About John Deaville

I am a London-based freelance photographic retoucher with over 25 years of experience. I began my career in a photographic studio, working on editorial and advertising photography, before moving into freelance work.

Over the years, I have worked with photographers, agencies, creative teams and businesses across a wide variety of briefs. This work has given me a broad understanding of different photographic workflows, visual requirements and ways of working.

Retouching of FA Cup by photographic retoucher John Deaville Packshot Retouching by London based retoucher John Deaville

A Broad Range of Experience

I work as a generalist rather than focusing on a single area of photography. Handling different types of briefs has helped me develop a flexible approach, which I adapt to suit each project.

A project does not always fit neatly into one category, and sometimes a single retoucher needs to work across different types of imagery. I’m comfortable picking up an unfamiliar brief, understanding what it requires and following an established creative direction.

Throughout my freelance career, I have worked with a diverse range of photographers, agencies, businesses and creative teams. My work has included projects for organisations such as De Beers, Nokia and The Football Association. I have also worked directly with individual photographers and other creative professionals.

Software and Technical Experience

I work mainly with Photoshop and Capture One, supported by a range of other creative software.

Expert:

Adobe Photoshop (Photography)
Capture One (Photography)

Intermediate – Accomplished:

Illustrator (Illustration)
After Effects (Animation)
InDesign (Desktop Publishing)
DaVinci Resolve (Video Grading / Editing)
Coding and WordPress (Web Development)

Intermediate:

Cinema 4D (3D Modelling)

My experience with software beyond Photoshop and Capture One gives me a broader understanding of creative and production workflows. This can be useful when working with agencies and creative teams on projects involving different disciplines and formats.

How I Work

I start by understanding the brief, the requirements and what the finished images need to achieve. If I see any potential issues or practical considerations, I’ll raise these early so they can be addressed before the work begins.

For larger projects, I will usually complete and submit a sample for review. This provides an opportunity to confirm that the approach is right before proceeding with the remaining images.

Once the sample has been approved, I can then complete the rest of the project using the agreed approach, while responding to any further feedback as the work progresses.

If you’d like to discuss a project or need a retoucher with a broad range of experience, please get in touch.

You can also view my retouching portfolio or find out more about my retouching and post-production process.

All images copyrighted John Deaville / Photofixer.