Hiss and Hearse

Sarah Amato

“I like to retouch as if I am painting, with short or long brush strokes depending on the part of the image.”
-Erin Corbett

Erin Corbett is one of the first friends I made here upon arriving in Pittsburgh. We immediately bonded over our mutual love of photography and beauty. Together we have successfully collaborated on photo shoots and other projects, including an entire identity redesign for Bloom Organic Skincare Parlor. This talented lady is currently looking to buy a home with her husband, Dan, and is the proud mother of two border terriers, Remy and Gemma.

Name: Erin Corbett
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Occupation: Digital Photo Retoucher

At this very moment, what are you doing?
Making a blog post at Digital Makeover, my retouching blog.

Where are you from?

Originally from Louisville, KY, but spent many years in Cincinnati and Athens, OH.

How did your interest in photography begin?
It began in a high school photography class. I didn’t want to take advanced math, so I had an extra course to fill. I chose photography! I thought it would be fun.

Why did you decide to go to school for photography?
I wanted to travel the world as a photojournalist. I had a passion for writing and journalism, but I wanted to express myself visually as well. When I found out about the School of Visual Communication at Ohio University, I jumped at the opportunity to apply to their renowned photojournalism program. After a year of majoring in photojournalism, I decided to switch to the commercial photography track.

Alex MacPherson

Where did your interest in retouching come from?
My interest in retouching came from Sarah Silver, a fashion photographer I interned with while in college.

How did you learn about it?
Sarah encouraged me to do an internship with her retoucher, Puspa Lohmeyer of Tweak West. Puspa really ignited my passion for retouching beauty and fashion images. She is truly an amazing artist. Her skill for retouching skin, while maintaining texture and believability, is incredible. She taught me as much as she could in a couple of weeks, and when I returned to my final quarter in college I practiced retouching daily on my fellow classmates’ images.

Do you have a secret technique?
I like to retouch as if I am painting, with short or long brush strokes depending on the part of the image. I also spend a lot of time dodging and burning to give the skin a smooth, polished look without appearing over-retouched.

Benefit Cosmetics

What is your opinion on the current trends of retouching?
It depends on the image. I don’t like the look of plastic skin in any situation, but I think it’s extremely important to consider the client when retouching. There are times when it is appropriate to take an image to an elevated level, as with beauty and fashion, but I get really annoyed when I see overly-retouched portraits. That’s what usually upsets people about retouching, and it’s what I think ultimately causes such a backlash against retouchers.

Do you have a favorite image that you’ve retouched?
It would probably be this one, photographed by Sarah Amato. I love the texture of the paint on her cheek.

What are your inspirations?
Being outside on a beautiful day.

Tell me three of your favorite songs or bands.
“Venus” by Air, “No One’s Gonna Love You” by Band of Horses, and “Stranger” by Dr. Dog

Where do you want to go from here?
I’d like to work more one-on-one with photographers who create avant-garde images.

Any advice for other people who want to make retouching their career?
Study images that you love and try to discover what draws you to them. Study people and light; try to understand the way shadows and highlights naturally fall on the human figure and face. Offer your retouching services to as many new photographers as you can, and practice as much as possible! It may mean doing tests for people for a while, but as with any art-related profession, it’s most important to have a solid portfolio.

Erin Corbett’s Portfolio
Digital Makeover

Today the skies are grey, the snow is still falling, and I find myself daydreaming about Forbidden Island tiki drinks, driving down Highway 1, and visiting my friends in snow-free San Francisco. Some positive things that have happened during this last frigid week: I was able to span lots of time with my honey, and my new, sophisticated KCP business cards, designed by Nubbytwiglet, arrived.

I have been collaborating with another talented person, Erin Corbett, who is a photo re-toucher living right down the street from us. We have been using our combined forces to revamp the website of a local skincare parlor called Bloom. I am also working on her business identity, and she is using her skills to help me with my photography portfolio!

