............easiest troll ever.

And while you're at it, don't play piano unless you've mastered it in private, don't email anyone unless you're a post-graduate in literature, and please, please, never cook for anyone unless you've apprenticed in a 4-star restaurant :)

Enjoy American Idol.

"Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, Or what's a Heaven for?" - Robert Browning

"If we wait till we're ready, we'll never get started." - Eleanor Roosevelt

Why do you rant, Ant?

What you say is true. There are a lot of people out there with minimal skills that call themselves retouchers. So?? What's your concern? Some people will pay a small amount for a so so retouch job. Some people want and can afford the best, so they call you. Some people are great salesmen, some are not. Some are great doctors, some are not. Some are great retouchers, some are not.

Some retouch just for the enjoyment of learning like myself, others are trying to find a way to survive in a tough world. Don't you think both can coexist?

By the way, I do like many of your images.

Cheers
Dave

02-24-2003, 06:14 PM
Hello everyone, newbie here with a question.
Anyone know of an online directory of digital retouching companies?
before finding my way to the big apple.
Polite when he got to the big Apple eh ?
02-25-2003, 12:45 PM
I would also consider retouching and restoration for a consumer/retail market to be lower to mid-end type of work.
gone over a year... we're still here.. I suppose you don't care for poetry either!
3-26-2004, 08:54 PM
Forgive me for being an ass, but photo restoration is low brow retouching. So is this board. Nothing to see here, moving along. Flame away, but I won't be reading it.
How Long has this asset been lurking ?
Today, 01:48 PM
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.
I'm not, nor do I wish to be this busy
because you are not good.....not even close.
A retoucher in NYC averages 70-120k a year.
Yup! what's the rent there ?

Y'all come back now!
When you ain't busy.

You beat me to it Ron :)

Did somebody put something in the water or something?

I'm on a bunch of forums for different things and there are folks in all walks of life taking time from their busy schedules to bash each others efforts. It's not just graphic artists, it's web designers, jewelery artists, quilters, writers, you name it.

In this case the difference between me and those that criticize me is that I already know I'm not very good at it.

Take care, Margaret

The fellow is easy enough to figure... his own words point to a smartass who had high expectations a few years ago and is lashing out as he realizes his own mediocracy.

Perhaps he fears that as a washout he might not be accepted here so fires a salvo off at us, hoping we'll attack his rudeness and not look towards his faults.

His Website wouldn't work for me.. might be my browser.. if not, it's just another brick in the wall.

poor sole... might have found solace here!

If everyone shared the attitude that harsh critique is the only valid option and never giving back to the starters in the profession you've chosen as a path for your life is somehow a contribution to the profession, progress would halt.

I love the game I'm in and started in it with the aid of others who knew a hell of a lot more than I did. Now it's my turn to give something back and I find it regrettable that some feel the only way to survive in business is to get in and slam the door behind them.

Jim Conway

I'm an arrogant ass
I think there is a common belief that one aspect of being arrogant, is actually believing ones skills are greater than the rest. A legitimate level of arrogance is even forgivable in the highly talented. I haven't seen any of your work though, so don't know if that is a reasonable belief. As you haven't submitted to any contests, restorations or challenges as far as I know there is no reason to think that your talent is greater than (or equal to) many other trully helpful talented contributors to this forum. If you wished to even be taken seriously for a second you need to open yourself up to the same criticism. People can delude themselves about their own talent - very true - are you sure you are not guilty of the same?

Having had an encounter with another of your attitude here in the last week, I can only assume, that you, like them, may be speaking out of spite due to not having your own work recognised as competent, by those you feel are your inferiors.

As far as I can tell having only been here for 4 weeks, and a total photoshop newbie myself, this forum is a mix of expert, proficient, improving amateur, and slightly baffled. That's just fine with me, I didn't come here to be sneered at from 'on high'. I came to learn.

If there are particular contributions you that you feel are not 'worthy', why not reply to them, in a somewhat constructive way, showing how you think it could be done better. Rather than feeling it necessary to critisise everyone in a blanket fashion, totally unconstructively?

Hey Ant, better to keep quiet and have people consider you a fool, than open your mouth and confirm it.

Okay, which one of you wanabe retouchers stole ant's client? :devious:

Things I've learned on the way to my "seniority":

I don't have to be perfect; I only have to try my best and enjoy what I'm doing while I'm doing it.

I don't have to be a professional at everything I do, only act in a professional manner when the occasion calls for it.

I don't have to know everything, but use the things I do know to broaden my mind and learn more.

Keep things in perspective: owning a hammer does not make me a carpenter but I don't need a carpenter to drive a nail in the wall so I can hang a picture. Using an image software does not make me a restorer, but I can enjoy the picture I've lovingly cleaned and repaired.

I don't have to be what others expect me to be; I only have to be what is true for me.

And I don't have to let someone else's arrogant attitude diminish my pride and enjoyment in the things I do!

Attitudes, like opinions, are free; everyone has one. Too often those with a bad attitude are more aggressive in sharing their feelings. Thank you to all the RetouchPRO members who have rallied to dispel the dark clouds raised by one person. And thank you to Ant for giving us a rallying point!

MaryLynn :wavey:

AMEN MaryLynn. Thank you.

