“I actually became a retoucher by accident,” explains Dominique Fraser. “Years ago, I was a graphic designer focusing on digital illustrations, not photo retouching. I liked working on hyper-realistic illustrations with Photoshop, but this could take anywhere from 30-50 hours to create one illustration.
“One day, I was approached by a renowned photographer from Montreal who changed my career path. I started finding ways that I could work with an actual photograph and within a few hours, reinvent it completely. And this paved my path to specialising as a retoucher.”
Now at the top of her game, Dominique Fraser is paying forward by giving other retouching newcomers a valuable hand-up in the industry. To do this, she’s set up Je Suis Fabuleuse, a specialist site designed to help wannabe retouchers succeed. “I want retouchers to have everything they need in one place at Jesuisfabuleuse.com and to expand their knowledge about the high end retouching industry. I also wanted to provide a resource where a retoucher can go and find everything related to photoretouching and transforming their passion into a really lucrative career,” she explains.
In the near future, visitors to Jesuisfabuleuse.com can find resources such as:
“My goal is to help digital imagery artists create a fabulous life for themselves where they have fun and make money out of their true passion!” she says.
Check back next week to find out about Dominique Fraser’s views on extreme beauty retouching, the role of women in the industry and a new wave sweeping the retouching world.
Dominique Fraser is an expert retoucher and the founder of Sublim Creative Studio and Je Suis Fabuleuse. Her clients include Giorgio Armani and Moet & Chandon. Dominique Fraser portrait photography: David Cannon