{"id":400070,"date":"2024-09-11T16:10:27","date_gmt":"2024-09-11T15:10:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wedissimo.com\/blog\/we-caught-up-with-royal-photographer-millie-pilkington\/"},"modified":"2025-11-26T14:40:24","modified_gmt":"2025-11-26T14:40:24","slug":"we-caught-up-with-royal-photographer-millie-pilkington","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wedissimo.com\/blog\/we-caught-up-with-royal-photographer-millie-pilkington\/","title":{"rendered":"We caught up with Royal Photographer, Millie Pilkington"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

We had the amazing fortune to catch-up with Millie Pilkington, whose portrait of the Prince and Princess of Wales from their wedding in 2021, was released earlier this year to mark their 13th wedding anniversary.   She was also the photographer behind the 2023 birthday portraits of Princes Louis and George, and Princess Charlotte, along with the endearing father\u2019s day photo of the Prince of Wales with his children.  This was my first time meeting Millie, and as she strode towards me across Bishop’s Park in Fulham, I’m instantly drawn in by her own royal aura. Decked out in a floral top and chinos by Me+Em<\/a>, Millie embodies that rare combination of timeless English sophistication with a a no-nonsense, down-to-earth congeniality.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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Working with the Royals is obviously an immense honour, something in my wildest dreams I never imagined I\u2019d be doing.<\/p>\r\nMillie Pilkington<\/cite><\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\n

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Millie Pilkington by Tony<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n

Millie\u2019s ability to capture the humanity behind public figures is one of her most impressive traits. But her ability to disarm anyone is quickly evident. “I’ve just come from photographing a two-year-old who was all hyped up on chocolate and wouldn\u2019t sit still for a bloody moment.” she quips as she extends a handshake.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

This is Millie in a nutshell: equally comfortable wrangling royal family members as she is chasing after energetic toddlers. Over the course of the next hour or so I get these wonderful glimpses of the woman behind the lens, a person whose life experiences seem just as fascinating as the ones she documents.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n

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Millie Pilkington meets with Andrew Bowker and David Clark of wedissimo, by Tony<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n

We are here to meet Millie as she is helping to launch our wedding photography awards<\/a>. We are keen to hear what makes her tick as a photographer, and what lessons she might pass on to others early in their career. She emphasizes the importance of continuous growth, both in her artistry and technical skill. “I never stop learning” she says. “In fact, the better I get, the more I realise there is to learn!  I remember thinking I was quite good at the start of my training, but my tutor put me rather too effectively, initially anyway, in my place!  He tore my work to shreds but in doing so, taught me to criticise every photo I took and question what I would like to have done better.   I still do this, often to my detriment, but occasionally now I get a photo when I think wow, that really is a goody!   And it feels fabulous.”    She also stresses the hard physicality of wedding photography. She’s sporting a bandaged wrist – an injury from a recent wedding. “Master the art of walking backwards” she says “whilst looking forward through the lens.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Photographing the Royal Family<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

We of course talk about the Royals, and the pressure she must be under knowing that her pictures may become some of the most widely seen and shared photos in the world. For Millie, it is all in the preparation. Despite the glamour that surrounds her as a royal photographer, Millie remains grounded in her approach to photography. “Working with the Royals is obviously an immense honour” she says. “Something in my wildest dreams I never imagined I\u2019d be doing when I embarked on my photography career.   Obviously with this comes a huge responsibility and that in itself can be quite stressful.  A site visit and meticulous preparation is key.   With that all in hand, I then only need to focus on creating the portrait I have pre-visualised.    Thankfully, they are expert at making you feel at ease, which enables me to shed my nerves and focus on the shoot.”<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n

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Millie Pilkington by Tony<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n

Millie\u2019s artistic sensibilities are deeply rooted in emotion and connection, something she strives to achieve in every photograph. She shared her admiration for the work of photojournalist Don McCullin, quoting him with passion: \u201cPhotography for me is not looking, it\u2019s feeling. If you can\u2019t feel what you\u2019re looking at, then you\u2019re never going to get others to feel anything when they look at your pictures.\u201d<\/em> You can tell it is not the first time she’s quote his words, but it lands.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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Photography for me is not looking, it\u2019s feeling. If you can\u2019t feel what you\u2019re looking at, then you\u2019re never going to get others to feel anything when they look at your pictures.<\/p>\r\nDon mccullin<\/cite><\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Like Don McCullin, Millie is attracted to moments of raw emotion, often referring to the concept of \u201cPunctum\u201d\u2014the small detail in a photograph that evokes a powerful personal response. As she spoke about this connection between photographer and subject, I’m reminded of the way musicians connect with an audience through their performance\u2014a shared feeling of being in sync with each other. She reflects on her own musical roots, and we get a wonderful anecdote about her playing the saxophone in Spanish pop group in Madrid. She was classically trained as a clarinet player. Something about this story reveals part of her nature: the bohemian wild-child entwined with a classical upbringing. I imagine this is exactly what attracted the Prince and Princess of Wales to her. Perhaps they can relate. A free-spirit obscured from view by the veneer and professional polish of meticulous training and execution.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n

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Millie Pilkington meets with Andrew Bowker and David Clark of wedissimo, by Tony<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n

Yet despite all her artistic skill, she’s not a fan of taking interviews. “I can’t do words,” she says modestly, holding court. “What I mean is, I hate to be put on the spot. My mind just goes blank, or I\u2019ll just rattle on.” And yet again we get a sense of how comfortably Millie can break down barriers, get people to lower their guard.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

We chat about everyday life\u2014 her run-ins with Fulham\u2019s parking regulations and the seemingly impossible-to-escape emission zones. She talks about her own kids, and you sense that she’s at that juncture of parenthood where her kids have suddenly all become adults and fleeing the nest, but thankfully still enjoying coming home, even if it\u2019s just to catch up on sleep, and indulge in some decent food and wine! <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

She smiles again, and our time is up. As she heads off out of the park and away from Fulham Palace I can’t but help feel like I’ve been in the presence of royalty.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Further Reading<\/p>\r\n