Other wonderful things include: receiving real letters from my photographer pen-pal, Chloe Aftel, who constantly inspires and pushes me to be a better artist; wearing my new Betsey Johnson coat, which I bought for a steal and whose heart buttons make me feel happy; watching the documentary about American figure skater Johnny Weir, “Pop Star on Ice,” which I found to be completely inspiring; and discovering a love of yoga, which I have been doing once a week with Erin Corbett.

This morning I heard birds chirping, and these winter days are starting to make their exit. At the end of the month, I am taking a much needed trip home to California to see family and friends, and I am very excited about that! Tell me things that are making you feel wonderful.

Margot Tenenbaum is the inspiration for an upcoming photo shoot!

It’s a high of 25 degrees today in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania! While I sit inside a warm office watching the snowflakes swirl and fall softly to the ground, I have some things to share with you, dear readers.

I couldn’t be more than pleased with the new black and white identity designed by my friend, the talented and darling, Miss Nubby Twiglet!

I came across the website of Austin-based freelance web designer and writer, Paige Maguire, called flux-rad.com, where she has some really great mixtapes available to download!

2009 was the year in which MadMen inspired me to start wearing pegnoirs to bed instead of pajamas, and in my searches for them, I came across this the pegnoir of my dreams.

Shae Acopian Detar always inspires me with her self portraits that she posts on her fashion blog, EverythingStyle.com. On Christmas Day, Richard Wayne’s mom gave me a fancy wireless remote, which means I have no excuse for not taking more photographs of my own face. Maybe this can be a goal for 2010?

“Of course she drank the poision.”, artwork by one of my favorites, Caitlin Shearer.

This morning I opened my eyes and Pittsburgh was covered in snow! The sidewalks, the cars, the tree branches – it all looked like a scene from Groundhog Day!

I think the snow is gorgeous to look at, but of course I am saying this from my cozy apartment, while poor Richard Wayne is outside scraping snow off his car.

How are you? I am enjoying learning about my new environment but really missing California and my family. How are you going to spend the holidays? One of the things from the internet that I have been enjoying lately is Regina, the jewelry designer behind Chain Chain Chained’s blog.

Finally able to take pictures again, this week I was really curious how to make my own bokeh and found this really easy to follow tutorial.

What I love the most about this time of year are the decorations and giving gifts to my nearest and dearest. I wish that I could reveal what I purchased for Richard Wayne, but let’s just say that this year, Etsy was a great gift resource!

I also collaborated with Lindsay Jean, ModCloth fashion buyer and budding stylist, along with friend and model Bobbi Wall to create some gorgeous images. Can you believe that this was Bobbi’s first time in front of a camera?

I am anxious to focus on my photography again. There are some collaborations in the works, including an exciting identity redesign with graphic designer, fellow black and white lover, and snow white beauty, nubbytwiglet! Updates coming soon! Other than that, I am trying to stay positive and enjoy where I am.

I had such a good time working with Erica from Hold My Gold Vintage, that we had to do it again, this time with the beautiful Ellen from LOOK SF and Padi Arvin, who did her make-up. I really enjoy working with Erica because her style and mine mix perfectly, which is a little bit glam and a lot of rock and roll.

This weekend I got to work within a crew of talented and lovely ladies, thank you to: Ericka from Hold My Gold Vintage, Olivia from Bows & Arrows Vintage (styling queens), Erica for the amazing hair color and styles, Emily for the make-up skills and our models Jess and Brittney for your beautiful faces!

You can see more here!

I have started capturing the images and faces of all my talented California friends. Meet, Olivia Coelho, the artist and co-owner of Bows and Arrows Vintage, Dona Bridges, the writer, and recently engaged darling, who got me backstage at The Cult concert, and Amber Mortensen, stylist and genius behind one of my favorite fashion reads, PainfullyHip.com.

