hello
i just signed up for this site, and was wondering if any working retouchers here are in the nyc area. im curious to hear what kind of buisness they do, if they freelance or are on staff or have their own studio... how competitive it is, etc. i currently have a 9-5 at a commercial photo studio in nyc, digital imaging tech , half processing and half retouching basically. i recently have started getting some freelance side work, and want to eventually get more high end work, in fashion or advertising, etc. and just want to hear other peoples experiences working in the nyc market in this part of the industry.

thanks!

m

I too am new to this site and am in the NYC area. I'm a manager at a digital photography studio and have been trying to get more freelance work on the side as a retoucher. I eventually would like to leave the digital photography studio and work exclusively as a retoucher, but am not certain how to get started. It seems difficult to get a portfolio together that would cater to a high end market in NYC. I would also like to hear any advice from those of you who have been working in the field.

Thanks,
LF :blush:

I am a retoucher in NYC for the last three years. It is very competitive, but there is plenty to go around. Judging by the retouchers applying for a job at the shop I work at, there are a lot of retouchers who are not really ready for prime time. So if you are good at what you do, there is plenty to do.
I also do a lot of freelance. It is everywhere out there folks. And for the same reason above, employers are willing to pay for good people.
Check Craigslist.com. They usually have a good variety of ads for retouchers, both freelance and perm.

Good Luck!

3+ years in NYC. Been freelancing about half the time whilst employed full-time and otherwise. Advertising, beauty and fashion are the main things I do, but a still life once in awhile is a nice change. I work out of my apartment, but if and when I move to brooklyn and get a loft or to Jersey City and get a brownstone, I'll have a studio in Chelsea.

I'm not, nor do I wish to be this busy, but a friend of mine averages $15,000/month as a freelancer and she lives 9 blocks from me.

There's plenty of money to be made if you are indeed good and have a good eye for color and a real attention to detail. The problem with most people who call themselves retouchers is that they haven't a clue what good retouching is or have an overabundance of poor taste. A strong background in photography, input and output (traditional and non) is essential.

A retoucher in NYC averages 70-120k a year.

Hi all...

I am a full-time professional retoucher/image-editor for print media working for a premedia-prepress department of a large company in New York City since 1997.

I believe that there are more retouching jobs in and around NYC. Worst thing is; many photoshopper claims themselves as a retoucher. Become a photoshop jockey and a retoucher are totally different avenues, if you feel that you are a retoucher for a print media, below information is for you;

If you are good but not a superstar retoucher, you can command $ 40.00 to $ 60.00 per hour as a permelance retoucher (full-time freelance job without benefits), or around $ 80,000.00 to $ 100,000.00 per year+benefits as a full time staff retoucher. But if you are a really good retoucher with high budget clients, you can command $ 150.00 to $ 300.00 per hour as an independent freelance-contractor retoucher. A superstar retoucher can command even more $$$ per hour, depends client, budget and complexity of a project.

If you are a less experienced but skilled retoucher; around $ 30.00 per hour rate for a long time freelance projects, around $ 40.00 to $ 60.00 for a short time freelance projects is a good starting point in NYC.

Good luck all...

Yonac


http://retouchnyc.com

yonac@mac.com

Wow, I had no idea that that much money was available. I at one time was getting as high as $125.00/hr (here in Northern NJ), but there seemed to be a boom in Photoshoppers and suddenly that kind of money was hard to find. Many of my long time clients asked me to cut my hourly rate if I wanted to continue to work for them. They suddenly had a pile of resumes they can choose from.

I guess after 14 years in the business, it's time for me to seek out work in the big city. Must be easier now with FTP and all. For those of you freelancing in the city, how often do you find yourself going to your client's office? With the clients I have now, most come to me (I work out of my home), which is sweet.

I have a part-time retoucher job now, so it would be hard for me to go into the city. but I'm considering it anyway.

