Oct 11 2010

DigitalRetouch Indicted For Killing Super Models

Category: AfterCapture & Rangefinder Articles, The IndustryEthan G. Salwen @ 9:20 am

AfterCapture_101011_DigitalRetouch_1Actually, no indictment is needed. For one thing, the killing is figurative. More important, DigitalRetouch takes full, gleeful credit for what they have done. All of this I explain fully in an article for the last issue of AfterCapture. In “Transforming Celebrities Into Super Models,” I share the story of how fashion photographers Andrew Matusik and Stewart Price teamed up in 2004 to join the ranks of the elite retouching forces that are ensuring that regular-ole-looking celebrities have nothing to fear from would-be super models.

“If it doesn’t look like we did anything, then we did our job,” Matusik told me, which might seem like an obvious comment about retouching, but which Matusik says is a lesson that many photographers still need to learn. In the article I note that Matusik “believes strongly that any specific techniques are far less important than a retoucher thinking like a photographer and seeing like an artist.”

AfterCapture_101011_DigitalRetouch_2“Transforming Celebrities” was a great assignment. I had already written an article about Matusik for Rangefinder, and I really digged his work, attitude and perspectives. This piece gave me a chance to meet Price, and to learn about the ins and outs of retouching without getting into the ins and outs of specific techniques. Naively, I hadn’t realized there would be so much meat to the critical subject of retouching, and I appreciated the chance to learn and share.

If you are interested in retouching — for relatively light skin correction the most complex composting, of which Matusik is a unique master — you’ll likely enjoy “Transforming Celebrities.”

Excerpt on the Killing

“We contributed to the death of the supermodel,” says Matusik, referring specifically to DigitalRetouch as well as excellent retouchers throughout the industry. “Fashion magazines would always feature models on their covers. Models are freaks of nature—skinny, perfect skin, unusual symmetry.” He explains that Continue reading “DigitalRetouch Indicted For Killing Super Models”

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Jun 01 2009

On Heartless Retouching

Category: Creative Process, Photoshop & Lightroom, ViewpointEthan G. Salwen @ 9:37 am

ACMF_NG_072“My feeling is that for years now it has taken a much too big part in how women are being visually defined today,” photographer Peter Lindbergh recently reported to “The New York Times” in regard to digital retouching. He added, “Heartless retouching should not be the chosen tool to represent women in the beginning of this century.”

With this sentiment, Lindbergh brings the “too much or too little” arguments about retouching to an important level of social concern relating to one’s sense of identity. This is a lot more interesting than Continue reading “On Heartless Retouching”

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May 04 2009

Scott Kelby Writes the White House

Category: Photoshop & LightroomEthan G. Salwen @ 7:35 am

ACMF_NG_054Regardless of political orientation, everyone seemed to be pretty perturbed last week when the White House shelled out $300,000-plus to fly Air Force One over New York City to take a publicity shot, not only spending money needlessly but also scaring the pants off the locals.

Photoshop master Scott Kelby took action (Photoshop action, that is) by writing the White House via his blog, “Scott Kelby’s Photoshop Insider.” Check out his April 30th post here. Continue reading “Scott Kelby Writes the White House”

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Apr 30 2009

Photoshop Disasters is Fun and Educational

Category: Photoshop & LightroomEthan G. Salwen @ 7:28 am

ACMF_NG_053“We all look at photoshopdisasters.com,” New York-based still life photographer Nicholas Eveleigh told me during a recent interview. He was referring over reliance on postproduction to try to correct the uncorrectable. “One can make some REALLY nice images without Photoshop,” said Eveleigh, who tries to get it right in-camera.

I said, “Yes” when Eveleigh mentioned Photoshop Disasters, as if EVERYONE knows about it. And according to the site, 30,000 photographers head there each day, indicating that, um, just about everyone on the planet is in the know. But, um, I wasn’t. Continue reading “Photoshop Disasters is Fun and Educational”

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Apr 24 2009

Get Smart at Retouched.net

Category: Creative Process, Online Resources, Photoshop & LightroomEthan G. Salwen @ 7:07 am

ACMF_NG_050Speaking of retouching, have you visited Retouched.net? It’s a great resource for learning about retouching — arguably the final frontier for most digital photographers — as well as many aspects of digital photography in general.

Retouched.net features article, columns, and video tutorials. The site also features lots of ads, links and clutter that can make it a bit overwhelming. But if you get past the overwhelm, you’ll find gobs of timely and helpful content about postproduction.

Particularly nice is that Retouched.net features artist profiles, whose insights help us think about retouching more as an art and less a set of Photoshop techniques.

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Apr 22 2009

Before and After Retouching Insights

Category: Creative Process, Online Resources, Photoshop & Lightroom, Workflow & DAMEthan G. Salwen @ 6:53 am

ACMF_NG_047We all know how much celebrity, fashion and beauty images are retouched. But then, do we really? Head to Digital Retouch for a number of “before” and “after” examples of brilliant, high-end retouching. You might be surprised at how far retouching can go – and still retain a acceptably natural look.

The site is meant as a sales platform and not for education. But you will likely find it educational to check out the four sections named “Beauty/Hair,” “Correction,” “Shaping,” and “Manipulation.” Each image includes a peel-back feature that reveals the “before” image, and comparing what has been done (what is possible) can be enlightening, if not inspiring. Continue reading “Before and After Retouching Insights”

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