ChristinaYu wrote:
Hi gays!
I would like to discuss the material side of the business… in particular – retouching.
I’m retouching about 3 years, and having time to time some extra money from it, you know to buy milk and vegetables in grocery
I love what I’m doing, but the question is, if professional retoucher does really make money from that? To pay bills, to travel abroad, to buy a car etc.
Thanks’ for your replies

if money doesn't get dropped down to your floors, that means you are not good enough yet. on the other hand, how many billionaires got their billions from photo retouching business? so the question becomes whether or not you do it for money or for pleasure.

ChristinaYu wrote:
Hi gays!
I would like to discuss the material side of the business… in particular – retouching.
I’m retouching about 3 years, and having time to time some extra money from it, you know to buy milk and vegetables in grocery
I love what I’m doing, but the question is, if professional retoucher does really make money from that? To pay bills, to travel abroad, to buy a car etc.
Thanks’ for your replies

Don't think of yourself as a pro retoucher since you are not one. You are professional freelance retoucher and that seems to be the key to your problem. Being a freelancer means you have to do 5-6 jobs, plus retouching off course. Pricing, networking, marketing, accounting etc. All that is something you should invest in as much as you do on retouching if not more.

But I guess it depends on what you mean by rich. For what you just explained yes, absolutely, but it requires more than retouching. For start it requires a businesses mindset. So you can properly market your work. It requires networking with the right people so your get the right opertunites. Quality of your work should probably go up as well, but it means little if you can't market it properly. Being an author of educational material and teaching one-on-one or doing workshops can boost your income, exposure and improve networking as well. Provide social proof and establish you as an expert in your field.

That being said. Passion for retouching aside. If you are really looking to get rich, than freelancing is not ideal since you can't leverage it and scale it as much as you can a business being an entrepreneur. Although smart freelancers are actually hybrids as I suggested earlier. But if the money you are after than entrepreneurial efforts are required all the way.

Only reason why would somebody want to be a freelancer and not a entrepreneur is if they love the craft more than they love making money. Because in the pure money making contest entrepreneur wins every time. Although according to what you wrote is seems like you really love retouching but you are missing the skills to make it financially sustainable and profitable. So that is what I would suggest you work on. Marketing, networking and teaching at some capacity at least to secure more income and expand your businesses. Good quality in retouching goes without saying off course, that is a must either way, but alone it's often isn't enough.

ChristinaYu wrote:
Is it possible to become rich by retouching?

Anything is possible. But is it probable?

Or do you know of any rich person who made it in retouching?

Or did you mean Is it possible to make good money by retouching? Yes, but you have to be real good, and real lucky, knowing the right people,at the right time, the right place.

Luck-connection-talent;  with that order in the real world.

Leonard Gee Photography wrote:
Yes, there are jobs with lots of money, usually for the very skilled with great eyes and vision. They can buy houses, boats and winter in the Keys. Then there are the jobs that pay the utilities and put food on the table. The jobs exist. Getting from one kind of job to the other is the question.

The very best in any line of work do well for themselves. The next to very best can make a living at it. From that point down we are known as starving artists.

ChristinaYu wrote:
Hi gays!
I would like to discuss the material side of the business… in particular – retouching.
I’m retouching about 3 years, and having time to time some extra money from it, you know to buy milk and vegetables in grocery
I love what I’m doing, but the question is, if professional retoucher does really make money from that? To pay bills, to travel abroad, to buy a car etc.
Thanks’ for your replies

Some people get rich selling milk and vegetables.
Up to you, if you want to pursue money, or your passion.

Be very good at what you are doing, meet the right people.
Chances are everywhere.

ChristinaYu wrote:
Hi gays!

Well, I think that might be a little presumptuous lol.

As for the answer to your question...Never chase the money.

Don Olson Imagery wrote:
Get rich at retouching? Sorry, not very likely. As an example I typically do my own but if I'm backed up I live in a university town and both the university and community college have excellent classes and tons of students (liberal arts area). One or two phone calls and I can have many students to pick from.