Photo assistants, (as i was once one, didnt like it decided to go toward retouching) network, there are alot of us NYC retouchers on this site, from what i see on this thread...maybe we should put some sort of networking thing together, I dont know how it would turn out, but some of us are good and can use the expertise and marketing abitlies from those who have larger connections and have been doing this longer. If anyone is intrested in trying to put something together let me know!

Alexis
lithodia70@hotmail.com

I'm also a nyc native, currently working in the advertising biz. started out as mechanical artist, but got bored with that, and turned focus to retouching full-time. With the help of a hi-end retoucher, i'm trying to build a nice portfolio...and then see whats out there. I have a lot of product, just need to build up my beauty shots.

I'm learning a lot from you guys. Because of your advice, I started to find high end fashion photographers to lend me "real" models to work on for my portfolio. It wasn't so hard to find. I've been practicing a lot and have come across a few photographers asking my rates, already. They say they really like the quality of my work. Here is where I'm scratching my head, because I'm still a beginner, and they work with seasoned retouchers. I think I'm doing a good job and am proud of the work I have so far, but I think I'm probably still very slow compared to a seasoned retoucher. (although I have no idea how long an expert takes on an image) I suppose my BFA may be finally put to good use. (I did take that anatomy drawing class). Or perhaps these photographers are looking for the cheapo way to get the job done. (I'm always a skeptic)

Here's my 2 questions for you NYC retouchers:
1) How long does it take you to work on one single high end fashion image?
(ie: in one image do this - retouching skin w/out the shortcuts-no blurring, fix wrinkled clothing, removing objects from the scene, hair masks done proper, changing body proportions, color correction to match the photographer's "style".) Seriously-it takes me 6 hours to do all of the above. I get it done right, but I feel so slow.

2)What would you charge a photographer as a beginner who is slow?

I was thinking of charging either $30 per hour or $175 per image, (in NYC and also for photographers from Europe via ftp).

Thanks again,
LF

Photoshop: Lithodia, I think that's a great idea. I ran into these guys at an APA meeting for photo assistants...http://www.photoassistant.net/
They get together and hold seminars, tutorials for equipment, and networking events. It would be great if we had something like that in the city. Maybe we could even hook up with them. I noticed many photographers floating around at their events looking for assistants.

ive been freelancing for a little bit now, and on my end of things, its very competitive. id love to find a studio to work for with the right consistency of work, but no luck as of yet.

ive been in and out of studio's, but none have lasted very long due to work flow. if anyone out there has any openings, or needs extra help in retouching, im all for it!!

you can email me at aaronology101@yahoo.com , and you can view some of my work at www.xanga.com/aaronology101

1) How long does it take you to work on one single high end fashion image?
(ie: in one image do this - retouching skin w/out the shortcuts-no blurring, fix wrinkled clothing, removing objects from the scene, hair masks done proper, changing body proportions, color correction to match the photographer's "style".) Seriously-it takes me 6 hours to do all of the above. I get it done right, but I feel so slow.

2)What would you charge a photographer as a beginner who is slow?

I was thinking of charging either $30 per hour or $175 per image, (in NYC and also for photographers from Europe via ftp).
i dont think a image should take more than 3 hours to do .. and what you charge, 30 an hour/175 per image, is reasonable.

when it comes to my workflow, i use no filters, no blurs, no noise, none of taht. its all about D&B, cloning, and healing.

That's what I thought, aaRonology101. I think I have to rethink my work flow to get myself up to speed.

By the way, I started to get quite a few inquiries for work from the photographers who offered test prints for my portfolio. Some of them work out of Europe. I think it was just simply because I have a lot of space to ftp large images to and I made it easy for them to upload and download. I also made web pages with Dreamweaver for them to check out my progress. I'm actually a bit perplexed that they would want my slow-paced work, and I'm guessing that it has something to do with ease-of-use. Heck, if I can suddenly get a bunch of work, I'm sure you can. BTW, if you need a lot of ftp space, check out http://order.1and1.com/


Thanks for the input,
LF

in this world its truly WHO you know and not WHAT you know.

