M. Seth Jones

M. Seth Jones

I am a retoucher.

And an educator.

And a writer.

As well as a long haired, bearded misfit.

When you're done here, you should come say hi on Twitter, or maybe just email me for any further enquiries.

You can scroll the page using ← and → keys Hover over images for complete credit list

Celebrate!: by Lara Jade for Papercut – Title

December 2, 2011

Celebrate! photography by Lara Jade for Papercut magazine

After eight solid weeks of working on countless lookbooks that, visually at least, share more similarities than differences, it can be easy to switch into a sort of assembly line mentality when it comes to retouching; more automaton than autonomous, focusing on perhaps a small range of repeated techniques and processes, perpetually tending to the same problems and areas in need. It’s times like this that a project which startles you out of that unconscious routine is welcomed more than any other; Celebrate!, shot by ex-UK, now NYC based Lara Jade, was one such project and most definitely a welcome editorial to work on and, in the process, wrap up 2010 professionally … read more.

In The Path Of Walpurga’s Ashes: presenting Rachel Freire – Title

November 7, 2011

In The Path Of Walpurga’s Ashes: presenting Rachel Freire

I cannot think of a more fitting aural accompaniment when viewing the work of London based designer Rachel Freire, than that of the Witch Trilogy; three albums released in the early-mid 90s by Australian sound designer Darrin Verhagen, recorded under the pseudonym Shinjuku Thief. Loosely inspired by the Malleus Maleficarum, the medieval manual (of sorts) for witch-finders, the trilogy could also be considered as a fictional soundtrack for Walpurgisnacht, the eve between the 30th of April and the 1st of May, when the lines that define our well-reasoned earthly existence begin to blur, allowing slivers of the supernatural and esoteric to bleed through … read more.

Everything is illuminated: presenting Aurora Crowley – Title

November 7, 2011

Everything is illuminated: the photography of Aurora Crowley

Paolo Roversi once mused on the ability for long exposure portraits to reveal deep details of the subject that shorter exposures could not, as though the very essence of his sitters spirit would shine brighter the longer it was burned onto film. Indeed, from a purely photochemical perspective, the theory certainly holds weight; each photon of light, and the energy it carries, electromagnetically causes a chemical shift to the coating of photographic detectors on the film. A longer exposure equals more light; more light equals a greater chemical change to the film. Indeed, when approaching the idea from a more incorporeal position, it could be viewed with even more gravitas; one could also declare that, whereas the frame of a single 1/1000th second exposure is an instantaneous capture of a sliver of time, capturing the portrait over 20 or 30 seconds is much like a collection of thousands of those slivers all strung together, captured in succession yet presented all at once. … read more.

The art of transparency: presenting Cristian Girotto – Title

November 7, 2011

The art of transparency: featuring the retouching of Cristian Girotto

Let’s face it; retouching isn’t really a high profile career choice. Outside the realms of a few highly cliquey online forums, most people, even those who consume fashion photography on a daily basis, probably couldn’t reel off a list of their favourite retouchers. Even within those somewhat segregated discussion forums, from the mouths of both aspiring and established retouchers, the same names tend to appear again and again: Chris Tarantino, Amy Dresser, Pascal Dangin, Natalia Taffarel, Vitaly Druchinin. Household names? Not likely. Maybe Amy Dresser, at a stretch, or for the observant The Devil Wears Prada viewer, possibly Pascal Dangin, but for the majority of consumers of fashion imagery, it’s a largely anonymous, generally unconsidered role (unless either BP or Ralph Lauren are involved) … read more.

The optical & chemical distortions of Christopher Soos – Title

November 7, 2011

The optical and chemical distortions of Christopher Soos

I was first introduced to the work of Canadian cinematographer Christopher Soos back in the late 90s, through his collaborations with then photographer-turned-music-video-director Floria Sigismondi. Sigismondi’s photographic work had been a vast source of inspiration for me throughout my own studies, aided in no small part by her work on some of my favourite music videos of that era; Marilyn Manson’s fascist-fetish tour de force, The Beautiful People, as well as Tourniquet, the horrifyingly paranoid ode to Les Jeux de la Poupee, by Hans Bellmer; the claustrophobic nightmare tableaux of David Bowie’s Dead Man Walking, with its fragmented and overly saturated palette; and the lurking, subcutaneous reptile creep of Tricky’s Makes Me Wanna Die. While I always admired Sigismondi’s directorial vision, I was far more intrigued by the photographic techniques used to commit these images to film, and learning more about the individual responsible for the conception, and expert execution of, these equally cerebral and visceral techniques … read more.

