Sarah Vorva Posted March 28, 2016 Share Posted March 28, 2016 Question: My husband is considering becoming a photo retoucher and learning how to edit to outsource and help me with my business more. He was wondering if he took classes i.e. Damion Symonds, if there would be any market to edit photographers pictures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crystal Felton Posted March 28, 2016 Share Posted March 28, 2016 Yes, there is a market, but to be a proficient editor, there's lots of time and learning involved. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted March 28, 2016 Share Posted March 28, 2016 It would be in both of your interests for him to take all of Damien's classes, then spend time on editing (and learning how to edit) your photos. Being consistent and proficient takes time and experience, often years. While Damien's classes are excellent, by no means will you take them and be an instant expert, taking on editing, restoration work and the like. Basically if you have to ask...chances are the answer is "No." There are no shortcuts. I don't care what website or workshop giver tells you. Damien has been doing this stuff for a long time, I think 20+ years. Yes, there is a market, but it's an investment of time. Even if you edit a photo for 3-5 min, after a few hundred / few thousand photos, that time adds up. Let's say 4 minutes per photo... that's 15 photos per hour @ $1.00 a photo. So $15.00 per hour. You have 600 photos from a wedding to edit. That's 40 hours at $15/hr, or $600. $600 for 40 hours of work. You can make more working a part time job. LOL! Oh, let's not forget taxes and things like equipment to buy and electric / internet bills to pay for. So take 40% out of that $600. So you are left with $360, conversationally speaking. Now take into consideration that photo edit / restoration work is piece-work. There will be times when you are overwhelmed and other times you are dead. Combine this with a full time job and it becomes a major time-suck. But wait! I will charge $3 per photo!! I will make more!! Uh-huh. Tell that to the photographer who charges $2000 for a wedding that you want $1800 to edit. They will look at you as if you are nuts. Oh, the more profit you make, the more you pay in taxes. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted March 28, 2016 Share Posted March 28, 2016 I can tell you that looking at the same person in a few hundred photos becomes mind-numbing. I don't care how beautiful the person might be, cloning out that wart on her eyelid in each photo...ugh. Or smoothing skin / zapping zits / looking at pores sometimes turns my stomach, especially if you are editing something like a wedding. I personally hope that strapless gowns go out of style. Because having to liquify fat rolls and armpits on a bride 500+ times...oh let's not go there. Most people aren't beautiful. They are average looking and never think to have their makeup professionally done. "My Sister / Cousin Friend will do it!! She's watched a lot of YouTube videos and is passionate!!" Uh-huh. Good luck with fixing those mistakes / spray on tan in each and every photo. Think long and hard before diving into the trenches of retouch-up work. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted March 28, 2016 Share Posted March 28, 2016 Another thought... Say your husband is fast and edits 30-50 photos per hour. Ok. Then we are talking money. Quicker turn-around means higher profit. But then since he is a newbie, it's really easy to become sloppy. Especially when chasing the dollar. My advice: He should take Damien's classes and edit your shoots. Start there. Eventually he will "know" when to branch out to others...probably in about 2+ years. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kim Howells Posted March 28, 2016 Share Posted March 28, 2016 I retouch photos for others, and am just sorting my website now. Brian and the others have some really good points, particularly re what I call the "rote editing" - the bulk stuff which photographers can pay next to nothing for elsewhere (I personally don't do this sort of editing, and I charge in 5 minute blocks for the "tricky edits" and retouching that I do). If he goes ahead with it, I wouldn't be expecting an income of any significance for a couple of years absolute minimum. But it depends what you want to achieve and how many hours you are prepared to spend sitting on your behind, and for what amount of money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted March 28, 2016 Share Posted March 28, 2016 Good point!! Comfy Chair is a requirement. You want your arse to feel as though it's being coddled by angels. Those type of chairs aren't cheap. Minimum $500. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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