonehe looks a little bit like.
And with a shoot, particularly withheadshots where it could be corporate, it
could be an author, it could be a musicianor an artist, I don't necessarily know
who's coming in or how confident they are.
or what we're going to do.
(18:13):
Sometimes I do, but not that often.
And so I will nearly always in myhead figure out an actor or a public
figure who has a media presence.
Obviously not, hopefully someone who'snice, not a Donald Trump or a Liz Truss.
Uh, to, to, and what I'll do isit's with that personality is I'll
(18:35):
figure out what would their agenthave asked of them for photos.
What would be in theirportfolio, their lookbook?
What would be on the insidesleeve of an author's bio?
If they were in a BBC or anITV or a Netflix drama, what
would the cover shot look like?
Because the thing about actors, inparticular, the thing about actors,
(18:57):
is they reflect Every day Life..
So you get actors from all sortsof backgrounds and skill sets.
You get every ethnicity, youget every gender, you get every
identity, you get attitudes, youget heights, you get everything.
Because actors have to represent theworld in which we're all familiar.
(19:19):
So you get as manydifferent types of actor.
As you do people on the planet.
And if you can find an actor thatis close enough, close enough to the
person you have in front of you, andthen work out in your head quickly,
what might the film they're in be?
What might a book they've published be?
(19:40):
What would a cover look like?
What would the poster image on Netflixor Amazon or Maybe in an agent book
or maybe on a, on a music album cover.
I don't know.
I'm making this up as I go along, butif you can picture it, if you can find
it, if you can drag it out of yourimagination and your history, two things.
(20:01):
Firstly, you can say to theclient, Oh man, you remind me of X.
And that's a very helpful thing todo because the client will grow in
confidence, but secondly , so do you.
Because you're now shooting withsomething in mind that you might
not have had when the shoot started.
You might have, but you might not have.
(20:21):
For me, I love that moment when I openthe door and suddenly I've got to figure
out what shots are going to look good.
How am I going to do this?
What's I'm going to look at theirclothing, get them to talk me through
their clothing and step through all ofthe things we're going to do with that.
I love that energy and that positivityas we drive the shoot forward.
And I'm not kidding, not only didmy client feel better, but so did I
(20:44):
because I was now producing betterpictures because my client was reacting
to the camera in a way that couldreally only result in beautiful images.
Please do, when you're working,think of ways of making your
client feel a million bucks.
And language is every bit as importantas what you do with your lights
(21:05):
and your camera with Photoshop.
Now that's a proper time toknow, a proper point to end.
As always, if you're interestedin our workshops, just Google Paul
Wilkinson Photography Workshops, orhead over to Paul Wilkinson Photography
and look for the coaching section.
Please do give us alike, a wave, a review.
Uh, some five stars maybe that'dbe really nice, uh, on iTunes or
(21:28):
wherever you get your podcast.
If you wanna subscribe to thepodcast, please do so on your, on
your, uh, podcast Player of Choiceso that every time I record one,
it'll drop as if by magic, straightinto the list of things to listen.
Like I said last week, I'mgonna try and keep this as a
weekly podcast, this time round.
Shorter episodes, but far more.
(21:49):
Of them.
As always, if you have, uh, anyquestions at all, you can reach me
onPaul@paulwilkinsonphotography.co.uk.
We've had some really lovelyemails this week from people.
Thank you to everyone who's emailed in,uh, to say they're enjoying the podcast.
Uh, so you can reach meatPaul@paulwilkinsonphotography.co.uk.
And until next time, however your week isgoing, however, your January is ending,
(22:12):
your February starting, or if you're justlistening to the back catalog, whatever
it is you're up to, whatever else.
Be kind to yourself.
Take care.
Can you believe it?
(00:01):
January has nearly gone.
We are almost into February, thesecond month of only 12 in a year, and
this has already been one of the beststarts we've ever had to any year.
