Three Things You're Doing Wrong When Retouching

Retouching, much like photography itself, is a really subjective topic in the community. What one photographer considers great, another considers mediocre. While there are many debatable topics regarding retouching, I think it’s important to note these three things most photographers get wrong when they’re retouching.

It's Overdone

Let me be clear: retouching is subjective. Every photographer has their own opinion as to what they would consider “over-retouched.” Regardless of your perspective, it’s always important to remember the fact that we all see things differently. The retouching necessary for a portrait may not bode well in the commercial world and vice versa. Whoever your client is, be very mindful of their feelings toward retouching.

It’s also important to note that retouching will vary on place of origin. I find that when I travel around the world, every country has their own level of acceptable retouching. This example is probably a bit exaggerative, but you’ll get the point.

So, be very mindful when hiring retouchers, as their quality and level of retouching will differ depending on their place of origin.

Retouching Needs to Be Expensive

Retouching, just like photography, will vary by individual and place of origin. You’ll find retouchers online charging $5 an image and others that charge $85 an image or much higher.

My position is this: hire the retoucher that fits your assignment. If it’s a wedding and you’re on a budget, you’ll probably want to hire someone on the lower end of the spectrum to do basic corrections and not invoice for $85 an image. If you find the perfect shot of the day, maybe you’ll want to spend $85. I also wouldn’t recommend trying to find a $5-retoucher to edit my commercial work, unless they are amazing. And don’t forget, just like anything else, you get what you pay for.

Simply put, I wouldn't hire Pratik Naik or Julia Kuzmenko to edit a throwaway photo, but I definitely hire them for work that I'll put in my portfolio or use for a commercial client. Why? Because they're worth the investment. While I'm sure they'd be happy to take your money regardless, I'm sure that they'd feel the same.

Finally, I think it's important to have a list of options for retouchers. I have a list of $10, $15, $30, $65, and $120 retouchers. Each tier has one or two retouchers each, and I will outsource accordingly.

You Need to Be the Retoucher and the Photographer

I’m not sure if this is simply an American thing, but you don’t need to do everything all of the time. I found that when I was in Japan, it was pretty common for photographers to outsource most of their work; it was essentially industry standard. For some reason, photographers in the States find it necessary to micromanage everything. Stop it. It’s really unnecessary.

Bill your clients the right amount, and outsource the work. I had an interesting conversation with Julia Kuzmenko a while back, and she made a very interesting point: “...there are so many talented retouchers from countries where their living expenses allow them to charge very little and spend hours on your images. You can't do that. Your time is way more expensive.” And I’d have to agree. I would rather spend my time where it counts: shooting, marketing, and sales. The more time I have to spend on those things, the longer I can stay in business. That's plain and simple.

Hey guys, it’s okay to let go.