New Members Introductions, Biographical Ramblings Etc

[chazcarp]

I found this site looking for tutorials on photo restoration on Google and decided to join. Its an amazing site lots of excellant tutorials and tips and I think I will have many a late night reading through it all.

I'm 36 real name Chris from South Wales in the UK. I mountainbike, fish and have been using Photoshop for about 3 yrs doing things from photo enhancing to drawing photorealistically (is that a real word?).

Anyway thought I'd say hi and hope to try out the competitions in the future.

[DannyRaphael]

Originally Posted by chazcarp

I found this site looking for tutorials on photo restoration on Google and decided to join. Its an amazing site lots of excellant tutorials and tips and I think I will have many a late night reading through it all.

I'm 36 real name Chris from South Wales in the UK. I mountainbike, fish and have been using Photoshop for about 3 yrs doing things from photo enhancing to drawing photorealistically (is that a real word?).

Anyway thought I'd say hi and hope to try out the competitions in the future.

Welcome, Chris. It's always a pleasure to have someone join us from across the pond. You will have fun for years reading all the good stuff here. Happy reading.

~Danny~

[Squggle]

Hello everyone,

(I've already posted in a couple of other forums, I didn't know where this thread was, sorry )

My name is Michelle (Squggle pronounced Scoo-gul *old nick from college?!*)
I'm a professional photographer and I am a member of a few other fourms, I found this one from a friend from another site, and I must say it's very good.
Everyone seems so nice, and I hope I fit in here
I work with Photoshop CS2 and usually with photographs although I have been known to dabble in web graphics from time to time :P

Well enough of me rambling, thank you for having me and ther is a little warning about me in my sig

[DannyRaphael]

Originally Posted by Squggle

Hello everyone,

(I've already posted in a couple of other forums, I didn't know where this thread was, sorry )

My name is Michelle (Squggle pronounced Scoo-gul *old nick from college?!*)
I'm a professional photographer and I am a member of a few other fourms, I found this one from a friend from another site, and I must say it's very good.
Everyone seems so nice, and I hope I fit in here
I work with Photoshop CS2 and usually with photographs although I have been known to dabble in web graphics from time to time :P

Well enough of me rambling, thank you for having me and ther is a little warning about me in my sig

Welcome, Michelle:

At least you can post your college nickname. Mine would be banned!

Glad you found us and hope you enjoy poking around and engaging in the forums here.

~Danny~

[jelhak]

Hi everyone,

My name is Jim. After being just a viewer for a while I decided it was time to join. I was born in 1967. Professionaly i'm a IT specialist. In my sparetime i have photography, retouching and restoration as a hobby. After starting with just enhancing photographs in Photoshop my interest in doing much more grew so I started searching for websites that can help me improve skills. So that is how I ended up here. Maybe in the proces of learning i can be of any help to someone else. I have just started to put some images on Pbase http://pbase.com/jimhakvoort so feel free to give critiques.

Jim Hakvoort

[DannyRaphael]

Originally Posted by jelhak

Hi everyone,

My name is Jim. After being just a viewer for a while I decided it was time to join. I was born in 1967. Professionaly i'm a IT specialist. In my sparetime i have photography, retouching and restoration as a hobby. After starting with just enhancing photographs in Photoshop my interest in doing much more grew so I started searching for websites that can help me improve skills. So that is how I ended up here. Maybe in the proces of learning i can be of any help to someone else. I have just started to put some images on Pbase http://pbase.com/jimhakvoort so feel free to give critiques.

Jim Hakvoort

re: What's an IT specialist?
For the benefit of those who may not know, IT = Information Technology, in other words Jim works with computers. I used to be one, too.

Hello, Jim...

Nice to have you. I enjoyed poking around your gallery. You've done some impressive restoration work and I especially like the macro closeups.

Welcome to RetouchPRO. I hope you have a lot of fun and learn a lot.

~Danny~

[aylaah]

Hello

Since I've already bugged the management within an evening of discovering this site, I should also post here!

My name is Kelly, I'm 24 on Thursday, and I come from Newcastle, Australia (coastal city 2hrs north of Sydney).

My interest is fairly recent, as it is now at least! My father is a photographer and has been for more than 40 years, and through him i was given my 'education' in the finer points. I was exposed early and often, usually to artistic photography, which is how I got here. While my dad is very much a film man, he still loves the art of photography, and for my generation, photoshop is the dark room, to some extent.

I have been doing photographic make-up, and some recent photos showed a model friend in a very light light, lol - she is south american and looked white (she isn't. I'm the ghostly one lol). So I discovered paint shop pro and the suntan tool, turned her back into herself and was hooked!! I have since gotten photoshop and play with both. I find paint shop a bit more user friendly (for those of us a bit less technical, lol) but am warming to photoshop as my preferred source.

