Business owners: do you feel GREAT about the images you are putting out to the world?
Let's face it : no project photographed on location is ever perfect. It's not like photographing still life items in a studio, where every element of the set, from content to lighting, can be controlled. And even with the best photographer/ stylist teams at work, there can always be those annoying things which potentially detract from your message: the dated electrical fixtures which weren't part of your brief, for example, or some wear and tear on the paintwork of kitchen units, or, dare I say it, the homeowner's own "contributions" to the design (!) Think also: smoke alarms, sprinkler systems, reflections in windows, gaps in caulking, colourful signs appearing in views: sadly the list goes on*....
Sometimes there are "gremlins" which will forever draw your eye and mean that you won't feel one hundred per cent proud of putting forward those all-important visuals on to your website or out into the unforgiving arena that is social media. I don't believe that you should have to shelve or second-tier images of your projects, which may have been quite expensive to commission, because they fall down on a few details which were beyond yours or the photographer's control.
Well my happy task is to ensure that you feel GREAT about every image of your company's services or products which goes out for public consumption. Whether you hire a professional photographer to cover your projects, or are relying on in-house images of your work for social media, post-shoot retouching and image optimisation is something which really can and should play an important part in your marketing campaign.
Well my happy task is to ensure that you feel GREAT about every image of your company's services or products which goes out for public consumption. Whether you hire a professional photographer to cover your projects, or are relying on in-house images of your work for social media, post-shoot retouching and image optimisation is something which really can and should play an important part in your marketing campaign.
What I offer
I offer a top quality and efficient image retouching and optimisation service specifically for businesses associated with the built environment: whether you are an interior designer, architect, estate agent or property developer or a supplier to the residential or commercial markets, I can help.
I draw on over 20 years of experience of working specifically with property-related digital images.
The simplest thing is to get in touch>>> with your requirements: I'll be delighted to find out more about your projects and provide you with a fixed quote to make your images sing.
I draw on over 20 years of experience of working specifically with property-related digital images.
The simplest thing is to get in touch>>> with your requirements: I'll be delighted to find out more about your projects and provide you with a fixed quote to make your images sing.
To pre-empt some questions you may have at this stage....
• Shouldn't my photographer be including retouching as part of their quote?
Well yes: to an extent... very often photographers will undertake a limited amount of digital "clean-up" as part of a fixed rate for project photography: this will generally extend to straightforward items like removal of ceiling speakers or marks on walls etc. But take something like removal of an old fashioned radiator which passes behind a dining table, or the replacement of a painting on a wall, or a parked car, for example, and you are likely to have to go into "extra time" ; a commercial photographer needs to ensure that that time is remunerated at his or her professional rate. It can be both expensive and time-consuming, particularly if they choose to sub-contract this work to an agency or production house. I like to think that my rates for such work are very reasonable by comparison and are tailored to the budgets and expectations of small businesses who need good, seamless remedial retouching in order to feel confident about the images they publish. see my prices page >>>
Well yes: to an extent... very often photographers will undertake a limited amount of digital "clean-up" as part of a fixed rate for project photography: this will generally extend to straightforward items like removal of ceiling speakers or marks on walls etc. But take something like removal of an old fashioned radiator which passes behind a dining table, or the replacement of a painting on a wall, or a parked car, for example, and you are likely to have to go into "extra time" ; a commercial photographer needs to ensure that that time is remunerated at his or her professional rate. It can be both expensive and time-consuming, particularly if they choose to sub-contract this work to an agency or production house. I like to think that my rates for such work are very reasonable by comparison and are tailored to the budgets and expectations of small businesses who need good, seamless remedial retouching in order to feel confident about the images they publish. see my prices page >>>
• We've got someone in the office who's pretty good in Photoshop: why don't we keep this in-house?
Sure: you certainly could. But please consider this: if that junior designer/ assistant architect/ social media specialist is spending their time retouching images, what work are they NOT undertaking for your company? Answer: the work that they are qualified (and presumably paid highly!) to do. To divert them from such work actually results in three things:
1) The actual revenue-generating tasks of service and production, or the essential work of sales and marketing, are NOT getting done. That work is high value, and it is being side-lined.
2) You are paying over the odds for retouching work. If your staff's effective hourly wage is more than the cost of having some images adjusted (and, given their skill sets and training, it should be!) you are effectively paying more than you need to for work which is likely to be rushed/ not carried out to a professional standard.
3) Your staff are undertaking increased workload, leading potentially to stress and resentment, plus a potentially hurried approach to the tasks that they ARE qualified to do.
Sure: you certainly could. But please consider this: if that junior designer/ assistant architect/ social media specialist is spending their time retouching images, what work are they NOT undertaking for your company? Answer: the work that they are qualified (and presumably paid highly!) to do. To divert them from such work actually results in three things:
1) The actual revenue-generating tasks of service and production, or the essential work of sales and marketing, are NOT getting done. That work is high value, and it is being side-lined.
2) You are paying over the odds for retouching work. If your staff's effective hourly wage is more than the cost of having some images adjusted (and, given their skill sets and training, it should be!) you are effectively paying more than you need to for work which is likely to be rushed/ not carried out to a professional standard.
3) Your staff are undertaking increased workload, leading potentially to stress and resentment, plus a potentially hurried approach to the tasks that they ARE qualified to do.
• I've heard of organisations in the Far East who will do this work overnight for cents: why not use them?
Yes: they exist! And due to the much lower salaries in Far Eastern economies, these agencies will undertake clearly outlined tasks at low rates compared with operators in the West whose business overheads and salary requirements are necessarily higher. I have tried a couple in the past for some of my own retouching work, and , while image turnaround was quick, let's just say that the adage "Bug cheap, buy twice" does come to mind.... ! I can't compete with those sorts of organisations. By comparison, I can, however, offer the following:
Yes: they exist! And due to the much lower salaries in Far Eastern economies, these agencies will undertake clearly outlined tasks at low rates compared with operators in the West whose business overheads and salary requirements are necessarily higher. I have tried a couple in the past for some of my own retouching work, and , while image turnaround was quick, let's just say that the adage "Bug cheap, buy twice" does come to mind.... ! I can't compete with those sorts of organisations. By comparison, I can, however, offer the following:
• An English-speaking service, from a (UK) time zone better aligned with European and US markets.
• All my work is undertaken personally: I do not sub-contract any work to cheaper suppliers/ freelancers.
• You can contact me at any time to discuss your project: I feel that, rather than simply offering a digital retouching service, I play an important part in your marketing push and have a vested interest in providing the highest levels of quality and service to ensure your images appear top rate.
• I can do my best to accommodate any deadlines you might have (turnaround is generally 48 hours).
• All my work is undertaken personally: I do not sub-contract any work to cheaper suppliers/ freelancers.
• You can contact me at any time to discuss your project: I feel that, rather than simply offering a digital retouching service, I play an important part in your marketing push and have a vested interest in providing the highest levels of quality and service to ensure your images appear top rate.
• I can do my best to accommodate any deadlines you might have (turnaround is generally 48 hours).
*Please note : if you are advertising or selling a property then you need to be very careful about retouching any marketing imagery; it cannot be allowed to mislead the buyer. Blue-ing up a sky is fine, but digitally removing damp stains from a ceiling, without the actual work being scheduled, is not OK. If in doubt, please get in touch>>>.
