Two Retouching jobs in NYC

[KR1156]

i think some ppl in nyc are having trouble with the 300/hour rate, i could be wrong on this though. Just over heard a convo about it, but these guys were more digital capture, but were saying something about 150-200 hour for retouching.

maybe thats an average, im sure there are a couple places with the right clients getting 350.

[SteveB2005]

Originally Posted by Ant

I disagree. A senior retoucher needs those skills and more.

If you think about it, a "master" retoucher is like the head or executive chef at a fine resort. All the sous chefs, or cooks or junior retouchers do all the chopping, prep, the grunt work and then the master chef designs the recipes and menus with the mangers, does the tasting, and maybe the plate setup and takes all the credit and big bucks. He may come out from his kitchen/studio and work the room, socialize and sign a few menus/Iris Prints/CTs. There seems to be analogy here in the art world.

steve

[Benny Profane]

Originally Posted by KR1156

i think some ppl in nyc are having trouble with the 300/hour rate, i could be wrong on this though. Just over heard a convo about it, but these guys were more digital capture, but were saying something about 150-200 hour for retouching.

maybe thats an average, im sure there are a couple places with the right clients getting 350.

Of course it's a problem. Just saw a few bills that shouldn't have been slipped by me, and, jeez, total up those hours, and I'll bet it gets the bean counters at agencies squirming and scheming some way to look good for their bosses by reducing costs. "Hey. let's do it ourselves!" duh.

[TheVeed]

I worked at an ad agency (big one, in NYC) for a while... I don't think I could ever do that again. Their demands and time requests are ridiculous. But many big ad agencies, and fashion labels are going internal. Unless it was Dolce & Gabbana, I probably couldn't go back.

[KR1156]

bbdo by any chance, theveed?

[Ant]

My guess: Mcann Erickson

I too did a very short stint in-house at a huge ad agency - horrible. I was easing back into working for someone else coming off several years of freelance only. Yuck. Never again ....unless it's my agency

[KR1156]

what is that they have you juggling all the projects at once, or is it the hours that are so bad? or maybe they demand too much in a short period of time that doesn't allow you to do the job 100% to your satisfaction?

i don't think i ever heard of anyone liking the advertising scene! retouching at least!

[KR1156]

my last post was actually a question, or did i hit it on the head?!?

let me know experieced ad ppl.

i work at a major ad agency right now, but my situation is kinda weird, i'm in the "below the line devision" and am the only retoucher out of my group. Any hi-end stuff, or beauty/fashion/editorial work i do is on the side for someone.

[Benny Profane]

Originally Posted by SteveB2005

If you think about it, a "master" retoucher is like the head or executive chef at a fine resort. All the sous chefs, or cooks or junior retouchers do all the chopping, prep, the grunt work and then the master chef designs the recipes and menus with the mangers, does the tasting, and maybe the plate setup and takes all the credit and big bucks. He may come out from his kitchen/studio and work the room, socialize and sign a few menus/Iris Prints/CTs. There seems to be analogy here in the art world.

steve

Um, excuse me, but, what are you talking about? Do you retouch? Or, are you from Switzerland, stuck in some Guild like existence?
Look, there's a whole bunch of retouching out there, mainly in a few places in the world. The customer wants it done (1) well, (2) as fast as possible, and (3) at a competitive price. Some have more money to spend, some less. Your (and my) job depends on figuring out how to make a decent living off this little machine.
That said, it's surprising how chaotic this machine is, sputtering and coughing through time. Total incompetents grab a handle, hanging on, reaching in and grabbing bags of money. True geniuses are pushing hard and pedaling inside, making it work as others study them. NO ONE is teaching each other - well hardly anyone, as I said in another thread. And the client could care less how much you know about color management or printing or whatever. He has serious political games to play.

I tell ya, if somebody talked to me like a chef does to his people, I'd stick a Wacom pen in his eye and walk down the street and find another gig.

[TheVeed]

KR you hit the nail. And I was at one of the Publicis groupes. I think I had a pretty good setup compared to their other retouchers, but that's not saying much.

[skydog]

To those of you who are high end professional retouchers, I was wondering how much personal vision and creativity are you allowed for each project? Must you succumb to the agency, editor, photographer or client? Must you you follow a standard or can you be the creator of a new standard? I'm sure a lot has to do with the experience and political network you have established over time. Is this a young man's game especially in the new age of digital? And I'm sure you deal with a lot of incompetent individuals who have the final say. Just wondering what it is like on the other side.

[Markzebra]

Generally your job is to do what they ask. they are paying for your time. Any photographer I've met has their own thing, they want to be in charge.

[Ant]

You bring your own expertise and talent, and that of the shop you work for and then make additional edits as per the client or art director. You don't wait to be told every little detail. There will be an initial brief, you make the noted adjustments and then work the file until it's right to you. In rounds that follow, you make adjustments based on comments from the client and those needed as they arrive. Often one change may necessitate many others discussed or not.

Having said that, I have done creative retouching for clients at my own discretion. In those cases, I was contracted specifically for what I thought would 'look cool' for the client. For instance http://www.mostvaluableplayas.com/