I'm Paul, and this is a very optimisticMastering Portrait Photography Podcast.
(00:36):
Well, I'll be honest, Idid not see that coming.
I think when we got to the end of lastyear, exhaustion took over, I crashed
into Christmas, came out of it theother side, went into the convention,
we're having a ball, but I think Idon't know why I wasn't expecting
this year to be quite as lively as ithas been, but it does seem to be that
(00:57):
there is a ton of energy out there.
Maybe, maybe I was expecting the generalelection to be early in the year, and so
things tend to get a little bit quieteraround elections or around referenda.
But the phone is ringing likecrazy, emails are coming in.
This week we've had a handful ofreveals and they've all been brilliant.
(01:19):
The clients have loved theimages, everything's gone well.
My bit of the puzzle is to createimages, create an experience, send
them away with memories and make surethey know what to expect when they come
back for the sales, for the reveals.
And they've gone really smoothly,which means I've done my bit properly,
which makes me very happy because asyou all know, a little bit chaotic
at the best of times, uh, but itlooks like my debriefs are working.
(01:43):
I'm getting the pointacross to the client.
We're creating pictures thatpeople love and I am having a ball.
I did think I might feel alittle flat after the success
of the Society's convention.
It was such a good week.
I know I spoke about it in thelast podcast, but I'm still
smiling at just how much fun wehad, just how many people I met.
(02:06):
The workshops were full.
I spend a lot of time chattingphotography, having interesting
conversations, meeting interesting andfunny people, and I think, I suppose,
last week, I thought I might feel alittle flat about it all, but that
could not be further from the truth.
If anything, I'm more energeticnow than I have been for a long
(02:27):
time, ignoring the fact that I'malso pretty exhausted and my eyes.
I don't know why, but myeyes have been tired today.
You know, you get those days when I putmy glasses on and within three minutes,
I've got to take them off, even thougheverything is just slightly blurry because
I don't know why, it just makes my, it'sjust been making my eyes tired today.
Maybe I just need to go and get themsorted, but this has been the most
(02:52):
successful January we've ever had.
And sometimes everything goes like that.
It's just hectic, it's fullof stuff, all unexpected, but
being busy is a good thing.
I think?
Isn't it?
Uh, I don't know.
Anyway, today we've just finishedthe first of this year's workshops.
This particular workshop was our FromShutter to Print workshop, uh, which
(03:16):
steps through everything from pickingup your camera all the way through to
prepping your images ready for print.
It's a huge, if you think aboutit, that's a huge field to cover.
And of course, we try really hardto To tune it, we ask all of the
delegates coming, we ask questionson what they're looking for.
So we try to make sure that everythingwe're delivering is in line with
(03:40):
what would be useful for them.
And at this point of the day, it'squarter to eight in the evening.
I don't know, a couple of hours agowhen they left But they all look just
slightly shattered, whether that's justbecause I've thrown so much information
at them, whether it's just because it'sa Monday, a dark Monday in January, or
a combination of the two, I've no idea.
Of course, I'm always slightly nervous ofwhether I've done a good job of delivering
(04:04):
the information that would be useful forthem, but it certainly has been a blast.
And it was Loretta today.
I don't know if I've evertalked about Loretta.
Loretta was one of my clients.
I photographed her wedding.
Oh, it must be 10 years ago now.
Um, and we've been friends ever since.
She is a ball of energy and I absolutelylove it when she's in the studio
(04:25):
because there is not a dull moment.
There's never a flat.
Easy, calm couple of minutes.
It's just 100 miles an hour fromwhen she arrives to when she goes.
So today has been one of those days.
So thank you to everybodywho came on the workshop.
And obviously, thank youto Loretta for modeling.
And once again, best lunch.
(04:48):
ever.
The guys, there's a delicatessen in ourlocal town of Thame called What's Cooking.
I don't know if a shout out to a smallcompany in Thame is any good to them on
a podcast that has photographers all overthe world, but I'm going to give them a
big shout because every time they do thefood for us, it is a highlight of the day.
