Mastering Portrait Photography

01/06/2026

What A Month May Was...

May has been one of those months that reminds me just how lucky I am to do what I do.

After a few weeks away, it felt wonderful to be back behind the camera and back into the rhythm of studio life. It has been busy, creative, occasionally chaotic, but absolutely brilliant.

One of the real highlights was our two day Portrait Photography Bootcamp. Two days of photography, ideas, techniques, laughter, and a fair amount of coffee. This year’s group were fantastic, and it was a genuine pleasure to have them with us at the studio. We also welcomed a few photographers for 1:1 mentoring days, which are always incredibly rewarding.

We have made the most of the glorious weather too. In fact, there were a few days when the studio air conditioning had to make an appearance, which is not something we often say in Britain.

Filming wise, it has been a month full of wonderful people. Eadaoin and Millie have been in the studio helping us create new social media content, and we have also had Hannah, Kinga, Lee, Kai, Libby, Lilly, Lydia, Katie and Millie back with us for workshops, mentoring sessions and filming days.

We also had the pleasure of having Demi and Ethan with us for their work experience week. They lent a hand, got stuck in, and hopefully learnt a huge amount by watching, helping, and having a go themselves.

As always, it is the people who make these moments special. Whether you have joined us for a shoot, attended a workshop, trusted us with your photography, or simply followed along with what we are up to, thank you.

We cannot wait to see what June has in store.

18/05/2026

📸 NEW EVENING SEMINAR ANNOUNCED

The Language of Light: Five Simple Lighting Patterns Every Portrait Photographer Should Know with Paul Wilkinson Photography (Mastering Portrait Photography)

Want to understand portrait lighting with more confidence?

Join award-winning photographer Paul Wilkinson for a practical and engaging evening seminar exploring the five classic lighting patterns every portrait photographer should know — including Rembrandt, loop, butterfly, clamshell, short-side and broad lighting.

Through live demonstrations and hands-on shooting, you’ll learn how small changes in light placement can completely transform a portrait.

📅 Thursday 18 June 2026
🕖 7:00 PM – 9:30 PM
📍 Paul Wilkinson Photography Studio, Haddenham, Bucks
🎟️ £30
Limited places available.

🔗 https://thesocieties.net/language-of-light/

20/04/2026

**A rare space has just opened up…**

We’ve had one delegate, unfortunately unable to attend our **Mastering Portrait Photography Bootcamp**(11th–12th May) due to a hospital appointment, which means we now have ONE SPACE available.

The Bootcamp has been fully booked for quite some time, so this doesn’t happen very often.

This is our annual, most immersive two-day workshop. It’s designed to reignite your creativity, push your portrait skills, and give you the time to properly dive into all things photography.

Across the two days, we cover available light, off-camera lighting, and spend plenty of time in the studio - working with models, trying things out, refining ideas, and building confidence behind the camera.

You will leave with a new burst of enthusiasm!

It’s hands-on, small group, and has been fully booked for months, so this isn’t something that comes up very often.

Full details: https://masteringportraitphotography.com/resource/the-mastering-portrait-photography-bootcamp-11th-12th-may-2026/

12/03/2026

New Mastering Portrait Photography workshops for 2026

Over the past few weeks we’ve been listening to your feedback about the kinds of workshops you’d love to see more of. So this year’s lineup is built around exactly that: small groups, hands-on shooting, and plenty of creative exploration.

Alongside some familiar favourites, we’ve added two workshops we’re particularly excited about:

Mastering Off-Camera Lighting: Bold Colour & Dramatic Portraits - pushing lighting outdoors to create portraits that really stand out.

Mastering Studio Lighting, The Creativity Lab - a full day of experimenting with studio lighting, modifiers, colour and shadow to push your creative ideas further.

Alongside those, we’ve also included headshot photography, portrait photography on location in Oxford, and our ever-popular dog photography day, so there’s a lovely mix of practical skills and creative exploration across the year.

As a little incentive to get the diary organised, we’re offering £30 off any workshop booked before Friday 20th March. Just use the code: *£30*OFF

You can find all the details via the link in bio or over on Mastering Portrait Photography | Workshops.

Which one jumps out at you?

12/03/2026

10/03/2026

One client. One light. How do you get variety?

Start simple. We began with Hollywood lighting, light flowing over the face, soft shadow under the nose, nice and clean. Then we moved the light around for loop lighting. A small shift, completely different feel. From there, onto short side, then profile, and finally bringing the light in nice and close for a more dramatic, wraparound effect.

Five different looks. One light. One subject.

You don’t always need more equipment. Sometimes you just need to move your light and look at your subject from a slightly different angle.

26/02/2026

In our catchlights video with Kai, someone asked what happens if you move the softbox a couple of metres back. So we tried it.

To keep Finlay’s exposure the same after moving the light back, I increased the ISO to compensate for the extra distance. So the brightness on him stays consistent, but the quality of the light changes slightly. The shadows become a little more defined and the light a touch harder. You’ll also notice the background appears brighter, not because there’s more light in the room, but because increasing the ISO lifts everything in the frame.

Ideally, if you move a light back, you’d also raise it to maintain the same angle to the face. Our ceiling had other ideas however. Which is one of the reasons I tend to work fairly close. I like the quality of light and the angle it gives.

Move a softbox back a couple of metres and the portrait is still lovely. Just different. And sometimes, that difference is exactly what you’re after.

25/02/2026

A little favour to ask…

All of our workshops so far this year are fully booked, which we’re incredibly grateful for. We’re now looking ahead to autumn and would genuinely love your input.

What would be most useful to you? Perhaps a headshot workshop from shutter to print? Creative lighting? A deep dive into lighting patterns? Maybe even another Boot Camp when the autumn colours come out? We could of course revisit workshops we’ve run before, such as Off Camera Flash or Dogs and Owners.

Let us know in the comments what you’d like to see. It really helps us shape what we offer and make sure we’re giving you something you truly want. We’d love to hear your ideas.

18/02/2026

If you like our lighting diagrams and practical fixes (and you don’t mind Paul's Converse making a guest appearance), this one’s for you.

Professional Photo have just published our new article, telling the story behind the portrait of Emily from our Societies Masterclass.

It includes the setup, the diagrams, and the usual “here’s what goes wrong and how to fix it” bits. It’s also the start of a new series we’re calling Lighting Recipes.

Have a read and let us know what you think:
https://professionalphoto.online/pro-photo-portraits/pro-lighting-masterclass-a-corporate-classic/

For a portrait photographer corporate work can be the bread and butter of a business, with high quality headshots always in demand. Paul takes a look at how to get the most out of a single-light scenario in what can sometimes be a challenging office environment.

16/02/2026

NEW PODCAST episode is live!

Embracing Positivity - it’s a chat about choosing a better headspace when work is busy, the weather’s doing its usual thing, and your brain is trying to turn everything into a problem. We talk photography, clients, judging, and a few practical ways to keep the joy in what we do.

Have a listen here:
https://masteringportraitphotography.com/podcasts/embracing-positivity-photography/

As always, if you’ve got a topic you’d love us to cover in a future episode, pop it in the comments.