Pratik Naik, when retouching becomes art. The interview
Since I started being part of the photography industry I have been always fascinated from people who don’t just show their art but also create a community to help artists and have them together talking about it, sharing their works and thoughts. Pratik Naik is definitely one of those people I admire and follow first because he is one of the greatest retoucher in the industry and also because he created a lovely community of fellow photographers and retoucher that I see like a place to learn every day.
I had the honor and pleasure to chat with him, get to know him a little better and learn few secretes; here is the interview we had together.
1)Hi Pratik, it is a pleasure to chat with you, you have been, since I started playing with Photoshop and photography, one of my inspirations; could you tell me a little bit about your background?
It’s a pleasure to have been a part of your journey in a form of inspiration! My history before this industry stems from the art and graphic design and photo manipulation world. It’s essentially a merger of all the the things I used to really enjoy doing. For years, I used to draw and paint, but it never accounted for anything other than self-serving enjoyment. After, I jumped into photo manipulation and graphic design in high school. I never studied photography or retouching formally, it just sort of fell in place with trial, error, and fascination.
2) How did you start? was photography first or retouching?
Photography came first, only because I wanted to use another medium to express myself other than art. It felt like the canvas was already painted, I just had to capture it. So then naturally, retouching fell closely after, but only for my own interest. I never took clients till I actually began dedicating most of my time to retouching for others. I enjoyed that a lot more.
3) What kind of work are you taking right now?
Most of my work now either comes in form of editorial or commercial work. Second, comes personal work from clients who want to enhance their books for a specific purpose. And lastly, becomes special projects that are going to print for exhibitions, books, and other personal ventures.
4) What retouching means to you? Try to explain why retouching is not just fixing imperfections.
Retouching is relaxing, it’s like doing makeup on a client that sits still and has no time limit. You just sculpt away till everything is even and beautiful. It’s also art, you literally sculpt away till everything is photo-real yet still in balance. It’s not just something I do, it’s something that has become my identity. It’s passion but it’s also necessity.
5) Your relationship with social media. How Facebook, Instagram, Twitter are important to you and what is the better way to use them?
Everyone always emphasizes on the media. I play on the social. I’m more genuine online because I want people to know the lifestyle of retouching just as well as the results I showcase. It’s the entire package. Use them how you best feel you should, because that will keep you going with it. If it feels like a chore, it won’t last long and you won’t put your heart into it.
6) Share some of your secrets with me: what kind of equipment do you use? (computer, monitor, tablets)
My main weapons are the Wacom Intuos Pro (small), NEC PA 27 inch display with a X-Rite i1 and Spectraview calibrators. My computer is a custom built PC. It’s currently at 32GB of ram, 1TB SSD, 2 nVIDIA 980GTX graphics cards connected, and a lot of ports for peripherals like mouses, hard drives, and so forth. On the road, I am on a MacBook Pro. I’m looking to upgrade that with an iPad Pro as a second screen and stand alone retouching device on the road since Affinity Pro now has a version for it!
7) Who are some of your favorite artists/photographers? Are you inspired and how by them?
I have a page on Instagram where I showcase everything that inspires me. It’s called Featured Photographers (@featuredphotographs). I follow a lot of people and it isn’t the photographer him or herself that does it, but the shot itself. Sometimes it is by someone I’ve never heard of, but the shot just latches on. I try not to let it seep into my soul too much, otherwise it may influence me too much and cloud my own vision. I like to think of it as window shopping instead.
8) Would you give suggestions to younger photographers/retouchers and followers who want to start working in the business?
You’re going to need to hustle. If you’re not as fiery as the people leading the pack, don’t expect to get there! Bring your A game every day and lead with passion. And it will still take many years, don’t expect to get anywhere within the first year alone. Overall, enjoy the ride!
Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me and sharing some of your thoughts, it is an honor for a photography student like me to learn from your experience.
Pleasure is mine, I hope this has provided a insight into the retouching world!
Find Pratik Naik:
http://www.solsticeretouch.com