I work as a retoucher for a portrait studio. We do high end family, senior and children. I am trying to find out if my employer is giving me a fair wage. I am interested to see what other people make. Please share your pay scale as well as the type of work you do. I would appreciate it!

Better to ask, based on information that you have yet to provide - such as location, what would be a decent rate for you to make.

I'm certainly not going to post what I make annually, in NYC, doing what I do.

from what i have seen, photographers and photo studios tend to pay a lot less than say the pre-press or ad agency world...

Depends on the employer or freelance. I've seen freelance go from $30 per hour to $120, of course, that goes without saying the quality and experience. some photographers are cheap, I lost one client because they wanted to pay $8 per hour. IT would have been more than full time work, but a mcdonald's employee makes more than that. I would say you also need to take into consideration of cost of living, http://www.payscale.com/cost-of-living-calculator.aspx?src=G_COL&gclid=CJKrwtP1pZACFQp7PAodRmzw8g

The pay range I've personally encountered in the high-end pre-press for a full-timer varies from $20/hr to $32/hr. I heard from my other co-workers who has worked in the San Francisco Bay area that retouchers there in the city make anywhere between $35/hr to $50/hr. I haven't personally encountered that and I don't know if that's true or not. I think it's based on what type of accounts that color house holds, the economy, the area you're in, and the type of company you work for and their budget.

also depends on who you know...

And also depends on luck of the draw...I got in to a high-end prepress house without knowing anyone and applied through craigslist (of all places) and HR saw my resume...and from there it's all about how you sell yourself (but don't sell yourself short of course)...and one last note. I was able to beat other candidates who had over 10 years of retouching experience (I had a good 3+years experience in graphic the arts as a production artist/retoucher/assembly) because of two things I learned in college...Wear a suit during the interview process (I was the only candidate who wore one) and send a Thank you card (not just a thank you email). My former production manager told me I was the only one who did these things and those were the reasons I got hired . Luck of the draw I assume

A ..... suit??

.. was it an expensive suit?

take what the photographer charges per photo to be edited per hour, then devide that by 1/4th and thats what you should make an hour. :) This is basicaly how the whole business world works.