Work

[zganie]

I am Really Curious HOW many People actually MAKE a FULLTIME living from
RETOUCHING or RESTORATION work

I Personally think a SMALL percentage actually do

[4personnen]

You got a "poll" feature when you post a new thread. You want to test that and see how it goes.
I think many of the people here are not just retouchers (but I may be wrong)

Retouchers/photographers
retouchers/digital artists
retouchers/restorers
retouchers/webdesigners...
etc...

[shift studio]

Originally Posted by zganie

I am Really Curious HOW many People actually MAKE a FULLTIME living from
RETOUCHING or RESTORATION work

I Personally think a SMALL percentage actually do

Retoucher/Photo-illustrator (or whatever you want to call it) is my sole source of income.

--Shift Studio.

[eraanexact]

I've been doing it professionally for ten years now. Retouching only.
We're out there.

[Repairman]

I've been working solely as a retoucher for 18 years so we are out there!
Even the easy jobs used to pay well; now it's just hard jobs come my way!

R.

[Flashtones]

Photographer/Retoucher

[Janko]

yep. full-time freelance retoucher here as well, not much time to do anything else. definitely plenty of work out there. As long as you can get your name out and have a body of work to back it up.

[zganie]

I have no Doubt there are people doing it and making a living.BUT Like I said "A SMALL PERCENTAGE" I mean just on here there's over 90,000 members

[Flashtones]

Originally Posted by zganie

I have no Doubt there are people doing it and making a living.BUT Like I said "A SMALL PERCENTAGE" I mean just on here there's over 90,000 members

This is like the 8th thread you've made on this topic - what's the point?

No one said there are more pros than amateurs on this site. At the same time most pros never respond to such threads because taking attendance doesn't excite them. If you know where to find a greater amount or higher proportion of pros that's great - where is it?

[shift studio]

Originally Posted by Flashtones

This is like the 8th thread you've made on this topic - what's the point?

No one said there are more pros than amateurs on this site. At the same time most pros never respond to such threads because taking attendance doesn't excite them. If you know where to find a greater amount or higher proportion of pros that's great - where is it?

I recalled too that the OP asked this over and over, I thought I would respond this time and see 'whats the point?'

So Zganie, what are you trying to get at? That most people on this forum are amateurs?

--Shift Studio.

[zganie]

Maybe Pros Should answer so newbies can get an idea of what to expect,itdoesn't cost them anything but a minute of time.
And as far as repetitive posting!!! I am an amateur compared to some people on here
The IDEA! Behind the Question is to help out people who just MIGHT NOT be as in the Know as othe people,WHO might be thinking of taking this as a career path BUT not Sure
SO PASSING ON INFORMATION "WHICH COSTS YOU NOTHING" I think should be a pleasure.SO Newbies or less experienced have some idea what there getting into BEFORE they start Buying all sorts of BOOKS and DVD's

After all isn't that what this sight is about

[Flashtones]

I think it's great that you have a passion for the business. But it seems your threads are more statements than questions, so perhaps people would feel less baited into a game of cat and mouse if you posed them as such.

http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/wor...2634-work.html

http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/wor...ding-work.html

http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/wor...ing-money.html

http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/pho...ng-living.html

http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/pho...photoshop.html

http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/wor...ng-money2.html

http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/wor...available.html

http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/wor...522-money.html

http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/wor...-new-work.html

[zganie]

Questions? Staements? whatever As far as finding my posts there hundreds on here pretty much the same (or More) asking or stating this problem
Exactly why I stated this(I Personally think a SMALL percentage actually do )
Does it mean I am Right "NO"
I am not BAiTING ANYONE Simply asking and either its true that there is a small percentage of people or they just don't want to answer
Everyday on this SIGHT people ask these Questions "Maybe not word for word but pretty much the same idea" are they also "Baiting" people

FINALLY; Cat and mouse game?? the question at the top of this thread seems pretty straight forward to me

[Markzebra]

Why do you keep asking the same question over and over again, year after year? what answer are you looking for, that you have not received yet?

[zganie]

It is ok You guys pretty much answered it so I won't have to ask again
Thanks

[Heretic]

full time retoucher for 10 years, scanner operator for 3

[abenormal]

Zganie, I am sure you are correct. The percentage of the earth's population that makes a living retouching must be incredibly small. It isn't even listed as a profession on government forms or tax papers. There are 10 million people in New York City on a workday, and there can't be more than a few hundred working as retouchers.

[bobcooper]

I'm a full time retoucher, and have been for 1 year... though I was lucky and fell in with a photographer right away. Always looking for more clients though.

