We need more photographers

[Doug Nelson]

Maybe it's the name, but for some reason retouchpro.com has never caught on with the photographer community. I know many people will spend hours working on an image in Photoshop, yet still not consider it "retouching".

What changes would you recommend to make RP more hospitable to photographers? Particularly pros.

Or is it simply a case of PR?

[andrewrodney]

Re: We need more photographers

They just need to know you're around. Go over to Luminous Landscape and post an open invite. Lula currently has more than 1.1 million unique readers each month; 3.5 million page views from some 50,000 people a day. Not too shabby.

[Doug Nelson]

Re: We need more photographers

Many, many years ago, when I was still young and rude, I used to post invites in other people's forums. To this day most of my posts get deleted in OPF (Other People's Forums), even if I'm just trying to be helpful. I'm still banned from a couple.

But if some volunteers were willing to help invite...

[andrewrodney]

Re: We need more photographers

I seriously doubt that will happen over on LuLa. You have to yell fire in a crowed theater there to get a post locked, there is never a post deleted. Michael and Kevin are just not that kind of hosts. Coming directly from you, the host of this site would carry more weight. And of course, how you ask invite is important.

[Doug Nelson]

Re: We need more photographers

I know it's weak tea, but I've added some prefixes to use when posting new threads to this subforum. They can help navigate, and might even spur some posting ideas.

[klev]

Re: We need more photographers

They just need to know you're around. Go over to Luminous Landscape and post an open invite. Lula currently has more than 1.1 million unique readers each month; 3.5 million page views from some 50,000 people a day. Not too shabby.

I am somehow reminded of the old Rob Galbraith forums before they were sold and subsequently run into the ground.

[sedetweiler]

Re: We need more photographers

Hi gang! I am a photographer and new to your site/forum. I do a lot of artistic retouching using some of my own techniques and am always willing to learn how things are done in the pro world.

[shumicpi]

Re: We need more photographers

From my experience I have seen the forums which include the word photography in their name attract more photographers than the other general forums which just have a category named as photography!

[Tareq]

Re: We need more photographers

Well, i spent long time on photography forums but i keep going to or coming here and retouching sites, because i see that retouching is part of the whole picture, i retouch all my photos, but if i use another word then i can say i edit or pp my photos even the best ones, so i don't ignore how retouch can be handy and even better than normal photography is.

Well, i am a photographer and i am not good at retouching, i spend hours to retouch very simple and easy tools, so i may spend days on one picture if i want deep extreme retouch that will bring the best of any photo, so i decided that i don't want to waste my time on retouch as i don't have time for photography itself and due to my life situations, so what i can do here is the following:

- Posting my best photo that need to be retouched and see what you can do about it

- I will send RAW files if that is necessary for highest quality

- Show my before image and your after retouch result here and link it to another photography forums or site, maybe this will make more photographers feel that they like to have their works retouched as well, just don't be so strict and ask for money/payment yet, first attract more then later some big names may be interested in here or some who are willing to pay.

I will do my best in the photography side, then you do your best in your retouching side and this cooperation may lead to better success to increase photographers in this site, because if i feel that my photos are taken care of here and processed to its best then i may like to spend time here than another photography sites where my photos are lost within billions of photos that are way better than my work.

Thank about it and let me know, if you have any suggestions just fire it, my only help is on photography side, so hope this can be something to start with if possible.

[gladesman]

Re: We need more photographers

I’m a photographer and have learned tons from Retouch Pro, mostly by searching and reading. I come to the site when I have a problem with an image, or when I feel the need for more understanding in image developing, the extended use of light, tone and texture, etc.
As to the question, “why don’t we have more photographers??” There are probably several answers as there always are to most questions, but in this case it may be that photographers in general tend avoid words like Retouch like the plague.
Perhaps if the site were known as Photo Editing Pro or Retouch Pro and Editing, or something like that it might entice more photographers.
Yep. I think like Doug Nelson said, it just the name. This site is a treasure trove of knowledge for photographers.
gladesman
Wayne Willison

[M Knight]

Re: We need more photographers

May I ask what your forum wants from photographers?

Images to work on / a different perpective / more members.... ??

I am a long term member of several photography forums. Retouching is quite a low priority for many photographers surprisingly. Many pride themselves on 'getting it right in camera' which is quite highly skilled, many just rely on Portrait Professional or similar software. I would like to see more of a cross over to your community though.

Are there any joint enterprises that benefit you and photographic forums that you could offer to the people who run such forums?

- joint competitions or projects (if the photographer takes and donates a photo for a charity, we will help process it or similar)

- learning meetups - you learn photography, we learn retouching issues when taking the photo

- offering to retouch peoples photos - provided that image or other suitable images are then donated to your site for use by the members of your community ?

- mentoring a photographer in retouching one of their own photos?

- try to get your site or some projects mentioned on photography news sites such as DIY Photography or Petapixel

- Approach professional or skilled photographers who run blogs and offer to do some joint posts with them, getting your site referenced and raising both your profile and helping put interesting stuff on the photographers blog.

- Get on some podcasts that are photography based, offer to be interviewed by the photographers that make them, give a few sound tips on how to improve images say or how to identify a good retoucher to hire.

- Lots of wedding photographers now outsource most of the image retouching as its too time consuming. Get some info out there on how they could identify a good retoucher or how they could improve their own workflow.

Hope some of this helps. All of it could draw references to your own site while benefiting the people who run other sites by getting them publicity too.

And there I was today saying as a new member I would be reading, not writing! -)

[Shoku]

Re: We need more photographers

Many years ago (1987), when I was starting out as a photographer, (one of four in a studio first established in 1946), it was understood that to be a true professional we need to shoot, develop, print, and retouch our own work. However, due to the work load most of the retouching was done by non-photographers who sat in a chair all day and worked on prints and negatives.

This separation of responsibilities was considered the normal method of finalizing the product - although we would all chip in when the print load became too heavy for the full time retouchers to handle.

That process seemed to be the standard for other studios in the area.

Today, I would assume that method still holds sway in most large studios.

[flowbox]

Re: We need more photographers

This is what i think....

The forum need a better SEO optimization, of course need to be included the right keys to attract photographers...

Ex. this is the H1 (heading) present now "Welcome to RetouchPRO, the web community for retouchers" maybe Photographers has to be included.

I think a photographer not expert in retouch search something like "photography retouch" or "photography problem"

No H2 present on the site.... the head where describe the sub arguments of the forum

No meta description tag... where we can describe the forum with the right keys to attract also photographers

No social media present connected and linked to the forum ex. Facebook like button or Google+ button

(sorry for my bad english)

[William L. Collins]

Re: We need more photographers

Agree...I'm at Lula at least twice a week...

[Lew the travele]

Re: We need more photographers

I'm a photographer and I've mentioned this site a lot to friends.
I don't think of my editing as 'retouching' and my editing doesn't necessarily have the same obvious end point as the typical retouching.
When I have a problem it is invariably masking on ill-defined edges or changing skin colors; I will come back here to look for some help in what already has been done.
Although I'm experienced, my abilities pale behind what I see and I hesitate to bring my trivial problems to such an experienced audience.