I like to think the pictures I've createdmight be the highlight of the day.
(05:11):
But no, no, I'm absolutely convinced thatas everybody's driving away, they'll have
been thinking that was a great lunch.
We had beautiful food full offlavor, not your sandwich, not
your average sandwiches that youget in packets or bowls of crisps.
No, no, no.
These are.
Big plates of really beautifulvegetables and salads and a quiche
(05:32):
and chicken and scotch eggs.
It was absolutely incredible.
So thank you to What'sCooking in Tame for yet again.
They're our regular, they caterto our workshops all the time.
I, when I set out with this thing.
I wanted to deliver something that'sgenuinely useful, but also something
that people will enjoy coming to.
And lunch, for me at least,is a big part of that.
(05:54):
I'm always disappointed when I gosomewhere and it's a crappy lunch.
You know, the edges ofthe sandwiches are curled.
It's like tea in Tearns.
Those annoyingly sweetbiscuits that you get.
None of that.
Mid afternoon, so the firstpart of the day, the first half
of the day is all photography.
And the second half of the dayis all Uh, techniques and things
(06:17):
in Photoshop and Lightroom.
And midway through that, Saraharrives with Millionaire's Shortbread
and tea and coffee and just lovely.
And it just picks everybody up long enoughfor them to survive, survive me rabbiting
on about Photoshop and Lightroom andretouching and layers and masks and curves
(06:37):
and color profiles and LUTs and all ofthe things that are part of this thing.
The mid afternoon snack is my highlight.
I actually look forward to it.
So I had this brilliant lunch.
We've had beautiful people around, createdamazing pictures, had a lot of fun.
And mid afternoon, in comesa millionaire's shortbread.
Oh my days.
Yes, please.
Thank you very much.
(06:57):
Uh, anyway, what did Iactually learn today?
One of the things that came up inthe editing section , someone asked
me, Um, why I choose the orderthat I do for making my edits.
And I've never really thought about whyin anything other than, well I, you know,
the background I'll do, I'll do this,then I'll do that, then I'll get all the
(07:18):
way up to the front layers, then I'lldo the retouching on skin, etc, etc,
and any, you know, liquefying things.
And actually when I thought about it,I stopped dead and I thought about it.
I edit in the order of certaintythat I won't need to go back to it.
Now, I've never really thought aboutit logically like that till today.
(07:39):
Maybe I should have.
I've done it instinctively.
So there's a thing called a desire line,or desire lines, and these are those paths
that when you look at like a park, uh,like a park, particularly in a town, like
a big expanse of green, or maybe in ourvillage here we have, um, walk into the
(08:00):
station, you go along the path, and thepath dips into each of the cul de sacs.
So the designers, the architects, orthe town planners expect you to walk
round the corner by about 20 feet,cross the road, Inside the cul de sac,
and then come back out on the path,and on the corners of each of those cul
de sacs, there's green, there's grass.
But if you actually look, the grass isworn down because people have gone sod
(08:20):
that and walking in a straight line.
Similarly in a park, you'll see wherethe planners and the architects and
the designers wanted you to go, andthen you'll see where people actually
go, and it's never the same place.
Well, there's a name for it,they're called desire lines.
And the same is true in how youdevelop processes in your business.
I've talked about this before,and the trick really is to do the
(08:43):
same thing over and over and overand find your own desire line.
So much as you sit and plan things, muchas you sit and analyse and decide to do
this after that and that before this, inthe end, you'll do what comes naturally.
You'll go and basically Thestraightest line you can,
the path of least resistance.
It's called a desire line,it has a proper name.
So when I was thinking about ittoday, because one of the delegates
(09:05):
asked, why do I do it in this order?
And, what I actually do, isI start with the background.
So I've got my background layerthat's come in from the raw file.
I'll duplicate that, because thenI've always got an original,
uh, layer to go back to.
