Post-production & Photography have always been linked since the very beginning of Photography. Today with the Digital Photography, post-production can be compared to Painting, and the Retoucher job has never been so important!

This week on Prodibi, we interviewed an awarded retoucher, specialized in advertising works, a real modern painter: Diego Speroni.

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A few words about you. How did you start retouching and when?

I am Diego Speroni , and I am 42 years old. I was born in Buenos Aires , Argentina, and I moved to Madrid four months ago .

I’ve been interested in drawing and painting since I was very young, and with time I became more involved in graphic arts thanks to my father, who had a photochromy workshop, and to my mother who was a technical drawing teacher. At the age of 19, I started working as a graphic producer in an editorial design studio, and eventually, I started making my first post-productions and color adjustments. Then I began working in an advertising agency and the progress I achieved in the area of retouching occurred naturally. At the age of 27 I decided to open my own studio where I mainly retouched fashion campaigns and, as time passed by, I started working also on advertising campaigns.

Did you want to be a photographer at the very beginning or retouch has always been your way?

Neither. Becoming a retoucher was almost a coincidence, as it was the sum of my taste for painting, art, and the beautiful images I saw in magazines. On the contrary to the question, after being a retoucher I became passionate about photography, that I am currently doing just for personal pleasure.

*Read On: A love for creative beauty shots, an interview with passionate photographer Quentin Décaillet





How do you meet your clients?

I always let my pictures speak for themselves, and that was my best resource to attract clients; doing my job the best I can, always applying something different to the photos, having my webpage updated; and in time, the clients showed up.

How do you approach an image? Are you systematic in your work?

Every image is a whole world; when I see a photo I automatically think what I would apply to it, what would fit better, the colour, the light, the texture, there are a thousand of aspects that must be taken into account, and this is exactly what makes it impossible to be 100% systematic.

What is your relationship with the photographer you work with? How do you express your creativity while you work with a creator (the photographer)?

I have a very good relationship with photographers; a lot of them even became friends of mine. Today my work and the work of the photographer are very united; there are many times where we talk about what is more convenient to do for a project, or how it would be better to shoot the photos, and although I try to keep what the photographer wants to capture with the image and respect his vision, I always send my own proposal.

What is the best project you have worked on? Why?

Fortunately, there are many, but the ones I like the most are the personal projects, both my own or from other photographers, as in those opportunities you have the freedom to do what you believe is the best.

What are the best resources out there for learning real high-end retouching?

Nowadays you have everything on the internet, but it is very difficult to find something really good that can help you. When I started, you couldn’t find anything on the web, workshops, where you could attend, were rare too... So based on my experience, I must say that the best way you can learn is to try and make mistakes and then try again, and of course, practice for hours and hours.

To see Diego Speronis's work:

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