Nine Inch Nails: the making of the Closer video – Title

November 7, 2011

Nine Inch Nails: Mark Romanek on the making of the Closer video

Don’t get me started on Nine Inch Nails. Or do. It doesn’t bother me. It really depends how much you want to watch me transform into some sort of scary ‘AND LET ME TELL YOU ANOTHER THING’ hyperventilating kind of rabid non-human. Next to pre-Michale Graves Misfits and pre-Justice Metallica (you know, when they were good), pre-somewhere-around-The Fragile era Nine Inch (you know, when they were good) constituted an integral part of my formative teenage years, which as we all know, pretty much means I’ll consider them awesome forever. Even when they continue to release a steady stream of reprehensible recordings. Oh come on, you know it’s true … read more.

Retouching exposed: beneath the surface of Blue – Title

November 7, 2011

Retouching exposed: beneath the surface of Hannah Khymych’s Blue

Retouching is such a peculiar profession; essentially, we spend countless hours working on the minor details of an image, in order to make the image look as close to ‘in-camera’ perfect as possible. It’s like some sort of tireless and bizarre quest for an unnatural natural perfection. Of course, some retouchers prefer to leave a much more overstated impact on the final image; but really, only other retouch nerds are going to be able to spot these flourishes. When the general image viewing public consumes these images, they’re much more likely to comment on the incredible photography, rather than the outstanding retouching, on display … read more.

On retouching: discussing the myth of the perfect image – Title

November 7, 2011

On retouching: discussing the myth of the perfect image

A few months ago, I was approached by a design student in the UK who was undertaking their dissertation on fashion photography, with an emphasis on the different approaches afforded to image makers through both digital and traditional techniques. I answered a fairly extensive set of questions as a feature for the dissertation, and have decided to publish a series of select responses under the title ‘On retouching’ … read more.

The value of aesthetics: why freelancers loved Harlan – Title

November 7, 2011

The value of aesthetics: why freelancers loved Harlan

If you’re freelancing in any creative field in this day and age, then you’ve no doubt seen this short clip, from the fascinating documentary on the career (and immutable personality) of Harlan Ellison called Dreams With Sharp Teeth, entitled Pay The Writer. Its certainly done the rounds, being posted and re-posted on forums and in status updates the social networking world over, due entirely to how much it resonated with anyone, of any age, from any social background, working in any creative field, that has had to put the assertive face on and chase down an invoice in the name of being compensated for a completed job … read more.

Interview with a polymath: making images with Otilee – Title

November 7, 2011

An interview with a polymath: making images with Otilee

Oh, you renaissance humanists; where would we be without you? That whole ‘a man can do all things if he will’ tenet really shoved it up the Medieval scholastic order, didn’t it? Of course, nowadays every creative seems to lend their hand to multiple projects across a fairly broad range of different practises. They just LOVE to branch out. Those crazy creative polygamists! Just settle down already and learn to commit, you’re making those who focus on a lowly single field look just plain lazy! But let’s face it: we all know they can’t be tied down, and I mean really, why would anyone want to? Perth’s Otilee Lamb is one such creative, working predominantly in the field of photography, but who also manages to fit in time for *deep breath*: illustration, fashion design and styling, art direction, post-production, graphic design and digital painting, all set to a fairly stellar soundtrack. I recently had the chance to delve a little deeper into some of the intricacies behind the many different roles she plays, and in turn, learn a little more about her creative process … read more.

GQ Australia: photography by Adrian Mesko – Title

November 7, 2011

Retouching for GQ Australia: photography by Adrian Mesko

If you’ve spent any time on this site, you’ll notice a distinct lack of male faces amongst the work I’ve been involved in. Clearly, I’m the kind of person to always offer some just-below-the-surface insight into exactly why something like this would occur. Oh my god! Ulterior motives!! However, to be completely honest, there are no explanations for this dearth of masculinity other than; I just don’t get approached to work on images of men all that often … read more.