Conscientious and timely billingįile Management. Deliver what you say you’re going to deliver on time. The following is a list of the areas I think are the most important for creating great client relationships for your retouching business:Ĭommunication. Doing so in a timely, professional, and dare I add, pleasant and competent manner will get you invited back.įlashy photoshop skills and an attitude? Yeah…no. It’s our job as retouchers to service someone else’s vision. Sticking to a budget - or CLEARLY ringing the bell if the job’s going to go over estimate, BEFORE it’s too late.Ĭommunicating on all sorts of levels: schedule, design/visuals, financial, delivery methods, expectations. There is so much more to the job than actually pushing pixels around. What makes clients come back to me? Hint: it’s not just my solid photoshop skills. You know what else pays the rent? Repeat clients. Don’t get me wrong, these jobs lead to the awesome 20%, the exciting, challenging work you live for. No matter the venue, 80% of retouching tasks are production work that’s probably well below your current skill level. I’ve done both freelance and agency work for over two decades. I’m talking about the business of retouching - the business of running your business. Short change it, and you’ll be scratching your head, wondering why first time clients don’t call back, even after you hit that composite out of the park with sparkles. Warning: it’s not sexy or artistic or hip, but skills in this area will guarantee you repeat clients for life. There’s an issue we retouchers have ignored for a long time, and it’s coming back to bite us in our desk-bound asses. The above apps offer some great “CHEATS.”
(caveat here - you need to KNOW that these results are PRINT ready OR that you would know how to fix/re do if file gets signed off on)Īlien Skin Creative Marketplace Flaming Pear While these aren’t always as advertised, for a fairly small investment you can often get pretty good results. There are a variety of places you can get good or “useful” plug ins, actions, presets. Underneath that is knowing WHERE to get your plug ins. An unwritten rule in retouching is to know when to use plug ins. My job is to do the best quality work, as quickly as possible. Kind of an “it’s cheating” quality to using plug ins. if you didn’t illustrate it or photo composite it yourself, it’s somehow not valid.
And yet in my industry, I feel like there’s this disdain for software short cuts. Both budgets and timelines are at straining points. Maybe they click on a point to focus on.īut how many folks are exposing for PROCESSING? Most folks just take out their phone and click. I promised you some actionable information today. Let’s take basic shooting, especially MOBILE shooting. Where’s the freaking finish line, anyway?Īs an instructor, my main goal is to get you comfortable with the technology- so you can grow your vision. There aren’t any merit badges to collect along the way. The seductive thing about knowing every in and out of of a freaking complicated app like Lightroom is that it FEELS like mastery. Have faith that if you keep doing the work, keep creating, keep experimenting, you’ll arrive. Keeping up with technology is critical, sure, but it isn’t enough. I know the look I’m trying to achieve, and I know how to use my tools to get it.
What I rely on as a professional is my ability to get to my destination quickly.
A new way to colorize an entire piece, or a one button illustration solve. After nearly 28 years in this gig, I discover new things about apps and equipment daily. Knowing how to bend the tool to your will? Now, THAT’S power. Memorizing every possibility shouldn’t be the Holy Grail. Knowing how to get the look I want from the tools at hand. For me, mastering my craft means having confidence in my ability to use tools like Lightroom to bring the stories and images in my mind to life. How about we think about mastery more like taming. They’ve memorized every secret shortcut, and can navigate the most arcane nested menus in Lightroom in the blink of an eye.
They have the latest and greatest equipment and every top-of-the line accessory. How will you know when you’ve achieved it?įor many industry professionals-and folks who’d love to join their ranks-mastery means knowing EVERYTHING. You’d love to master digital photography and processing, right? I’m going to give you a simple tip today that will change the way you shoot, but first, I want to dive into the big picture. I do not think it means what you think it means.