Photoshop retouching

Luno

Hey all,
I've been using photoshop I'd say for 3 years now. Can't say the stuff I do is up ti professional level but I'd like to think it's quite good.
Anyways I was wondering what now? I have no idea where I would go to get work etc. If ye know any sites or something that could point be in the right direction taht it would be great
Thanks in advance,
Mary

Zillah

I really don't think such a job exists. Photographers will be able to/want to retouch their own photos, and any other positions would require more qualifications than simple retouching.

Good luck with it and all but don't hold your breath.

Luno

Thats what I thought aswell ahwell sure thanks anyways

Zillah

If it's really something you're interested in there's other avenues to explore. First up, some form of official qualification would do wonders. Obviously there are full degrees in media/graphic design/photography, but if you're not up for such a large investment of time and money there's other options. If you have a degree of some sort you could possibly do a related masters. There's also plenty of diploma courses and probably some quite convenient FAS courses of some sort.

You could:
1 - Go all out Graphic Design and work as, well, a Graphic Designer.
2 - Do some variety of marketing qualification and use your photoshop skills in that regard.
3 - Go all out photography and put those skills to work on your own photography.

Plenty of ways to go about it, just that none are quite as simple as you first mentioned.

Blaalarry

Ah yes.. Another Photoshop "photographer". In the real world ,darlin', Real photographers take photos with cameras using their imagination, skill, knowledge of the basics of painting with Light and instinct. Instinct for what is a good photograph.

In the old days, (my days) you got one chance to take a picture, not about 5 million per second and have instant viewing of whether you got it or not!! I see photographers doing this all the time now, it just a sign of no confidence. if you asked one of these people what an f stop was theyed be scratchin their heads for a while..

Real Photographers are a dieing breed. Now the camera does all the work, focusing, working out exposure, shutter speed et. al.

And ,even if you do possibly make a horses arse of it?- take it to photoshop...

5uspect

Erm, so what has that little rant got to go with the OP?
Photo retouching and Graphic Design are an industry and the OP is looking for paths to work in this area.
She never once mentioned that they were a photographer.

Being able to use Photoshop is a skill in itself. A good photographer will use Photoshop as just another tool to get the required results. Have you ever burnt in some shadows in the dark room?

Have you any experience of digital photography? Photoshop is not some magic button program that makes a terrible photograph immediately good.

Many of the skills you've listed (while important) are things you simply learn by practise. They have little to do with the art of composing a good photograph. They are technical requirements or a piece of technology. You may as well complain that using lenses is killing pin-hole photography.

TBH you sound like someone who is scared of digital and the additional requirements that has. Now you don't just need to know what an f-stop is, you need to understand dynamic range, sensor noise, colour space, RAW, HDR etc...

Zillah

Blaalarry wrote: »

Ah yes.. Another Photoshop "photographer". In the real world ,darlin', Real photographers take photos with cameras using their imagination, skill, knowledge of the basics of painting with Light and instinct. Instinct for what is a good photograph.

In the old days, (my days) you got one chance to take a picture, not about 5 million per second and have instant viewing of whether you got it or not!! I see photographers doing this all the time now, it just a sign of no confidence. if you asked one of these people what an f stop was theyed be scratchin their heads for a while..

Real Photographers are a dieing breed. Now the camera does all the work, focusing, working out exposure, shutter speed et. al.

And ,even if you do possibly make a horses arse of it?- take it to photoshop...

Hey man, welcome to boards. Stop being an asshole.

ThOnda

Photography is a process to produce a picture. It does not matter what means you use, optical, chemical, electronic...

Ask some painters and they will tell you that photography is not art. The same is about large format photographers, medium format photographers, film photographers, digital purists "the picture is straight from the camera..."...

It does not matter how, what matters is the picture.

Blaalarry

I'm Sorry, M&S*, I was just in bad form today. Of course i realize the value of digital photography, and the skill and expertise required for Photoshop, not to mention the enormous addition it lends to improving an already good photo.

To give 3 years fine tuning any skill deserves reward.

Graphic design, Advertising, etc., are the obvious avenues.

Perhaps Digital Makeovers or old Photo repairs or rebuilding could be considered?? If I think of any more I'll let you know, if we're still talking, that is!

I'm not really an asshole.

AnCatDubh

kinda lucky i'm late arriving in on this thread as I see redemption has occurred naturally.

OP - here's an idea but only an idea and it builds on the post above that rightly suggests that the job you are looking for doesn't exist.

If you are handy in photoshop then why not offer a processing service to professional photographers. Do your portfolio, set your rates, organise your introductory offer, produce your marketing bumph and then go knocking on doors. If you only got one out of 20 that were vaguely interested, it would be something you could build on. Many professional photographers bemoan the amount of time they spend in front of a computer rather than in front of a camera. This is an angle which you could seek to exploit.

Trojan911

M&S* wrote: »

Hey all,
I've been using photoshop I'd say for 3 years now. Can't say the stuff I do is up ti professional level but I'd like to think it's quite good.
Anyways I was wondering what now? I have no idea where I would go to get work etc. If ye know any sites or something that could point be in the right direction taht it would be great
Thanks in advance,
Mary

Hi Mary,

I'm in a bit of a quandry myself. I started a college course last year on Digital Photography last year & also did Digital Manipulation, both were C&G courses.

Now, I still do the photography but I have realised I am swinging more towards digital manipulation. So I am also thinking of going down the same route as yourself. I haven't seen anything worthy at the moment but if I could suggest to you to go out and get some type of qualification it would help you alot.

One of the girls on my course now works with a wedding photog but wouldn't have got it only for the course. The general feeling I got is, it doesen't matter how long you are doing something, it's the qualification that counts.

And if this helps, I bought a couple of books in the UK recently the best one so far is a book called "Layers" by Matt Kloskowski. Brilliant book to say the least. It covers Photoshop completely.

Also available online as I couldn't get it anywhere in Cork City.

5uspect

Matt's podcasts are excellent too. He does Photoshop TV with Scott Kelby, Dave Cross and other NAPP members. It's excellent stuff.

farlco

Despite your contrition Blaalarry I still have to call you out on a ridiculous post about "Real Photographers" - whatever that means. I have worked for over 10 years in professional photography labs and have seen.... ah yes loads of photoshopping photographers, believe me it's not always pretty. Both disciplines need imagination, skill, knowledge and they are not always mutually exclusive, in fact a good eye goes along way in both. F-stop.

M&S , there may not be many jobs out there now or even in better times, I would echo AncathDubh. You may not get a full time job but maybe you could get one or two photographers to hire you on a freelance basis, or as an assistant/retoucher. Get your portfolio in order and get a website going to showcase your work, it might be worth doing the Adobe Certified Exam. I work for a photo agency on the imaging desk, work is very slack at the mo, hours have been cut dramatically, so I've been working on a website myself too and could well be in the same boat soon...
For a fast/cynical/wisecracking photoshop podcast check out Deke McClellands dekepod........

wingnut

If you are thinking of certification my school is an Adobe test center. I can give you some advice on the Adobe Certified Assosiate exam - Visual Communications using Photoshop. Might be useful to have the quailification as an entry point to a more complete course.