Then I usually clean up, so if it's astudio shot, I'll clean up the background.
I'll sort out anything to dowith the background, because
(09:26):
that isn't going to change.
It, there's no realdecisions to make there.
I'm just going to do it, becauseOnce it's done, it's done.
I'll never need to go back to it.
Then, I might work on, uh, all of theelements of the image that, although they
might be quite intensive Photoshopping,they definitely need to be done.
So, for instance, if someone'swearing a black outfit, as they were
(09:48):
today, And there's lots of littlehairs and flecks of dust and things.
They're gonna need to be cleaned off.
There's no ifs, no buts, nowherefores, no decisions to be made.
I'm just going to clean it.
I'll never need to go back to itbecause once it's clean, it's clean.
And I can move on to the next stages.
Then I've got a coupleof decisions to make.
Um, probably what I'm gonnado is do my skin work.
(10:11):
So if it's a face, I'ma portrait photographer,
there's nearly always a face.
I'll do some skin work.
I might Photoshop around the edgesof the hair, any stray hairs.
And I might do things like, um,frequency separation and some retouching
with some dodging and burning.
Then once I've got clear of that,probably what I might think about
doing is maybe putting in a textureon top of a background layer.
(10:33):
But things like that I mightchange my mind about, so they're
right at the top of the stack.
Um, then when I've got there If Ineed to do any liquefying or any
puppet warping, this is the moment.
It's really late in thestages of photography.
Why?
Because I'm not certain at thisstage, or I'm not 100 percent ever at
(10:54):
this stage, quite what would be theright amount of that kind of work.
Of all the things we do, I thinkit's probably the most contentious.
Changing someone's body shapebecause I've posed them badly.
It's still an area where it's alittle bit vague as to how much is
the right amount to do, particularlyas someone who photographs all sorts
(11:15):
of walks of life, all sorts of ages.
I don't want to be in that realm of, youknow, everybody has to look a certain way.
But equally, if I've posed someonenot as optimally as I should
have, maybe I'll just fix that.
But it's going to happenreally late in the edit.
If later on, I'm really close to finishingan image at this point, so if I decide,
well, I don't know, maybe I shouldn'thave done that, I can go back and I
(11:38):
don't have to undo any of the rest of it.
And then the final tiny little bit,probably to put a vignette on top, uh,
if I, if I want to, and then maybe finishoff with a black and white conversion,
or something like Nik Color FX.
So basically what I'm doing is I'mworking all the way up from the bottom
with all of the things that really,really, really, uh, are definitely going
(11:59):
to be done no matter what, all the wayto the things actually if I change my
mind tomorrow, I won't have to startagain at the bottom of the layer stack.
And I've never reallythought about it like that.
Um, so many of the processes in ourstudio are my own desire lines, but
I've never thought about that one.
So it's kind of cool that at theend of a workshop I've learned
something really good as well.
So thank you to everyone who came.
(12:22):
Really excited aboutthis year's workshops.
All of them.
They're going to be brilliant.
Particularly if they go like today.
But the one, if I'm honest, thatI am most looking forward to is
the one we're running on the 18th.
So, uh, I've got about six, what's that,six, eight weeks, uh, to think about it.
Uh, it's called at the moment,Ordinary to Extraordinary Studio
(12:43):
Photography, probably because we werehunting around for a title for it.
Sounds alarmingly like someof Gerry Guionis titles.
Uh, but it could also have beencalled, I don't know, the Storeroom
Studio or Lighting Up in the Lounge.
No, no, not lighting up.
That makes it sounds like you'resmoking lighting in the lounge
or maybe the basement backdrop.
I don't know, but whatever it istitled, it's all about creating magic
(13:09):
in small, awkward, tricky spaces, whichis something I've had to do a lot of
when I'm working in office buildings.
When I'm working in otherpeople's homes, you never quite
know what you're going to get.
And this whole workshop isdedicated to things like basements.
