Meet Mika Laujin, a Creative Retoucher Like no Other

Photographers, painters, sculptors, filmmakers, designers, and architects are all effectively-regarded for their inventive operate. However, what would their remaining piece of artwork be like devoid of the collaboration of other artists?

Allow me introduce you to the most worthwhile photographers’ ally: colorists and retouchers. 

Mickael “Mika” Laujin is a person of the most sought-just after colorists-retouchers in the discipline, and a legitimate artist and imaginative who shared with me his journey and what his function involves.

Prior to delving further into his occupation and his do the job, let us consider a search at what it truly consists of, as it is largely accomplished at the rear of the scenes. 

Even with the simple fact that viewers may not immediately discover these particulars, the most proficient artists are in a position to select out the tiniest aspects in images, and the digital retoucher’s occupation is to make those people images look as very good as probable without drawing attention to the simple fact that they have been touched up.

Retouchers utilize application and can spend numerous several hours perfecting just about every element of the photo. Each visible you see in your day-to-day daily life (publications, adverts, cosmetics, actual estate, web-sites, and so on) has probable been retouched.

Aside from respecting the integrity of the models in the pics and holding in intellect what is anyone else’s work, retouchers require to determine what form of retouching will be done and make sure to maintain the interpretation of reality.

The place demands a large degree of artistic sensitivity as nicely as an attentive ear to have an understanding of the lifestyle and the identity of the brand. Exertion and effectiveness are critical in the work. Each photograph or picture is the end result of the collaboration of light and colour, and it is ideal still left to industry experts to control these factors. 

An worldwide vocation developed on journey, studying, and creative imagination

At first from France, Mika Laujin gained a bachelor of arts degree in images in 2010 from the ICART International school in Paris, the place he graduated valedictorian on equally the diploma and yearbook. During this time, he also analyzed video colorimetry and retouched his own photos as a pastime.

“Once I posted my work on the net, individuals started out asking me if I could get the job done on their photos. Which is how it all began. With follow, I made my retouching competencies. Simply because I recognize light and colour, I am able to operate with photographers with whom I share a sense of symbiosis : we share the exact language and have the exact same enthusiasm for pictures.”

The intensive awareness of images Mika Laujin possesses has enabled him to become an professional retoucher, and he speedily founded himself as a legitimate skilled and expert in the industry. He started his career as a freelancer in Paris, and has worked as a digital colorist and retoucher ever due to the fact. 

He is now functioning for a write-up output business in Los Angeles, the place he is also growing his scope to involve CGI (personal computer-produced imagery), which is rapidly becoming a critical component of specialist images. 

In purchase to remain resourceful, Mika even now practices pictures: “it’s important since we typically do the job on photos that are not our possess. It is also crucial to know how to acquire our individual function in purchase to put our creativeness at the disposal of photographers, purchasers and art administrators.”

In the course of his substantial occupation, Mika Laujin received many awards, exhibited his operate internationally, taught masterclasses, is the author of a e book, and has viewed his operate displayed in prestigious publications, catalogs, billboards and many other supports.

Particularly, his a lot of several years of worldwide travel and professional encounters led him to perform as a artistic automotive retoucher.

“I like automobile design and style and principle vehicles. I do not have a wonderful passion for cars but it’s a area I like to do the job in due to the fact there are a whole lot of challenges to enlarge the operate of designers and photographers. “

A Productive Occupation Crafted Within just the Car Field”

A mixture of his engineering and photographic qualifications led him to pursue this specific line of operate alongside with the worries of attempting to complement the inventive endeavours of some others, this has been his most important motivation and proceeds to be so.

In his perform, Mika Laujin does not design and style automobiles instead, he usually takes new types and tweaks them to make them seem their complete very best by editing advertising pictures of autos, commonly significant-conclusion products from models (this kind of as Cadillac, Hyundai, Toyota, Lexus, BMW, Mercedes, Porsche, and a lot more), in a way to make them search even improved. 

Mika Laujin is unique in the truth that he is hugely active in the course of the photoshoots : he is effective as a post-output assistant to the photographers, doing the job with each other on the images.

“Being on the output flooring permits me to interact specifically with the shopper and photographer. This permits me to improved fully grasp the challenge and be proactive about put up-generation problems. Considering that I am there through the shoot, there is much less likelihood of frictions/troubles in article-manufacturing. It rewards the customer, who has much less items to deal with, as properly as the photographer, who can do put up-manufacturing on the established.”

Uniqueness and a deep being familiar with of colors are the keys to his results

The ideas of light and shade are one particular, and when artists like Mika Laujin work on a undertaking, they really do not feel about the scientific particulars. There are lots of distinct emotions that can be expressed with shade palettes, like thoughts that are difficult to articulate in text. 

“The harmony of shades and their depths give me an emotional response, like a painter’s portray or a musician’s composition. As soon as an emotion is made, then a romantic relationship seems. It is this inventive and emotional aspect that is attention-grabbing in retouching and grading.” 

Mika Laujin describes his design as “unpredicted hues” : “I try to shock the spectator’s sensibility with uncommon colours that are located in character. By doing so, the viewers are generally stunned by what they see, and will by natural means shell out more time wanting at the photos.”

Because of to Laujin’s observations of natural coloration combinations in mother nature, his retouching operate makes really polished marketing pics of cars with a excellent offer of associational and interpretive body weight. 

A flawless car, with vibrant shade and just the right lighting, does not just portray the simple characteristics of a motor vehicle, this sort of as tires, windows, badges, etcetera. it conveys the emotion that cars can evoke. 

If his perform and expertise conjures up you to get on a very similar path, you can follow Mika Laujin on Instagram : @mika.laujin

By Fanny Jacob
Images furnished by Mika Laujin