JUNIOR RETOUCHER
Posted on: 11th April, 2014MAIN DUTIES:
- Working with a high volume of images – batching, resizing, cropping, retouching, produce clipping paths
- Ensuring all images are cropped.
- Cutting out, labelling, resizing, colour correction and formatting images.
- Accurately following detailed retouching notes provided by Studio and other Departments.
- Exceed targets and deadlines set.
- Uploading/downloading images on and off FTP site.
SKILLS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:
- Good working knowledge of Photoshop
- Experience with a drawing tablet & pen would be a bonus but not essential.
- Prior e-commerce retouching experience is beneficial but not essential.
- Proven ability to meet tight deadlines.
- A meticulous eye for detail.
- Capable of working under pressure in a fast paced environment.
- Self-motivated, positive and hard working.
- Good communication skills.
- This position is ideal for a school leaver looking for a career in photography.
- The candidate must be highly organised, self motivated and be willing to go the extra mile in a busy Studio environment. Own car would be preferable.
I have recently been looking for work to occupy me over summer and decided to look for something photography/design/media related to try and gain more experience and contacts for when I graduate. I came across the above position online and decided to apply on a whim. I re wrote small sections of my CV to suit a retoucher role as apposed to a photography role.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Matthew
Smith | Curriculum Vitae
3
Northwood Road, Runcorn, Cheshire, WA7 5RQ
T: 07889975296
@: matt@shootthefuture.co.uk
I am currently a
second year undergraduate at the University of Salford studying towards a BA in
photography. I have excellent technical skills in both photography and image
editing, alongside some graphic design and videography experience. I have a
passion for image making and strive to create the best work possible. Previous roles
have enabled me to work as part of a wider team and also undertake briefs alone
when needed. I have a willingness to learn and great initiative to complete
tasks on time and with precision. I have a full clean driving license and my
own transport.
Education:
2012 - 2015 Salford
University
Photography BA
(Hons)
2010 - 2012 Priestley
College, Warrington
BTEC Level 3
extended diploma - Interactive Media & Photography (Distinction* Distinction*
Distinction*)
2005 - 2010 St Chads High
School, Runcorn
12 GCSE’s – 3A’s
9B’s including Math’s and English
Employment
2010
– 2014 Merchandise Sales - K&M
Leisure, Runcorn
In my position at
K&M Leisure, I have been working with the general public at Manchester
United football matches in a commission based sales role. After my first year, I
was promoted to managing my own merchandise plot in which I had to maintain
stock levels and handle large amounts of money.
2013
– 2014 Assistant photographer - Tate
Studio
In my position, I
was called upon to photograph weddings, corporate events and also assist in the
production of corporate videos. I would often sort through images from shoots
and batch edit, export and catalogue images ready for delivery to clients using
industry standard software such as Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, Camera RAW and
Bridge.
2013
– 2014 Photographer - Sportfive,
Wilmslow
As a photographer
for Sportfive, I had to use my skills and established knowledge of sports
photography to capture images at Barclays Premier League football matches
throughout the 2013/2014 season, whilst also maintaining a professional
attitude when on location photographing teams such as Manchester City &
Liverpool FC. After each event I had to ensure my images were edited and tagged
ready for upload to stock image websites within a very short time frame.;
Summer
2013 Event photographer - NASS festival (Vision
Nine)
I was selected to
be part of the media team at NASS (Action Sports & Music Festival) working
to tight deadlines to have photographs uploaded to social media minutes after competitions
finished and also working as part of the wider media team alongside filmmakers,
graphic designers and reporters.
Technical Skills
I am
well versed in several industry standard software packages such as Adobe
Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Illustrator & Adobe Premier Pro. I also
have good knowledge of Microsoft Office and Mac OS. I have been working with
Adobe Creative Suite and other software for several years and my knowledge has
increased greatly throughout my undergraduate studies. I am very confident with
digital photography in both a creative and technical manor and I am able to use
DSLRs with full manual controls and have good knowledge of equipment and
lighting. With previous experience as an event photographer, I thrive in a fast
paced environment and I am confident in delivering high quality work to tight
deadlines.
Skills
I have
good time management & organisation skills having worked to tight deadlines
in my previous roles, in which I had to organise and edit several hundred images
ready for delivery to clients within 24 hours. I am able to work as part of a
team and alongside other photographers and creatives however I can take on
tasks alone and use my initiative. As an individual I am very confident
with problem solving both creative and technical challenges. I am able to
follow directions and use my initiative to complete tasks quickly and
efficiently while maintaining a professional and positive attitude. My passion
for image making allows me to go the extra mile and ensure all work completed
is of the highest quality.
_______________________________________________________________________________
I was lucky enough to hear back about the position within 24 hours via email and was invited in for an interview. I was asked to bring some samples of my work so I put a small retouching portfolio together. I struggled slightly finding work that fitted that role and so I took a broad selection of work both photography and general design to show a wide range of my skills.
The interview seemed to go well. I first sat down with Wojciech the head studio assistant/senior retoucher and had a formal interview with him. This was pretty standard format and once finished he asked me to complete some tasks on photoshop to see if my technical skills were good enough. I was asked to cut out and retouch some product shots that had just been shot in the studio. I did this with ease and he seemed happy with the speed and quality of the work.
I then had another small interview with the art director but this was more relaxed and gave me an opportunity to find more about the role and the company in general.
After all of this I was shown around the studio and it seemed like a great company to work for. I was told I would hear back in 2 weeks or so.
If nothing else, it was really good to get an interview so quickly and was a great confidence exercise and gave me an idea of the role and the skills needed.
Up until this point I had never considering a retouching position but I feel I am more than capable and so it's something I may look toward after graduation.