Boardrooms, cellars, lounges, hallways,corridors, even store cupboards.
(13:32):
I kid you not, I did a shoot theother week in a store cupboard.
A big store cupboard,but a store cupboard.
So at the moment I am coming up withways to mimic what it's like to work in
these little spaces that are awkward,but still create gorgeous images.
Now I'm really excited about itbecause one of the things about
(13:52):
smaller spaces is you tend to get,assuming you can get your kit.
In there, you tend to get lower contrastbecause the light pings around a
little bit and you can get some reallybeautiful, gentle, effortless setups.
Uh, so that is going tobe an absolute blast.
Cannot wait, uh, for that.
Uh, how am I doing?
(14:13):
What did I say I was doing last week?
Oh yes, the MPP website.
Still rebuilding it.
It's a long process.
We are getting there, slowlybut surely, we are getting
there and it is taking shape.
The content is nearly over.
But I've still got to reorganise it all.
And in the process of doingit, we're reading everything.
I'm reading every article, doublechecking to see if it's still relevant.
(14:34):
One or two of the things we'veported over that came from the
book, and then went to the MasteringPortrait Photography website.
Well, of course, the bookwas published in 2014.
It's 10 years old this year.
And some of the information inthere is now, frankly, outdated.
Anything to do with cameras andlighting, things have moved on.
(14:55):
Probably also the Photoshopping,although luckily, the small bits of
Photoshopping I put in were basicallyabout principles, not about specifics.
So, you know, generative AI hadn'teven been thought of at that stage,
nor had things like the removal tool,nor had actually quite a lot of the
tooling in Photoshop or Lightroom.
It just, the latest versions are worldsapart from what was going on in 2014,
(15:18):
but equally, an awful lot of what'son there is Totally relevant, totally
pertinent, uh, to, uh, what's going on.
So, um, we are working on it.
We will get there, trust me.
When it's done, we willsing it from the rooftops.
Uh, but I'll keep you up to datewith how that is all going, uh,
including my excitement, uh, for it.
(15:39):
Um, this week's Thought of the Week.
And it's a simple one.
Well, they're always simple ones.
I mean, I'm not acomplicated guy, not really.
This week's Thought of the Week isthat you genuinely You genuinely
have the power to make people feelamazing with words, just as you
do with pictures, if not more so.
(15:59):
Why do I say that?
Well, two different clientsthis week, one in particular, he
came, he was just a lovely guy.
Uh, he made the claim right at thebeginning of the session that he
hadn't really ever had a picturethat he really liked of himself.
And I'm looking at him thinking,I'm not quite sure why.
I can't see it visually, butmaybe it's the way he reacted
(16:22):
to being in front of the camera.
We've got shooting and all was goingreasonably well, and then suddenly.
Something about the way he looked and theway he moved reminded me of Vernon Kay.
He's from a different area of thecountry, one's from the North,
Vernon Kay's from Bolton, I think,and my client's from the South.
Different heights, I think VernonKay's about 6 foot 8 or something,
(16:44):
ridiculous, 6 foot 2, I've no idea.
But he's tall and he was amodel, my client, anything but.
But, there were definitely similaritiesin the mannerisms, in the haircut,
and if I got the light in a certainposition and the angle was right,
In the way he, it lit his face.
And I've said this, and I'm laughing.
And he didn't know who Vernon Kayewas, which is a little bit sobering.
(17:08):
Obviously, people who areyounger, uh, maybe Vernon Kaye's
not on their radar just yet.
But.
As I talked it through, visibly,the guy grew in confidence.
You could see his body language change,you could see him just come out of
himself a little bit, and of courseas he's doing that, I'm getting better
pictures because his confidence has grown.
(17:30):
It's paying dividends justhaving someone in front of me who
feels better about themselves.
Now don't get me wrong, youcannot tell someone they look
like Robert Redford if they don't.
That's not what I'm saying.
