I’ve started to reach out to retouchers who have caught my eye from my community to showcase their work on my platform! Today I asked Marina to talk about herself, her history, and a little bit about her world as a retoucher! You can find her work on Instagram and via her Website! She is our first retoucher to be featured in this series!

Marina writes:

Hi all, my name is Marina. It was very flattering to see the offer of the opportunity to tell a little about myself for the Pratik blog. Thank you for this opportunity. I used to watch his videos on YouTube for self-study and inspiration and now I'm on this blog. Wow!

Now I live in Belarus. I divide my work as a retoucher into two stages. 1 stage (5 years), working in the office as a retoucher: interiors, exteriors, furniture and other boring things. 2 stage (2 years), independent work as a freelancer with photos from the fashion and beauty world.

Through retouching I express myself, it is something that is so fascinating that you lose track of time. I feel like an important part of the team. It makes me feel confident :) Since childhood I've been obsessed with women's faces. I drew them on all the blank pages of my notebooks and pads. Afterwards, I started collecting female portraits on my little tumblr blog. (https://collectorpersons.tumblr.com/) + my hobbies with computers and photography led me into the realm of retouching. I am definitely not the best retoucher, but I am inspired by the best! Unfortunately there is no market for commercial photography and advertising in my country. So thanks to the internet I work with people all over the world.

In my naivety I used to think that the images I see in magazines, advertisements and web sites are worked on by a team so professional that there is no retouching in them. I just didn't know that such work existed. After all, we see perfect models on social media, with perfect skin, makeup in perfect outfits. I thought they were like that in commercials, too. I'm talking specifically about the retouching that you don't see. And about 3 years ago I saw the before and after. The arrows in the makeup are blurred, the lip contour is erased, the teeth and skin are just like regular people! And there are creases in the clothes. It thrilled me. I watched every YouTube video with the word "retouch" on it a few times. That's where my journey began. I started self-training on my own. For 2 years I combined retouching with my office job. And for 2 months now, it's my only full-time job.

A perfectly retouched photo is one that doesn't look perfect. Unfortunately I didn't realize it right away. I know that attention to small details is very important. Clean lines and color will make a photo pleasing to the eye. Natural leather that looks like plastic is no longer relevant. Working with different photographers has taught me to pay attention to different things. For example the symmetry of lips, eyes and nostrils in a portrait in full-face, highlights in the eyes - these moments greatly improve the overall appearance of the picture. And the hair of course! I always "comb" the model if possible. This is a small part of the details that I always pay attention to. My favorite work is the one with magazines or cosmetic brands. I love it! Luckily I'm already doing it, you can see it on my website (karaskevich.com) or my instagram page.

I want to say thank you so much for reading this. And thank you very much, Pratik, for the work you do and for the inspiration !