Chris Roome Interview
With Chris Roome, the story is different. Unlike many of the people in fashion, he spends most of his time at a computer, making for damn sure that the finished photo is exactly what the photographer is looking for. Chris graduated from the Southampton Institute with a degree in Illustration in 1999. Soon after he joined Metro Imaging and was promoted to the retouch department that recognized and used his knowledge of colours and drawing skills in their image manipulation processes. At the end of 2003 he decided to go freelance and co-founded the collective that is Happy Finish. Over the years he has worked closely with photographers such as Nick Knight, Mario Testino, Robin Derrick (British Vogue), Vincent Peters, Mariano Vivanco, Jon Compson, David Bailey and Corrine Day. Let’s have a look-see at what Chris can offer. Photo credit Mariano Vivanco unless otherwise credited.
Massimo Pamparana
Trey Taylor: Can you please fill this out?
Name: Chris Roome
Age: 32
Occupation: Digital Artist for Fashion, Beauty and Advertising imagery
Currently Resides: London, United Kingdom
Favourite Song: Sex on Fire – Kings of Leon
Trey Taylor: So for all of those who don’t know what a retoucher does on a daily basis, can you enlighten us? Can you explain the importance of your position?
Chris Roome: Yes, sure! We are commissioned by advertising agencies and/or photographers to digitally enhance and manipulate images for a specific purpose, for example an advert for a fashion label or a car brand. The images are placed into layout by designers, then go to post production – that’s us.
These adverts will be shown in diverse advertising space such as Billboards, the Underground or national magazines, which are all different sizes and prints, so keeping and achieving good image quality really is one of the most important parts of a retoucher’s role.
Jobs can range from simply cleaning up an image (getting rid of dust, glare, unwanted elements in the background) and preparing the file for print, to having several different shots and putting them together digitally, then adding lighting and colour to finish the image. I would relate the latter more to digital illustration, as that is the extent to which some images are worked up.
With jobs such as these, you really have an opportunity to put some of your own opinion into the image; you can define a certain style. Some photographers have a clear idea of how they want their images to work, others let the retoucher interpret the message they would like to achieve. So a lot of distinctive feels of brands you see around are down to the retoucher’s work. With all creative briefs though, it is important to realise that we are executing someone else’s concept and idea, following their brief, but we can have a major positive influence on how that images evolve.
Jon Compson / Jonas Bresnan
TT: What is it like working with such big names? Do you ever feel pressure?
CR: Its really fantastic, these photographers produce such amazing shots to work with and quite often have a very creative brief to go with the job, which can be quite a challenge, so your mind tends to focus on this and it’s a lot of fun.
But yes, it can sometimes be a little nerve racking working with very well known photographers but you soon realise they are far more nervous and excited themselves about the work going on. They have probably spent a few weeks conceiving and executing the shoot and are quite often very keen to get the images into the system and see how their shots all work and fit together.
From time to time there is a certain amount of pressure to deal with, as you sometimes have to work to art direction with several people looking over your shoulder. Timing can also be incredibly tight so long hours are a must if you are going to get the best out of the images.
TT: What sorts of things do you do to images in their rawest form? What is the process from start to a finished image?
CR: Using a manipulation software such as Adobe Photoshop, we start by removing unwanted detail. This could be simply cleaning the dirt off a studio floor or more complex work such as removing reflections of the studio in a glossy product, such as a glass bottle.
Next, the form and composition of the image are enhanced. This could mean making the product larger within the frame to maximize the focal point or changing proportions of objects to portray a more beautiful form.
Finally we enhance the drama and mood of the image by adjusting the lighting in the shot and finding a colour harmony that suits that image or brief. I must add that it doesn’t always work in such an ordered way, however I always feel that too much structure to a retouch process tends to kill spontaneity, and happy accidents do happen!
TT: What is one secret you can divulge about the image manipulation process?
CR: Kyle Minogue truly has the most amazing skin, best I have ever seen, although she may require an inch or two adding to her height!
TT: You recently worked on the Dolce & Gabbana campaign, shot by Mariano Vivanco. What were the concepts behind the project? Did you have to answer to just Mariano, or did you deal with D&G as well?
CR: Yes this was a great job and very enjoyable. Mariano is a really talented photographer and D&G a great brand to work for too. I have been fortunate enough to have retouched some previous D&G mens’ underwear images so I had a good idea of what would be involved in the job.
Using real sportsmen is a fantastic plan as you get a very genuine look from them. However, there are minor drawbacks because whilst the athletes do a really good job in the shoots, they are not professional models, so there is some extra work involved to create the D&G look. Both Mariano and D&G had an initial brief and then I worked with Mariano one-to-one on system to finish the shots.
TT: What is the key to a good black and white photograph? Do you have a preference between B/W & colour?
CR: I really love B&W images; I think the key is to give a full range in tone. But more importantly, each image has an optimum tonal point where it works perfectly harmoniously. It’s hard to explain but it’s always good to play with an image and try to find this point.
B&W images can be very iconic, which is why I find them especially appealing but this is just my personal taste and working with colour can be both very challenging and rewarding.
TT: Do you ever feel inhibited creatively making sure everybody else is satisfied?
CR: Honestly, not really. I enjoy helping execute an idea and when asked or given the opportunity, love adding my own touch to the image. But my main role is to perform a technical task creatively as per the client’s brief, which I’m very happy to do. A lot of the time matters come down to personal taste and everyone has a slightly different opinion, so it’s very difficult to please everyone all of the time.
TT: What fascinates you about working in the retouching business? What’s the big draw?
CR: I have always enjoyed working with imagery. When I graduated from university I knew the illustration business was very tough and highly undervalued, so I looked for another way to work with images in a creative way. When I eventually discovered retouching I was amazed by some of the changes that occurred during the process and became intrigued about what could be done, and how techniques could be developed and pushed.
TT: Leave us with something we can whisper to a friend.
CR: Paradoxically, if you can’t see the work I’ve put in, that means I’ve done a great job! Have a closer look at images and think about that, you never know what you might discover!
Thanks Chris! Your retouching is truly something that makes my jaw drop and it would be sweet if one day I had the honour of your skills on my photo. g