But in finding really good positivesThings about someone, not only that
you like, but things that you canverbalize, whether it's something to do
(17:52):
with a glint in their eye, whether it'ssomething to do with their clothing.
In this instance, it was someonehe looks a little bit like.
And with a shoot, particularly withheadshots where it could be corporate, it
could be an author, it could be a musicianor an artist, I don't necessarily know
who's coming in or how confident they are.
or what we're going to do.
(18:13):
Sometimes I do, but not that often.
And so I will nearly always in myhead figure out an actor or a public
figure who has a media presence.
Obviously not, hopefully someone who'snice, not a Donald Trump or a Liz Truss.
Uh, to, to, and what I'll do isit's with that personality is I'll
(18:35):
figure out what would their agenthave asked of them for photos.
What would be in theirportfolio, their lookbook?
What would be on the insidesleeve of an author's bio?
If they were in a BBC or anITV or a Netflix drama, what
would the cover shot look like?
Because the thing about actors, inparticular, the thing about actors,
(18:57):
is they reflect Every day Life..
So you get actors from all sortsof backgrounds and skill sets.
You get every ethnicity, youget every gender, you get every
identity, you get attitudes, youget heights, you get everything.
Because actors have to represent theworld in which we're all familiar.
(19:19):
So you get as manydifferent types of actor.
As you do people on the planet.
And if you can find an actor thatis close enough, close enough to the
person you have in front of you, andthen work out in your head quickly,
what might the film they're in be?
What might a book they've published be?
(19:40):
What would a cover look like?
What would the poster image on Netflixor Amazon or Maybe in an agent book
or maybe on a, on a music album cover.
I don't know.
I'm making this up as I go along, butif you can picture it, if you can find
it, if you can drag it out of yourimagination and your history, two things.
(20:01):
Firstly, you can say to theclient, Oh man, you remind me of X.
And that's a very helpful thing todo because the client will grow in
confidence, but secondly , so do you.
Because you're now shooting withsomething in mind that you might
not have had when the shoot started.
You might have, but you might not have.
(20:21):
For me, I love that moment when I openthe door and suddenly I've got to figure
out what shots are going to look good.
How am I going to do this?
What's I'm going to look at theirclothing, get them to talk me through
their clothing and step through all ofthe things we're going to do with that.
I love that energy and that positivityas we drive the shoot forward.
And I'm not kidding, not only didmy client feel better, but so did I
(20:44):
because I was now producing betterpictures because my client was reacting
to the camera in a way that couldreally only result in beautiful images.
Please do, when you're working,think of ways of making your
client feel a million bucks.
And language is every bit as importantas what you do with your lights
(21:05):
and your camera with Photoshop.
Now that's a proper time toknow, a proper point to end.
As always, if you're interestedin our workshops, just Google Paul
Wilkinson Photography Workshops, orhead over to Paul Wilkinson Photography
and look for the coaching section.
Please do give us alike, a wave, a review.
Uh, some five stars maybe that'dbe really nice, uh, on iTunes or
(21:28):
wherever you get your podcast.
If you wanna subscribe to thepodcast, please do so on your, on
your, uh, podcast Player of Choiceso that every time I record one,
it'll drop as if by magic, straightinto the list of things to listen.
Like I said last week, I'mgonna try and keep this as a
weekly podcast, this time round.
Shorter episodes, but far more.
(21:49):
Of them.
As always, if you have, uh, anyquestions at all, you can reach me
onPaul@paulwilkinsonphotography.co.uk.
We've had some really lovelyemails this week from people.
Thank you to everyone who's emailed in,uh, to say they're enjoying the podcast.
Uh, so you can reach meatPaul@paulwilkinsonphotography.co.uk.
And until next time, however your week isgoing, however, your January is ending,
(22:12):
your February starting, or if you're justlistening to the back catalog, whatever
it is you're up to, whatever else.
Be kind to yourself.
Take care.
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