Saying that there is a lack of really fine retouchers/printers. People that offer high end retouching and printing both. I've used them in the past with special projects I wasn't able to do myself and they were worth every penny.

You might think of broadening your horizons. Yes it would mean investing in more equipment (dedicated black & white as well as dedicated color) and knowledge skill sets but you would be more marketable.

Here's one of the better ones

http://ctein.com/

Are you serious?? What's got to do retouching with printing... is like talking about painting and football... two very different subjects!!

With all my respects, the website above isn't up to the industry standards.. at least in my eyes!!

M Pandolfo Photography wrote:
As for the answer to your question...Never chase the money.

That first and foremost and...

"Those who say it can't be done should get out of the way of those that are already doing it"

Krunoslav-Stifter wrote:

Don't think of yourself as a pro retoucher since you are not one. You are professional freelance retoucher and that seems to be the key to your problem. Being a freelancer means you have to do 5-6 jobs, plus retouching off course. Pricing, networking, marketing, accounting etc. All that is something you should invest in as much as you do on retouching if not more.

But I guess it depends on what you mean by rich. For what you just explained yes, absolutely, but it requires more than retouching. For start it requires a businesses mindset. So you can properly market your work. It requires networking with the right people so your get the right opertunites. Quality of your work should probably go up as well, but it means little if you can't market it properly. Being an author of educational material and teaching one-on-one or doing workshops can boost your income, exposure and improve networking as well. Provide social proof and establish you as an expert in your field.

That being said. Passion for retouching aside. If you are really looking to get rich, than freelancing is not ideal since you can't leverage it and scale it as much as you can a business being an entrepreneur. Although smart freelancers are actually hybrids as I suggested earlier. But if the money you are after than entrepreneurial efforts are required all the way.

Only reason why would somebody want to be a freelancer and not a entrepreneur is if they love the craft more than they love making money. Because in the pure money making contest entrepreneur wins every time. Although according to what you wrote is seems like you really love retouching but you are missing the skills to make it financially sustainable and profitable. So that is what I would suggest you work on. Marketing, networking and teaching at some capacity at least to secure more income and expand your businesses. Good quality in retouching goes without saying off course, that is a must either way, but alone it's often isn't enough.

Great reply! I could use this advice as well!

Natalia_Taffarel wrote:

That first and foremost and...

"Those who say it can't be done should get out of the way of those that are already doing it"

Yes!

Natalia_Taffarel wrote:

That first and foremost and...

"Those who say it can't be done should get out of the way of those that are already doing it"

+1

ChristinaYu wrote:
Hi guys!
I would like to discuss the material side of the business… in particular – retouching.
I’m retouching about 3 years, and having time to time some extra money from it, you know to buy milk and vegetables in grocery
I love what I’m doing, but the question is, if professional retoucher does really make money from that? To pay bills, to travel abroad, to buy a car etc.
Thanks’ for your replies

nope

ChristinaYu wrote:
Hi guys!
I would like to discuss the material side of the business… in particular – retouching.
I’m retouching about 3 years, and having time to time some extra money from it, you know to buy milk and vegetables in grocery
I love what I’m doing, but the question is, if professional retoucher does really make money from that? To pay bills, to travel abroad, to buy a car etc.
Thanks’ for your replies

believe that you are already rich... and you would get richer

FeatheredPixels wrote:

LOL did anyone notice this went from "hi guys" to "hi gays" O.o

Perhaps the OP modified it after I was typing my response. Nothing particular.

Steve Reganato wrote:
There is one retoucher that I know of that became wealthy doing that and his name is Pascal Dangone. He owns Box studios in NYC. He has a beautiful apartment in the city, a house in the Hamptons and an Aston Martin. Box studios is a large retouching house that deals with all the major magazines and ad agencies. Pascals name is mentioned in "The Devil Wears Prada" as a go to fix it guy.
You can read about Pascal here: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008 … ct_collins

That could be but he does video color grading too.

ChristinaYu wrote:
Is it possible to become rich by retouching?