So now make-up is less appealing to me, and the post production of photographs has become a slight obsession. I've given my 4yo purple hair, removed the beach and added rocks behind friends, and other general, simple things that are helping me to learn what works, and what doesn't.

Now, I want my own decent camera (eyeing off a couple) so I can take my own raw images to manipulate and retouch, rather than working off very basic, bottom of the line results I have now. My interest certainly involves the photography itself as well as what happens later.

And my father, after watching me for near on 24 years avoiding the camera but edging closer and closer to his industry, is as proud as punch. So much so he's even accepted that I want to work digitally, lol.

So here I am - sorry for the novel (I am really good at those)!

[DannyRaphael]

Hello, Kelly:

Happy almost birthday. Not to worry about the length of your intro; I enjoyed reading all of it.

I'm sure in in a very short time your father will be prouder of you than he is now when he sees the results of applying some of the neat techniques you will learn here at RetouchPRO.

Welcome to the family. I hope you enjoy your stay and learn a lot.

~Danny~

[Skyarcher]

Found this thread while wondering around the site, thought I would drop-in.

My name is Christine, I'm from South-Central Florida, 39 years old, but feel older since I found my first gray hair the other day. Okay, it was actually a silver color, but I don't care!

I've been doing restoration and retouching for years, mostly through trial and error, until I started taking Photoshop classes and learned some great techniques. I have always manipulated to a certain degree the images that I take, just never new it had official name. My first restoration photos were after Hurricane Andrew came through Homestead, when I lived down there. Many years later and a few different programs later, I can honestly say, it still fascinates me.

I use the internet for everything else, genealogy, astronomy groups, photography, graphic & web design, classes, etc., I'm not sure why I never thought to look up if there were others 'gathering' for restoration and retouching. Am very glad to have found this site couple months back. I stayed quiet and finally became a member the other day.

Thanks for having a place where we can come and learn some much needed new tricks. Nothing like saving hours/days of work with simple action or plugin!

[DannyRaphael]

Originally Posted by Skyarcher

Found this thread while wondering around the site, thought I would drop-in.

My name is Christine, I'm from South-Central Florida, 39 years old, but feel older since I found my first gray hair the other day. Okay, it was actually a silver color, but I don't care!

I've been doing restoration and retouching for years, mostly through trial and error, until I started taking Photoshop classes and learned some great techniques. I have always manipulated to a certain degree the images that I take, just never new it had official name. My first restoration photos were after Hurricane Andrew came through Homestead, when I lived down there. Many years later and a few different programs later, I can honestly say, it still fascinates me.

I use the internet for everything else, genealogy, astronomy groups, photography, graphic & web design, classes, etc., I'm not sure why I never thought to look up if there were others 'gathering' for restoration and retouching. Am very glad to have found this site couple months back. I stayed quiet and finally became a member the other day.

Thanks for having a place where we can come and learn some much needed new tricks. Nothing like saving hours/days of work with simple action or plugin!

Welcome, Christine. Glad you found RP. Don't worry about that greyish-silverish hair. It probably belonged to someone else and just blew in. Couldn't be yours, right? )

Enjoy yourself, learn a lot, share a lot and most of all: Have fun!

~Danny~

[Drix]

Hi there!

My name is Henrik, but after i've been using the nickname Drix for quite some time people tend to call me that instead. I just turned 28 now i april and have worked with computergrapics in one way or another since about 98-99.

I come from Oslo, Norway but live now on the west-coast of Norway studying Media and design. I started of in '99 working as a webdesigner after a 2 year course in Webmastering, but i never was any good at keeping the databases healthy and fresh so i turned to the more graphic sides of the sites. I also did some posters, flyers, and other promo material for clubs and dj and so on.

Lately i have been more and more facinated by the powers of retouching and photoshop in general, and that is how i found this site. I just registered 1 minute ago, so don't know much about this place yet, but i can't wait to look around.

Later.. D.

[irshgrlkc]

Hello all! I've been a member for about two weeks now so I guess I should officially introduce myself...

My name is Kerry, 27 years old, and I'm from about everywhere. I've been fortunate to have lived all over the world while growing up, but it does make it difficult to pinpoint where I'm from. The short story is I was born in the UK and have ended up in Southern California, so far.

I discovered that I love all things Photoshop while trying to complete my required elective credits for a Bachelor's in Business and I took a beginner's Photoshop class. The great thing was that I was able to purchase the entire Adobe CS2 suite at the student price!

I've already been quite fortunate to receive advice from members of this site in how to correct a troublesome picture, and I look forward to being able to help others also.

Kerry

[DannyRaphael]

Welcome Drix and Kerry...

