David Nadeau
Q What do you do?
“I alter photos to make them better (or sometimes worse, on purpose, of course). Sometimes I combine photos together. Sometimes I change the color. Sometimes I do all of the above.”
Q What steps did you take to get to where you are now?
Started as a photo student at RIT. I realized I enjoyed using Photoshop more than making the photos themselves. Spent lots of years in ad agencies and photo studios learning what creatives, photographers and clients like.
Q How do you stand out in your field?
I have decades of experience working with art directors, creative directors, photographers, producers, art buyers and clients. I've seen how things go wrong and more importantly, how they go right.
Q What are you working on right now?
Finding work! Ha. I'm taking this down time to get into 3D art by learning Blender.
Q What’s your style?
I believe my style is to figure out what the client wants as a style, then make the end product fit their requirements. It's pretty rare when I get to put my own stamp on the work. One of the examples where I had that kind of freedom was the Olympic Time-Lapse effect work I did and on the Make-A-Wish work.
Q Out of all your slashies, which one do you wish you could do more often?
Advertising is where I have the most experience. Next would be directly with photographers.
Q What is frustrating you right now?
The downturn in the ad industry as a whole is frustrating. Trying to make new, meaningful connections is challenging.
Q If you could hire someone for $20/hour, what would you have them do to make your day easier?
I'd love to have a job-finder, salesperson kind of helper. I love making the art. Finding the work, yeah, not so much.
Q What do you wish you could have told yourself, when, and why?
Aside from the normal "Buy Apple, Amazon, etc. stock", I'd tell myself to get into working in 3D and motion way sooner. I'd love to have a bigger toolbox going into tough times like now.
Q If you could talk to an expert to gain more insight on something, what would it be about?
I'd love to know how to keep my name on the front of client's brains when they're thinking about imaging. Not just the retouching part that I do, but how can I get involved in the process from start to finish.
Q What kind of opportunities/projects are you looking for?
Anything retouching, photo compositing, color grading, etc.
Q Describe your ideal job/client/collaboration.
A really ideal project was the Make-A-Wish work on my portfolio site. I was involved closely with the art director and photographer throughout the process. Everyone had great ideas and suggestions. It would have been the perfect project if it paid. Ha. It was for a great cause, so that was cool.
Q What is your rate?
I charge $135 per hr normally. Something like the Yale New Haven Doctors work would be a good example to look at. Take the surgeon at work. The original couldn't be lit on scene, so I had to do some heavy lifting in Camera Raw to get everything lit and well. There were wires and tubes and distractions that had to go and the doctor needed a bit of skin work. Finally I had to match the color grade that's been standard for them for a few years now. Altogether the shot took three hours so that's $405. That all scales up or down with the complexity and scope of the project.
Q How should someone approach you about working together?
rhymeswithpixel.com - email: dave@rhymeswithpixel.com My hourly rate is a start, but I'd like them to know that I can help even before a photo shoot starts. There are things I can recommend that make the process of photos going to retouching much easier.
Q Who is a creative you admire?
Mike Shaugnessey great AD, Sean Cunningham awesome Creative Director and Direct Marketing master, Sonya Revell super good people photographer, and John Huet — he shoots sports better than anyone.
Q Oh! and… how do you stay creative?
I keep perusing the work out there! Try to figure out how they did it.
This member profile was originally published in April 2024