Bob

[ashphotoart]

Hi,

I'm living my life to be only as a retoucher. I do full time freelance and earning nice (considering to my location).

I can say, I'm living my life only by retouching.

Ashish

[shumski]

I like to be in "small percentage" of full-time retouchers

[Mr Khanh]

Hi,
I am too, I'm living my life only by retouching

Khanh

[plugsnpixels]

Good to see so many successfully focusing only on retouching.

Zganie, what you might do to provoke more replies (assuming your very first thread didn't generate enough responses to satisfy you) is to bump that original thread to the top by replying to yourself with a reminder. That way your query and the resulting discussion stays nice and tidy ;-).

[tsvirik]

Who cares?
Do what you love to do, study as much as pos, do it best you can and you will always earn for living with it. Sooner or later.
I do not only retouching for living for the moment, I'm just a beginner in pro retouch, but going to switch only for retouching shortly and have no doubts I'll earn. Even considering my location.

[ddurgadevi]

Hi, I'm Durgadevi as a photorestoration, retouching artist,I have 8 years expericence in this field. Iam seaking for freelance works,Please give me
any suggisions, healp me
Regards
Durgadevi
http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/mem...durgadevi.html

[ddurgadevi]

Hi, I'm Durgadevi as a photorestoration, retouching artist,I have 8 years expericence in this field. Iam seaking for freelance works,Please give me
any suggisions, healp me
Regards
Durgadevi
http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/mem...durgadevi.html

[TopiToo]

Originally Posted by zganie

I am Really Curious HOW many People actually MAKE a FULLTIME living from RETOUCHING or RESTORATION work

me too. . .

Originally Posted by zganie

I Personally think a SMALL percentage actually do

I agree . . .

[ddurgadevi]

Originally Posted by zganie

I am Really Curious HOW many People actually MAKE a FULLTIME living from
RETOUCHING or RESTORATION work

I Personally think a SMALL percentage actually do

Hi, I'm Durgadevi as a photorestoration, retouching artist,I have 8 years expericence in this field. Iam seaking for freelance works,Please give me
any suggisions, healp me
Regards
Durgadevi
http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/mem...durgadevi.html

[eraanexact]

Yeah, it probably is a very small percentage of people who actually do this for a living full time. I'm not very likely to go to a party that isn't industry-related and meet another retoucher. But then there's also not a lot of people who make their living as full time photographers or classical musicians or actors.

This is a profession that not only demands skill, but lots and lots of time to hone and develop that skill. In 'Outliers' by Malcolm Gladwell, he writes that most experts in any given field have devoted no less than 10,000 hours to its practice. That's about five years of doing one thing for 40 hours a week. Retouching tends to also be a sort of catch22 in that the majority of well-spent time is usually the kind that involves real paying jobs, the kind of job that has consequences if the work isn't up to snuff. Can't get good unless you're working on real jobs, can't get real jobs if you're not any good.
It's frustrating, to be sure.

So how do you reconcile this? Internships and/or starting at the ground level and working your way up.

For me personally, I got into it pretty young, so I had the luxury of an extremely flexible schedule (working nights and weekends) and not having a ton of financial responsibilities. I lived with roommates, had no children to support. I was in a position to work a lot, and for cheap, knowing that in return I was essentially in an apprenticeship. In lieu of a high wage I was gaining much needed experience in an environment that had real consequences. If I wasn't steadily getting better, no more job.
So if you've got a few kids and a mortgage to pay, starting on the bottom isn't very desirable, and unfortunately, for the vast majority of us, we all started at the bottom.

I started out putting comp elements into position and cutting masks and eventually got my sea legs and did increasingly more and more complex work.
Most photographers and make-up artists start this way as well, assisting the master until they've accrued enough knowledge and skill to then make it on their own.

I've also had to move a few times to whatever market I was focusing on. I did automotive retouching for almost a decade, and so I lived in Detroit. Now I'm focusing on fashion and beauty, so I live in New York. There's a few people who are making a living working remotely and doing quite well, both financially and skill-wise, but that is the exception, not the norm.

Working knowledge of photoshop is a given, but you also need to put in the time, and it helps to live where the work is. If any of this is not an option, then maybe this career isn't for you.

By the original post and some of the replies, it seems that many folks would like to do this for a living and don't know how to get their foot in the door, and I hope this response helps some of you out.

[zganie]

Zganie, I am sure you are correct. The percentage of the earth's population that makes a living retouching must be incredibly small. It isn't even listed as a profession on government forms or tax papers. There are 10 million people in New York City on a workday, and there can't be more than a few hundred working as retouchers.
ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT!!

[zganie]

Really informative Eraanexact
This is what I was talking about,letting new people know what to expect
Thanks