Lots of gorgeous things to share today! One of my favorite photographers, Angela Boatwright, has updated her online portfolio. You may have seen her work for Urban Outfitters, or her amazing personal collection of portraits of metal kids. I wrote to her once, and she told me that you don’t need a photography school education to be a good photographer.

My most recent Etsy purchase, the beautiful Augusta Necklace by my friend Millie, the lady behind Heresy Designs.

A peek inside my friend Alexandra Tyler’s 15 years worth of vintage collecting. It’s like a mid-century boutique store in her Oakland home. Makes me drool at the thought that she might have a private, invitation-only sale!

My lovely friend and Owner of Bows & Arrows, Olivia Coelho, has a new line called Miss Chief of California. I love her elastic skirts, which are one of a kind and can only be purchased at Bows!

I swear, Richard Wayne is the cutest! Read his latest Unisex-y installment on ModCloth.

Accidental entrepreneurs a sign of the economy? My friend and business owner, Lisa Marie, is making it happen!

Finally, a little sneak treat at a happy accident that occurred in this amazing warehouse photo shoot I did with Amber Mortensen of PainfullyHip.com.

Do you have any favorite links to share with us?  Tell us the things that are making you happy!

Since the launch of Hiss & Hearse, there’s been a lot of Hearsin’ and not much Hissin’ (for anyone who hasn’t caught on yet, it’s a play on the phrase “His and Hers”). So here I am to inject a little male influence up in this joint.

I’ve been back from my trip east for just over a week now. It was an exhausting trip full of shuttling around the state of Pennsylvania to pay visits to my friends in Pittsburgh and my family in Williamsport in an attempt to see everyone I’ve ever known in such a short period of time, during which I was also trying to get some freelance work done. I was so jet-lagged most of the time, I wasn’t even sure if I was speaking English, so it’s a great wonder to me how I landed the job I went to interview for while in the Steel City.

Since being back, Kristin and I have worked on a photo shoot for Painfullyhip.com in Sacramento. Kristin did all of the photography, of course, while I did all of the light disc handling and hunger-induced moaning (note to self: always bring snacks to a shoot). One of the locations where we shot was this kind of imported world antiques store called Tasha’s. Here there was a bunch of Mexican Day of the Dead paraphernalia, including a mariachi suit with which I’m now obsessed. There was no price tag on it, though, which generally means I can’t afford it. Regardless, it looked much like this, only red:

Which reminds me…I’ve often toyed with the idea of sporting a Mexican poncho a la Clint Eastwood in his westerns. People have told me to go for it, but I’m concerned that posing off of a particular culture may offend those a part of it. But, damn, just look at how a poncho looked on this gringo!

Continuing on with the theme of the dead, at our next location, my eyes fell upon–via a show poster magneted to the refrigerator–the best damn band name I could have ever thought up but never did: Dead Western. I inquired about this band and quickly learned that it was a solo acoustic artist who possesses a deep, operatic voice. My interest piqued, I looked into him later on that night and found myself haunted by the bass timbre boiling out from this man’s throat as I listened to his music on Myspace. Recommended listening if low, resonating voices a la Leonard Cohen, Johnny Cash, Calvin Johnson, Tom Waits, etc. captivate you.

Kristin got a new BUST (the magazine, you perv) in the mail the other day and pointed out to me yet another feature in a major magazine touting rockabilly fashions as back in vogue. The article is titled On The Road and features a gentleman named Joseph Plunket (who apparently is a musician with a group called “The Weight“) wearing a gingham button down shirt, slim/skinny jeans, cowboy boots, and the most perfectly pomaded pompadour upon which I’ve had the pleasure of placing my greasy gaze in a long time. It’s as if the stylist for the shoot raided my closet and my medicine cabinet.

Is this classic, cool look now getting the respect it deserves in the “underground fashionista circles” (for lack of a better phrase)? Too often have I heard disparaging remarks directed at rockabillies and their music made by too-cool-too-care-how-I-look indie rock scenester types (I hate to break it to them, but making an anti-fashion statement is still making a fashion statement).