PHOTOGRAPHER
SENIOR PHOTO RETOUCHER
DIGITAL CONTENT MANAGER

Photographic promotions and advertising featuring Lifestyle, Activities, Products, Services & Events

Visual Communicator and Creative Production Project Leader with a trained professional photographers-eye for detail, lighting, and color-management combined with a comprehensive knowledge of the latest technologies and applications. Delivering on aggressive goals in fast-paced, competitive industries while thriving under continuous sales-growth and profit-attainment pressure.

Versatile Team Leader with effective organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills able to manage multiple time-sensitive projects and competing priorities, comfortable in a rapidly changing environment of inherent complexity. Able to conceptualize and incorporate ideas into desired results.

Open-minded, naturally curious approach to troubleshooting and innovative problem solving - supporting demanding clients, sales, customer service, and creatives in support of producing content for a wide-range of media platforms - from conceptual stages through to distribution.

Highly effective in leading and contributing in team-based environments to create images and promotions – planning, organizing, and performing photo-shoots within limited budgets and critical deadlines – partnering to create high-quality, engaging photographic content to successfully maximize brand and product impact & awareness and emotional connection with clients and consumers.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Craig Curtis Photo Montclair, NJ. 2000 to Present

A boutique photography studio specializing in commercial photography and post-production/Retouching for editorial and e-commerce clientele.

Owner/Photographer/Sr. Retoucher

• Developed / Created a wide range of engaging photo content for clientele in advertising, promotional marketing, and e-commerce sales growth.

• Led a team of retouchers, office staff, and studio assistants.

• Creative consultation, image asset management, and content delivery.

• Communicate with clients to coordinate, prioritize, and complete projects from start to finish.

• Clients include Victoria Secret/Pink, Quad Graphics, Armani Exchange, Hewlett-Packard, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, Trish McEvoy Cosmetics, Vogue Magazine, PNY Technology, Clé de Peau, Fila, Ann Taylor, and many others.

QUAD www.quad.com New York, NY 4/2022 to 11/2022 (Imaging services relocated to Wisconsin)

Quad is an integrated marketing agency that provides multi-channel marketing solutions to Publishers, Retailers, and Healthcare Providers and specializes in providing Media Planning & Placement, Workflow Optimization & On-site Management, Creative Services, Mobile & Digital Activation, Full-Service Photo & Video, Point of Purchase Signage & Merchandising, and Strategic Account Management. Quad, the international, $4B Sales multi-channel communications corporation.

Pre-media Color Analyst (Retoucher/Photographer)

➢ Key member of a customer-focused team assigned to photograph, review, retouch & color-correct digital images for print and web presentation for Victoria Secret/PINK.

• Managed and evaluated the client-supplied files for quality - to enhance the color quality of the originals to produce the best quality reproduction as per each client’s highly detailed and specific requirements – all to match the subtle and creative look that each client seeks for their productions.

• Applied user skills with Photoshop (color corrections, layers, layers set, path, soft mask, cloning, extension filters, and actions, etc.) and matched color to supplied art, laser, PMS chip, cosmetics, and outfit samples. Matched retouching to supplied laser and color correct and retouch flesh, hair, outfit, and beauty products, by keeping technical and esthetic look natural.

• Maintained billing and costing prices for each title, capturing all last-minute customer requests and performing final quality checks – resolving problems promptly. Dated and archived files.

SHOOT DIGITAL New York, NY. 1999 to 2000

A creative company providing photographic and post-production services to agency and retail clientele in NYC Metro Region.

Digital Photography Manager

➢ A key Leader of a customer-focused team assigned to review, prepare, edit, color correct, retouch and organize digital images for print and web presentation. Assignments included on-site customer projects and remote work.

• Built successful client relationships with effective collaboration throughout the production life cycle.

• Introduce and implement digital camera technology to increase production, track projects, and samples, and reduce costs.

• Performed retouching and color corrections (in both RGB and CMYK) by applying Photoshop tools, including color corrections, layers, layers set, path, soft mask, cloning, extension filters, and actions.

• Scan film-based original material (film/print) to prepare for digital retouching.

• Consult with clients regarding image asset management, and image delivery across various distribution platforms.

• Captured all last-minute customer requests and performed final quality checks – resolving problems promptly.

EDUCATION, TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT

Education: Bachelor of Fine Arts, Commercial Photography – Rochester Institute of Technology (1997)

Associate of Arts, Photography, Ohio Institute of Photography, Dayton, OH. (1992)

Development

Ongoing professional training, including ever-changing and emerging digital and social media platforms, market and consumer demographics, and buying trends. Effective motivational, problem-solving, customer service, strategic planning, team building, and leadership skills leading across multiple generations and diverse cultures.

Compliance

HR Policies and Procedures and Regulatory Compliance including Business Ethics and Code of Conduct, plus Workplace / Sexual Harassment Awareness and Prevention, Understanding Diversity, Safety (OSHA) & environmental rules, Emergency & Evacuation.

Software and Equipment

PC Windows 365 & Mac OS technical proficiency. High level of technical skills using Adobe Creative Cloud; Digital Image Color Correction / Retouching / Compositing - Photoshop and Page Lay-Out – Acrobat, Adobe XD, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, CaptureOne, Helicon Focus, Mac system maintenance and, pre-media programs MS OFFICE SUITE; Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams - user skills combined with multiple Business Data-Management systems used for inventory control, production, scheduling & measurement, analysis, reporting, and billing, including Asana, Monday.com, Intuit Quickbooks, Google G-Suite (Mail, Sheets, and Docs), Trello, Slack.

Mastery of Canon and Sony camera systems and lenses, Profoto, Broncolor, Elinchrome, Godox lighting equipment and modifiers, Strobe/LED/Tungston light sources.