I think it's possible for retouchers to do well, particularly when they are living in countries that have a low cost of living in comparison to countries where they sell their services.

In this day in age, I think it's very wise to consider building our businesses on the Internet, selling our products and services in the richest countries with the strongest currencies, and living in beautiful places where the lifestyle is good and the costs of living are very low.

The answer to your question also involves cultivating good clients with lots of regular repeat business, and who have money to spend for commercial services.

Steve Reganato wrote:
There is one retoucher that I know of that became wealthy doing that and his name is Pascal Dangone. He owns Box studios in NYC. He has a beautiful apartment in the city, a house in the Hamptons and an Aston Martin. Box studios is a large retouching house that deals with all the major magazines and ad agencies. Pascals name is mentioned in "The Devil Wears Prada" as a go to fix it guy.
You can read about Pascal here: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008 … ct_collins

so one in how many million of us that retouch for a living, good odds.

Gulag wrote:

That could be but he does video color grading too.

Indeed, that's how he's responded to changes in the times. And to be honest, that would be a logical next step for someone in his position. Right now video is a growing market and Dangone, a guy who seems to have an innate understanding of the idea of adaption to changes in his marketplace has responded to that. That's why he's the success that he is. Something we all could learn from. For one thing, if you are a retoucher perhaps learning to video edit and/or do color grading and timing may not be a bad idea. It will open you to new market possibilities and add additional income opportunities. The more services you can offer a wider group of customers, the more opportunities you have to make money. That's not to say one has to give up retouching, but in my opinion if you want to get rich from behind the screen, then you need to be a bit more diversified.

Steve Reganato wrote:
Indeed, that's how he's responded to changes in the times. And to be honest, that would be a logical next step for someone in his position. Right now video is a growing market and Dangone, a guy who seems to have an innate understanding of the idea of adaption to changes in his marketplace has responded to that. That's why he's the success that he is. Something we all could learn from. For one thing, if you are a retoucher perhaps learning to video edit and/or do color grading and timing may not be a bad idea. It will open you to new market possibilities and add additional income opportunities. The more services you can offer a wider group of customers, the more opportunities you have to make money. That's not to say one has to give up retouching, but in my opinion if you want to get rich from behind the screen, then you need to be a bit more diversified.

His diversification of his business and skillset into video color grading basically says his still image retouching revenue's been on decline.  Unlike most other professional retouchers who make some money from "instructional" DVDs/workshops, he has to bump the revenue up somewhere else. Plain and simple.

Greg Curran wrote:

so one in how many million of us that retouch for a living, good odds.

Actually... I know plenty retouchers who make a great living just retouching.

now... as for your comment:

How many illustrators/photographers/designers/painters/musicians/writers out of millions actually make a living out of it?

It's a creative endeavor, it kind of works like that. If it didn't, every writer would be Hemingway

Gulag wrote:
His diversification of his business and skillset into video color grading basically says his still image retouching revenue's been on decline.  Unlike most other professional retouchers who make some money from "instructional" DVDs/workshops, he has to bump the revenue up somewhere else. Plain and simple.

Of course. Considering that there are now many, many more retouchers on the scene now, many of whom are quite good, including (and especially) those who are his former employees it's natural that he might see a decline in his retouching revenue. On the other hand just because he's gone into color grading doesn't mean that his retouching business is on the decline. Is the fact that he's gone into color grading necessarily evidence that his retouching business is on the decline? How do we know that Pascal is first and foremost a smart business man who sees new opportunities arising and is positioning himself to take advantage of those opportunities. Take a look at what's going on. Right now you're got a rise in the demand for motion work. You've got "fashion films" and video editorials, which are new as well as TV commercials, music videos and movies and so on. There's a lot happening there and it's growing, so any smart business person would see that and say I have add this capability to my list of services. But just because he's doing one thing now doesn't necessarily mean he's losing the other. I'm not saying he's not, like I said, none of us here I'm pretty sure have gone through his books lately, I'm just offering another point of view. The presence of one thing does not necessitate the advent of the other. That's my logic.