There are ways to make your workflow faster by useing layers, its not cheating... And not all images take 3 hrs. Alot depends on the file size, what the photog wants done, and how experienced you are. If your retouching hair for the first time your not going to be Speedy Gonzalus. If your cloning out logos on clothing that is heavly folded and has threads that must align its going to take you a while to do. Remember when your new your eyes are still adjusting to what needs to be done...sometimes you spend more time looking at the image, wondering what to do next then actually working on it! Anyway, work at your own speed, in time you will come across tutorials and other ways to do things that will speed you up. Talk to other retouchers, post some pics on the site and ask how they would go about getting certian results...its works...

also, use a tablet not a mouse...that saves alot of time also...

in this world its truly WHO you know and not WHAT you know.


BS

Work speaks for itself.

you think its BS, i see it as truth ..

what good is it having good work if you cant get people to look at it, appreciate it, and get you leads with it. again, its not what you know at times, its who you know that will take you places in the industry.

maybe you're right. maybe my work just sucks which is why im not getting anywhere with it. thanks for the encouragement Ant, and thanks for your support.

I love a peppering of Ant-comments here and there. It really spices things up. :tongue:

Anyhow, my beginner-self has been flirting with a Swedish photographer who really wants me to work on his photos. My quote, however, is way over his budget. ($175 an image). He was quoted by "someone else" for doing 6 images for $120, but he likes my work and wants me to compromise my rate in exchange for crediting my name and supplying copies of the magazine for my portfolio. I'm considering it for adding to my portfolio and the practice/experimentation. However, he says he would have a lot of work coming my way, and who could sustain such a rate?

A penny for your thoughts?

LF

Based on this image, presuming that my work is consistent with other images, what would I be worth as a NYC retoucher?

Thank you.

you think its BS, i see it as truth ..

what good is it having good work if you cant get people to look at it, appreciate it, and get you leads with it. again, its not what you know at times, its who you know that will take you places in the industry.

maybe you're right. maybe my work just sucks which is why im not getting anywhere with it. thanks for the encouragement Ant, and thanks for your support.


Your work does not suck. Don't let it get you down.
...Pierre...

Little Fisher,

Proceed with caution. Get payment up front or at least a deposit. JMO :)

This swedish photog...got a name? you can pm me it if you want. I suspect he is just getting started himself which is why he balked at the rate. If that is the case and the credit is worth it to you and of course some money is better than no money then go ahead. If it's not, he's thieving you.

aaRonology101 - pm me if you want to know why you aren't getting work in nyc.

Well little fish if his pics will look great in your portfolio and it wont take you hours on end to do, then go for it...if you could do without the pics and the money then pass it up. 6 images for 120 sounds like either he got someone with no experience to do the images, or that the images are fairly simple, ie color correcting, slight cloning dodge burn etc... if it takes you more then a half an hour to do the pics i would reconsider... The only problem with accepting low paying clients is that its hard to raise your price with those clients...But as a begginer sometimes its best to start off charging cheap and then for the next client you get, charge more, and so on and so forth.

From what i have seen in the city in last 10 years it seems to be 70 percent of who you know. If photographer is working with a specific retoucher that bond is hard too break. You may get some left overs if that retoucher is in a bind..or
if the photog and retoucher have a falling out over a c project they may try somebody else in the short term but will end up back with there guy.

but this can only be based on what i have seen
I could be wrong.. :dizzy:

I also see the photographers are calling the shot more than the photo editors or art directors

Respected sir,
Good Wishes and warm greeting.

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in this world its truly WHO you know and not WHAT you know.

i have to agree with that statement.....a recent co-worker of mine got a job at a large downtown agency in chicago, he knows someone on the inside and that how he got the job.....here is a guy that's been working with photoshop since version 2 and he didn't know how to use quick mask till i showed him about 6 months ago, he still can't cut a mask to save his life but he's making the big bucks now...