I always enjoy reading the mini-bios of our new members. Norway and Southern California (I was born in SoCal) are very far, far apart. Isn't the Internet great?

I hope you enjoy your stay at RetouchPRO, make some new friends and learn a lot.

~Danny~

[stevebarrett]

Hi,

I've been lurking around for a while now and thought that I'd introduce myself.

I am a professional creative retoucher based in San Francisco. I've been fortunate to work with some of the best agencies and photographers around the country. I have in the business since 1991.

I just posted some recent work in the gallery section.

Thanks,

Steve

[DannyRaphael]

Originally Posted by stevebarrett

Hi,

I've been lurking around for a while now and thought that I'd introduce myself.

I am a professional creative retoucher based in San Francisco. I've been fortunate to work with some of the best agencies and photographers around the country. I have in the business since 1991.

I just posted some recent work in the gallery section.

Thanks,

Steve

Glad you jumped in, Steve. It's always a pleasure to have someone from The City join us. San Francisco is one of my favorite places to visit. Many, many photo opportunities and some fabulous restaurants.

Welcome aboard.

~Danny~

[max917]

Hello all, I have been shooting professionally for some time now. Shooting mostly advertising and fashion. I am new to this forum, so just checking in and for you guys to see some of my work thanks.

Mateo Garcia

love to get your opinions,


thanks.

[DannyRaphael]

Originally Posted by max917

Hello all, I have been shooting professionally for some time now. Shooting mostly advertising and fashion. I am new to this forum, so just checking in and for you guys to see some of my work thanks.

Mateo Garcia

love to get your opinions,


thanks.

You do some amazing photography, design and post processing work. The images at your site are inspiring.

~Danny~

[max917]

Thanks i appreciate that. It has been a lot of hard work....

M.

[Julien Lions]

Bonjour de Paris

My name is Julien Lions, 28 years old and I don't speak english very well... so don't hesitate to correct me if I wrote something weird !
I actually work as a digital retoucher in pre-press house In Paris (France); I learn so many new things everyday, it's very exciting ! In my free time I work for photographers (mainly fashion) and listen modern jazz

I manage a retouching forum too (a reference in my country - nothing compare to your board) but I suscribe to this one to learn even more. It's always interesting to have various point of view from differents cultures (sadly, the english part in my forum doesn't work as I wish... maybe you can change this ? )

My photography portfolio is old... I don't shoot anymore. I don't have retouching portfolio at this time but I promise to upload some "before/after"

Well, I wish you a nice day
Julien

[luciachan]

Hi my name is Krissy and I am a photo-retouching-holic Im 22 I live in Canada I like to draw and use photoshop my real dream is to work for either a video game company or a magazine or something anyways I look forward to getting some critiques from the ppl around here

[ImperialEdge]

Hey!
My name is Jacob. I'm 18. I like to draw...alot and use photoshop on my drawings afterwards(nohing great). I've come here to learn and better my skills in PS. I'd really like to get into this freelancing scene.

[nasiharose]

Hello, Wonderful people!

Please allow me to introduce myself... My name is Nasiha and I am fairly new to Retouch Pro... I been layin' low in the background just researching & learning from all your posts here in the forum... Everything that I have read up on thus far is amazing! This forum is phenominal and I enjoy the communication you all have between one another! I just wanted to express my enthusiasm for being a part of this forum and let you all know how much I appreciate you guys!

I am a amateur fashion/glamour photographer just getting my feet wet... I am mostly self-taught through online tutorials and probing other photographers for insight, etc... I have become extremely passionate about photography within this last year, and equally as passionate about photo retouching/photo art. The possibilities are endless and I feel I have so much to learn!

My main job is a celebrity publicist for actors, recording artists and pro atheletes. This is actually how I got into photography & Photo retouching. There were times when I would need to update a client's portfolio or press kit at short notice, so I would have to hurry up and snap a few shots myself. Plus, it gets rather costly for my clients when I would have to subcontract outside photographers at such short notice... My clients really seemed pleased with my "newbie" attempts at snappin' pics and set I had an "eye" for it... Which is how I became inspired to pursue it further to the fullest extent.

Anyway, I began teaching myself photoshop CS2 and I have become failry good at it for an amateur. I been playing around with applying digital make-up on my client's photos etc. I am now obsessed with learning Amy Dresser's techniques in retocuhing... That cool toon paint method she uses is so cool! She is so amazing to me and I love her style! Oh, and David LaChapelle is my hero! heehee

I use my own photos of myself to experiement with since I am such a ham! HAHA!

Well, that was my little introduction in attempts to get to know you all better here. I am always open to any new ideas or feedback from any of you, so feel free!

Thanks!

