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So What’s With All the “Photoshop Disasters”?

Tamara thinks that new people coming into the industry donʼt have the right education. “Iʼm looking for a new intern and the younger kids today donʼt have the photographic background, the traditional photography print-making background, that I really feel is key to making a good retoucher,” Tamara said. “And they donʼt have the classic fine art background like painting and drawing. Now theyʼre learning on computers and I think thatʼs why in the industry thereʼs a lot of bad retouching out there. Because they lack the formal skills.” Andrew agreed that a fine arts background and a photography background was key.

But Zack, a 20-something with a BFA in visual art and only about a year and a half of professional experience as a member of the editorial art department at a major magazine, takes exception to this. “Honestly, I don’t think even the best retouchers have a background in photography and fine art,” he said. “The best retouchers seem to be technicians and illustrators, the former who know the programs well and the latter who have fine drawing skills. At the end of the day, images are just pixels–colored dots that can be drawn, moved, and removed on a canvas.”

What everyone agreed on is that photographers generally don’t spend as much time on shoots as they used to. The prevailing attitude seems to be, as Andrew said, “‘Oh donʼt worry about that theyʼll fix it in post-[production].ʼ” Tamara said the stylists will just pin up a garment and not iron anything because they know it can be taken care of later.

Another common thread that emerged is the perception that despite the increased demand for retouching services, the pay scale for retouchers, and subsequently the quality of work, has taken a major hit since the 1990s and the advent of more accessible technology. “You used to be able to make six figures,” Andrew said. “Now kids are making $30,000, $40,000, $50,000 and I donʼt even understand how people can make a living off that. It doesnʼt motivate you to do the best work. It motivates you just to get it done and get out of there.” James, Tamaraʼs business partner, agreed that the pay scale has suffered, saying, “Weʼre doing more and getting [paid] half of what we used to.” Tamara also pointed to the proliferation of online images as a factor. Sheʼs working with magazines on their iPad projects, and is being given half the budget that she gets for magazine work.