Fstoppers Interviews Calvin Hollywood: Conceptual Photographer And Photoshop Master

CH: Back in 2005 a friend of mine introduced me to Photoshop, and straight away I fell in love with it. The only problem though, was that I didn’t have any pictures to retouch, so the next step for me was to buy a camera. I did exactly that and just went out and started shooting everything just so I had images that I could retouch. I know it sounds crazy, but I retouched TV’s, stones, my bed, my car, my feet... (no that was a joke); but that was the best way to learn by retouching many things because Photoshop is such a huge program, and there is so much to learn.

Believe me, even though you can love something it’s also possible to hate it because I can remember some nights when I just couldn’t figure out how something worked in Photoshop or how to do a certain task. At the time Youtube hadn’t been around that long and wasn’t all that popular which meant I couldn’t just go online and search for video tutorials. Because of this I turned to forums and community sites and from them I learned a lot! One of the forums I learned a great deal from was RetouchPRO.com.

While my friends went out to have fun, meeting girls, dancing and all that kind of stuff, I was at home having fun with Photoshop, researching new techniques and was dancing in my living room when I learned something new. It became crazy because when I would look in someone’s face I didn’t really see them...I just saw parts of them that I could retouch... (no joke). I learned in the Army how to teach people, so when people asked me how I did something I was able to explain everything very clearly. I produced my first tutorial dvd by myself and it was a blast. Everybody who, like me, was addicted to Photoshop bought it.

2006 and 2007 were my years. Many magazines wrote about my work, Adobe contacted me plus many, many other companies. I was still in the Army at the time which made it very tough to handle everything though. My two kids were born, so every day I had about 3 to 4 hours for my Photoshop passion, 3 hours for my family and 4 to 6 hours left to sleep. I would say I wasn’t better then everybody, but what I was, was more hungry for success. In 2009 I made the decision to start teaching in English, as well. I remember one time I was flying to New York City to show Katrin Eismann my skills in retouching and teaching others; and it was on the plane while on the way that I learned what all the Photoshop tools were in English. Then, 3 days later I taught in front of her and 30 students about what I could do with Photoshop.

Here's what  Katrin Eismann had to say about the experience:

"I have seen hundreds of Photoshop presentations and the great majority show the same over-used techniques with boring pictures and very bad jokes. In contrast, Calvin Hollywood is a refreshing, generous, and talented teacher…and funny too! Consider me a Calvin convert from now on!" -Katrin Eismann "Photoshop Diva"

In 2009 I met Russell Brown when he taught a class in Munich. I asked him if I could show him who I was and what I could do with Photoshop. He agreed so a few weeks later I sent him some videos where I showed some freaky retouching techniques.

CH: I love edgy, high contrast images with many details. There are many artitsts out there who create pictures with this look. I certainly wasn’t the first one and I still get a lot of inspiration from other great photographers and artists. Calvinize is more the way that describes how I work. Everything is/looks easy and I don’t use many steps to get a result. I love keeping things simple. My techniques are not a secret and they’re easy to learn. Everybody that’s seen my tutorials would agree.

FS: What do you prefer, shooting the images or retouching them? 

CH: Kinda both. It depends on the model, the situation or the weather, but I like to do both. I’m not a retoucher for other people, and I’m not a photographer who sends his images to a retoucher either. I like to do everything myself and to give the images as much of my signature as I can.

FS:What is your preferred equipment that you shoot with and/or edit with, and why do you prefer to shoot/edit with it?)

CH: I don’t care much about the equipment. I need strobes because without strobes I can’t create my edgy style. Then of course I need a camera and Photoshop. Again, I don’t care about Canon or Nikon, lenses and all that stuff, but I know that many people do. At the moment I’m shooting with a Canon 5dmkII, most of the time with my 24-105 mm lens, and I use Hensel Studio technique lighting equipment.

FS: You are one of eight featured instructors on KelbyTraining.com, can you tell us why you decided to share your wealth of Photoshop knowledge with the public?

CH: Because I can’t find any reason why I shouldn’t share my knowledge. *19minutes later* I love to explain the way I work and I don’t have any secrets. I can make money with my passion, and I think that’s the reason why. By the way...I needed 20 minutes to answer this question.

FS: Photoshopfreaks.com is your website for all of your online tutorials. Can you tell us a little bit more about your site?

CH: This site is for all the Photoshop freaks out there who know all the basics in retouching. It’s where people can learn my retouching workflow on all different kinds of images. It’s not all about new techniques; most of the time it’s more about bringing all the techniques together. I try to upload a new tutorial every month/two months.

FS: If you were only allowed to take one lighting modifier with you on shoots, which would you choose? 

CH: A big softbox. I can paint in the shadows later, but the most important thing for my kind of look is to have details everywhere. So, for me I think a big softbox is the best choice.

FS: What is your favorite aspect about Adobe Photoshop?

CH: What I really love to do is to use the tools for the things that the tool wasn’t designed for. It’s kind of hard to explain so maybe you guys can watch this tutorial to give you more of an idea as to what I mean

The basics are very, very important so don’t start with the freaky stuff. Learn all the basics because the freakiest techniques are all done with basic tools. Dodge and burn is what I really enjoy doing and my favourite adjustment layer is definitely selective color. I love the fact that I can use Photoshop to create something that isn’t possible with just your camera and some lighting. It gives me endless creative possibilities.

FS: If you could give any advice to an inspiring photographer, what would it be?

CH: To bring as much of your personality as you can into your work. There are so many great photographers out there and there’s always someone better. Someone with more equipment, more knowledge and more skill, BUT there is only one person like you and with your personality! So, my advice would be to be yourself and bring your own personality into your work...whatever you do.