[Keri]

Hi! My name is Keri and I live in Topeka, Kansas. I am 51 years old, but certainly don't act it. I was married for 20 years and have been single now for 10. I have three adult children and three grandchildren. I spent all of my time after the divorce just being a mother to my children and didn't have much time for myself. I have always had a love for photography but didn't realize I had a choice to pursue any type of career in the field. I took great snapshots of my children as they were growing, but that was the extent of my photographing skills. A few years ago I took a few night courses in black and white photography and introduction to the darkroom. I loved it. Now I have a digital camera and most of everything I learned in school has gone out the window!

I have discovered that I have a strong passion for photography and photo restoration. I have taught myself PhotoShop and have every book that was ever written on the subject. I just love it. One of the greatest feelings in the world is when someone has a photo that they think is ruined, and you restore it for them. It is priceless.

There are so many families that are unable to offer their graduate that special picture because they can't afford it. I love giving some low-income families the gift of a senior portrait.

I still have so much to learn and have discovered many of my answers to my questions on this board. This is such a wonderful place to meet people who have the same passion that I have. I hope to learn more and more from you all and have admired all of your work. Thank you for allowing me to become part of this great place.

Keri

[grimby]

Hi all,
My name is Steve, I'm 55 yrs old and I just wanted to say hello to all. I am from the UK and I work in education in the community. I have been interested in photoshop for a long while and have only just stumbled across this forum. It looks really friendly to me and I hope to learn new skills and one day contribute something back to all members.

[patriciakay]

Hi Steve....
Think you have come to the right place...So much to learn and you will find lots of tutorials and helpful people here....Its just to jump in!!! Welcome to Retouch and your never ending learning journey...
I am also from the UK but live in Sweden...there are quite a few of us from England in the forum...Have fun and look forward to seeing your artwork!!!
Patricia....

[phillip6653]

Hello to all,
My Name is Terrence McCleary and I am 25 years old, I have been a member for about a year but I do not think that I have ever posted on this thread. I live in Davenport Iowa and am a graphics and Web Design Instructor for New Horizons of the Quad Cities. I teach a number of different classes but Photoshop is my Favorite (there is always more to learn).

Thanks,
Happy New Year!!!

[limey-g]

Hi my name is Geoff, 66 yrs young and I was born in the UK but have lived in Canada for the past 32 years.
I have been into photography since the mid 1950's and only gave up my darkroom last year.
I enjoy retouching which for myself means using psp.
Having spent the past 30 years in raising showdogs , so animal photography is a very big part of my photography.
I am enjoying the forums very much

[mayham]

Well, hi there (-:

Just found this very welcome site since I've discovered the magic of Photoshop and Retouching my own little ditties (-: And what's more appropriate than introducing yourself to the fellow addicts as the first thing you do when you can become a free member of a community of retouch lovers? So, here we go:

My name is Andreas Heijdendael, born and raised in a little village in the southern part of Holland. For those who are familiar with the country... The hilly part of it. As of march 2006 I can call myself officially an adult *coughs* with 30 years of life on this planet. Living together with my girlfriend and our four cats in a village called Vught.

Been shooting pictures since I was 15 years old and now that I've switched to digital I've been doing postprocessing on the computer. Not very much more than some leveling, hightlighting and cropping. During this seasons holiday I got google out and started looking for retouching tutorials and then I found this site. Wonderfull, easy going, nicely explained examples on how to enhance your pictures. And that's what I'm going to do! And hopefully share some of my own ideas and tips with you people.....

For those intrested... have a look at our website with some old (un-retouched) work of me and my girlfriend... Still working on it! ((-:

Greetings,

Andreas

[ingafinch]

hi happy to have happened upon the retouchpro forum!

i am from tallahassee florida and have a background that runs the gamut! to touch on a few, i have been a birth attendant for a birth center and home birth midwife, i have been a social worker in a nursing home and i have throughout my life worked with my mother in her florist. i work now with a photographer as a production manager and assistant/second shooter at weddings.

my two daughters are adolescents and are still positive likable creatures despite their age. lucky me! the 3 of us are what constitutes our family and we like it like that. both of my girls aspire to be photographers and are well on their way to being pretty good at it!

i am eager to learn from this board, offer what i can and especially to make new friends! photo restoration is something i have dabbled in for years but i've decided to be better at it! so, we'll see!

inga

[Gary Richardson]

Hi Inga,

Welcome to RetouchPro. There's a whole host of talented, friendly and helpful people here, so make yourself at home. The coffee's free, in the kitchen just down the corridor behind the Moderator's Rest Room.

Dive into any topic that sparks your interest, and if nothing does then start your own, it's usually the best way to get to know folk.

Have fun, any problems just ask.