Is it just me....?

Amy.Read · #1 12-20-2007, 12:31 PM

Hello all,
Like I said in my other post today, this is my first day with this site and I've just found a link to a website claiming to charge for their "retouching".

http://www.realretouch.com/retouch.html

Why, dear lord why would you try to get work/get work with these images?

Like many other people on the forum I'm trying to find retouching work and I feel like when I finally get in contact with a pro photographer etc they are weary and don't tend to take anyone seriously, but thankfully they seem to like my work so all is not lost.

On the other hand everyone else here seems lovely! There are some great posts and I love the critique section, really good to see people chipping in for eachother.

Does anybody feel the same about the less than capable retouchers scaring away photographers for the rest of us? Or am I being mean...

Swampy · #2 12-20-2007, 01:46 PM

Amy, yeah, there are cons all over the web. They want the easy way out, put up a site, show some pictures and hope someone will buy in. You and I may have a more critical eye, but the general public sees that woman with her wrinkles gone and they think that is just wonderful.

I recognize a couple of their samples as having been lifted from Tutorial CDS and other web sites. I KNOW they did not originate the torn picture of the little girl on a pony (Katrin Eismann, perhaps-but I remember it from somewhere) same with the guy with glare on his glasses.

You have the right idea. Personal contacts with photographers with a good portfolio and a professional demeanor and "real", not Avery I printed them on an inkjet, business cards.

I'm surprised that you are surprised! LOL

Denyerec · #3 12-20-2007, 02:01 PM

I don't know about you, but I've seen worse!!

Amy.Read · #4 12-20-2007, 03:01 PM

Lol, not only is this a good site your a funny lot too!
Yeah I'm sure there are worse, and i cant believe those images are nicked! Thats soooooooo bad. Maybe I'm naieve, maybe I'm easily angered or maybe just maybe the whole worlds gone mad!

Unfortunately i think its the first 2!

pixel_monkey · #5 12-20-2007, 04:10 PM

Welcome to RetouchPRO.

I was reading some of the stuff on the site and thought the following paragraph really sums up what the site is about.

"Our results are outstanding. Compare samples of our work on this website with examples. you can't see elsewhere like this.We think you'll agree that the quality of our work speaks for itself."

Amy.Read · #6 12-20-2007, 04:21 PM

Ha ha ha,
Thats the most silly bundle of nonsense!

Deary me,
Loving that monkey by the way, thats my fav bit of famliy guy.

Enkay · #7 12-20-2007, 05:28 PM

I don't really see the point of bashing someone else's website... Does it make you feel better about the quality of your work?

Swampy · #8 12-20-2007, 05:53 PM

Enkay, I don't think anyone's bashing the website as much as critiquing the quality of the work displayed there. Besides stealing the work of others to use for "their" examples is not kosher.

There are just too many good retouchers available to let this amature entity slide by.

Enkay · #9 12-20-2007, 06:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Swampy

Enkay, I don't think anyone's bashing the website as much as critiquing the quality of the work displayed there. Besides stealing the work of others to use for "their" examples is not kosher.

There are just too many good retouchers available to let this amature entity slide by.

I don't support stealing other people's work but I don't think thats the main issue here... He didn't ask for a review, and this feels more like a "Haha look at how much he sucks, I'm so much better!" sort of thing than a critique anyway.

Professional retouchers are most likely not losing any work because there's amateurs on the internet. If they are they need to work on their marketing.

If people are using his services and they're happy it, it doesn't matter what you consider amateur work. If he's not getting any work because everyone agrees with you, he'll cut his losses soon enough and take his website down.

I don't mean to sound bitter. It's just that it's so easy to point at others and laugh...

EDIT: Too much rambling... My point is, you might think you're better than him and most people might agree but there's also people out there who are much better than everyone who posted in this thread, me included of course. I wouldn't like them to start making fun of my work and website and you probably feel the same.

Sanda · #10 12-20-2007, 10:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Swampy

I recognize a couple of their samples as having been lifted from Tutorial CDS and other web sites. I KNOW they did not originate the torn picture of the little girl on a pony (Katrin Eismann, perhaps-but I remember it from somewhere) same with the guy with glare on his glasses.

Yes I recognise them too, I was trying to place where they came from.

pixel_monkey · #11 12-21-2007, 01:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Enkay

I don't really see the point of bashing someone else's website... Does it make you feel better about the quality of your work?

Does it make feel that you're a much better human being than everyone who posted in this thread 'cause you don't lower your character to the level of your so-called "bashing" others? How does it make you feel when I ask you this? I don't know how you define "bashing", people here are just expressing their opinions. I certainly don't feel better about the quality of my work just by looking at that site. I'll be very busy pointing finger and laughing at many other similar websites out there if I wanted to boost my self-esteem to make myself feel better and brag about the quality of my work. I'd just completely stop learning knowing that there will always be hundred of others that are below my skill level...and I certainly wouldn't be at this site trying to better my skill. The reality is that it's a website. If you made it public, people will talk about it whether it's good or bad.

Alison · #12 12-21-2007, 01:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sanda

Yes I recognise them too, I was trying to place where they came from.

I've seen them as well, either someone has posted them here, or I clicked a link on the side bar - I'm inclined to think they were posted here by a member.

Could be wrong of course

I think Enkay has a point though. Perhaps it is better to look at the really good pros and aspire to that, rather than look at the lower end retouchers and laugh because you/I/we think we are better.

Swampy · #13 12-21-2007, 04:15 AM

It was driving me nuts, so Iooked it up. The sample retouch of the little girl on the pony is directly from Katrin Eismann's Restoration & Retouching. In her Second edition it's from Chapter 5, page 155.

Enkay, It's not about me or making me feel better. I'm terrible at retouching, it's not my forte. I don't even attempt it and I don't really enjoy doing it. I have no personal animosity toward the folks at the sampled web site (except using other people's work as _their_ examples). That said, I have seen enough amazing work done right here in RetouchPRO, and other sites, that I have developed an appreciation for what is excellent work and what is less than stellar.

I'm not laughing at anybody. I'm just feeling sorry for anyone who stumbles on that site and intrusts their precious photo of great grandmom to them for a retouch when *I* know there are hundreds of other retouchers that are capable of doing so much more than what is displayed on this site.

Amy.Read · #14 12-21-2007, 06:57 AM

Of course its not about making me feel better! It makes me angry that they are pretending to offer a service that they clearly cannot provide, theres a name for that, false advertising. It had nothing to do with my work, no body learns anything by compairing yourself to people below you, you help people that aren't as good as yourself and you aspire to the people above you otherwise you get no where.
And anyway they are actively taking business away from other people otherwise they wouldn't have a website still up, as it would be a financial burden. Not everybody knows what good retouching is so picture this:
Someone needing a retoucher could go through every crap, wannabe out there and never get round to you when you know you could do a great job and start a career from it. Its not mucking around its people's livelyhoods

Enkay · #15 12-21-2007, 11:33 AM

If people are still going to his website and buying his services, we're obviously not doing a very good job at marketing our services. People might not know what good retouching is, but if they're content with what they get from him, well maybe that's what part of the market wants. Mcdonalds isnt gourmet food but they're still making millions because it's what some people want. Free market.

The only thing wrong here is that some of his exemples were stolen from someone else.

And whoever tried to bash me, I'm not going to play your little game.