Janet

Personally, I don't think Ant deserves a thank you whatsoever. He is nasty, condesending, and seems to have missed the point entirely as to what this forum is about. I'm not sure why he continues to hang around here if he thinks we're all such losers, and I definitely don't think we should be giving him any more attention than he's already gotten. By reacting to his vitriole, we're giving him what he wants. Why not just kick him out? This forum is meant to help, learn from, and support eachother. Who needs this ingrate?

Well Ant i find you very rude, so excuse me if i don't welcome you to the forum.

Have a lovely day/evening everyone else.

Maybe some one gave him the same advice and he's just passing it on!

Personally, I don't think Ant deserves a thank you whatsoever. He is nasty, condesending, and seems to have missed the point entirely as to what this forum is about. I'm not sure why he continues to hang around here if he thinks we're all such losers, and I definitely don't think we should be giving him any more attention than he's already gotten. By reacting to his vitriole, we're giving him what he wants. Why not just kick him out? This forum is meant to help, learn from, and support eachother. Who needs this ingrate?

You hit the nail on the head! :nod:

Bertrand Russell:

"Collective fear stimulates herd instinct, and tends to produce ferocity toward those who are not regarded as members of the herd."

Eleanor Holmes Norton:

"The only way to make sure people you agree with can speak is to support the rights of people you don't agree with."


I hope we're not showing ourselves to be an intolerant bunch! I've noticed there have been several posts in regards to the contest where feelings are being strongly expressed. I applaud those who have done so. I've also posted a few opinions in the past myself that have been either erroneous or I was just too pissed not to care but I say good fun anyhow.

Ant has admitted he's an ass, at least in terms of his post but he also indicated that he is trying to help. Surely, we're not a pack of lambs that can't handle the occasional wolf in our midst. Controversy can promote growth. Hopefully, Ant can explain himself a little further, hopefully in a less inflammatory manner. Better still, I hope he will share whatever knowledge and skills he may have to help us all improve. Perhaps he'll do nothing which again is fine by me.

And by the way, the day we kick someone out for their views is the day I leave this forum. Sometimes, I really think we need to give our collective heads a shake.

Cheers
Duv

I don't have a problem with people expressing themselves. But why join a forum only to deliberately insult everyone? If he was offering constructive criticism, that's fine. We can all use that. But it seems to me this guy is just flaming, for the sake of being a nasty jerk. Isn't that usually when people get asked to leave a forum? I am not sure what, in his post, was meant to be helpful.

Just my 2 cents.

Oh, I meant to also ask -- Duv, you said you liked some of Ant's images. Where'd you see them? Does he have a website? Thanks!

Geez....

I guess I may as well quit while I'm ahead. Just when I thought there was a little room in this world for another digital hack.....

But then again, I could really care less what you think about retouching or digital art. I have been lurking around this site for awhile now and this is one of the few sites that nurtures folks. Everyone here tries to help and there are alot of resources on this site to help out everyone from the beginner to the advanced practitioner. All that and everyone gets along! Very rare with photography sites.

For you to come up with this rant...towards this site...is weak.
Either you are having a hard time finding work or someone pee'd in your cornflakes....

Which was it man?

You must be a real blast to hang out with.... :rolleyes:

BigKidJr, you may very well be right. In anycase, it doesn't look like anything that I can say will change the nature of the posts and people's feelings..I'm not particularly fussy about ants myself.

I believe this is his website http://www.rhoadesfoto.com/AnthonyRhoades/home.html

Cheers
Duv

Personally, I don't feel we have to justify to Mr. Ant the reasons we are here.

If he doesn't like RetouchPro, he should leave.

Lorraine

Trying to be polite at all times is hard to do, i am sure the people that know me would know what my opinion of this silly man is, the best advice is to ignore him, he is obviously very bored and needs attention his family are not giving him, LOL!

Bless his lil cotton socks!

Cranky little bug.

BTW, a web designer he is not (nor am I for that matter, but I know a little) I'm on a T1 and his page takes FOREVER to load. God forbid if his "clients" are on a modem connection. Perhaps, those kinds of people would be considered slumming to him. He had better watch out, with his jaw yabbering he sounds like an ant with a VERY bloated head. Very easy to squash. Call Orkin.

No matter how good you think you are, there is always someone better. I am comfortable with that knowledge. Someday he will learn it as well.

I must admit that Ant has succeeded in starting a discussion about himself in here, taking our time away from the learning that we are here for. Don't let him win ( if that's how you see it )! I just see a man telling the truth as he sees it. Slightly jaded perhaps :lmao: , but his truth anyhow!

Tyler

Thanks grafx -- I thought it was me with old dial-up service. I couldn't get the page to load at all. I'm not a web designer either, I just do a few volunteer sites. However, I know that a page that can't load is not very good for common users.

Lorraine

"grafx

Cranky little bug.

BTW, a web designer he is not (nor am I for that matter, but I know a little) I'm on a T1 and his page takes FOREVER to load."

TylerRB--

Ant has made me take a break from my other work here -- like driving myself crazy over the latest contest :dizzy:

I love to learn and learn and learn....

Lorraine

............easiest troll ever.

Given human nature, would you expect anything else?

Dave

............easiest troll ever.This is beyond a joke surely - so he's not just a jerk, he has so little respect for this forum he chooses to go back and edit his original post like this, rather than facing up to people's responses. Personally I think it's time a moderator booted this idiot out, it brings down the tone of the whole forum.