The Art of Professional Retouching
Join photographer Timofey Abel for an insider look to professional retouching. The Art of Professional Retouching with Timofey Abel is an immersive fine-art and editorial retouching workshop led by fine art and fashion photographer Timofey Abel. The class offers an inside look into Abel’s complete creative process—from image selection and in-camera adjustments to advanced retouching and Lightroom color finishing—revealing how artistry and precision merge in professional image-making.
Working with files from one of his recent photo shoots, Abel demonstrates his full workflow live, showing how a finished editorial image evolves from start to completion. Students are encouraged to ask questions and engage throughout, especially about their own editing process or images they bring to work on alongside the demonstration.
By the end of the session, participants will:
Understand a complete fine-art retouching workflow from selection to final export
Gain practical experience in professional skin and tonal refinement
Learn to achieve balance between authenticity and editorial polish
Deepen their understanding of tonal depth, contrast, and cohesive color management in Lightroom
Acquire insight into presenting and pitching finished work to clients and publications
This in-person workshop will include:
Photo Selection & In-Camera Editing
Skin & Beauty Retouching
Lightroom Masterclass
Mobile Editing & Final Review
Industry Insight
This workshop will also be recorded and available for ASOP registered students to review at home!
Students are encouraged to bring their own laptops (fully charged) with:
Evoto and Adobe Lightroom installed
Images already retouched and ready to refine further
Unedited photos they would like to work on during the class
Participants who wish to follow along in real time are welcome to do so. Abel provides individualized feedback and editing tips throughout, and students are highly encouraged to ask questions about their own workflow, technical setup, or artistic decisions.
Photographing with Instinct
This live, in-person masterclass offered a rare opportunity to observe photographer Timofey Abel’s intuitive approach to editorial portraiture. Known for his emotionally resonant and minimalist style, Timofey invited participants behind the scenes as he built a portrait from the ground up — not with rigid formulas, but through instinct, presence, and connection.
Throughout the session, attendees experienced the full arc of his process: choosing a location based on mood and light, guiding a subject’s presence without over-directing, and composing images that felt timeless, understated, and deeply human. The focus was on learning to see — to refine visual sensitivity, trust intuition, and create with purpose rather than perfectionism.
This masterclass was designed for photographers, creatives, and visual storytellers drawn to a slower, more intentional approach — one that blends fashion, fine art, and emotional honesty into enduring work.
Participants left with a renewed sense of clarity and connection, rediscovering how simplicity, light, and presence can shape portraits that resonate.
What Students Learned
How to observe and interpret light
Techniques for building trust and connection with subjects on set
The importance of instinct and emotional truth over technical perfection
Ways to create editorial-level imagery with minimal setups
How to slow down, see deeply, and make portraits that feel alive
Timeless Light & Storytelling
Step into the cinematic world of timeless black & white portraiture with acclaimed fashion and fine art photographer Timofey Abel. Influenced by masters like Herb Ritts, Peter Lindbergh, and Vincent Peters, Timofey’s signature approach emphasizes raw emotion, intuitive light, and human connection over complicated gear or rigid formulas.
In this immersive workshop, Timofey guided over 100 emerging creatives—many of them fellow young artists—through the art of seeing and shaping light with intention. From working with continuous Hollywood-style lighting to building trust with your subject, participants explored the emotional power of simplicity, storytelling, and stripping photography back to its most essential elements.
This wasn't just a technical seminar—it was a reflection of a larger youth-led movement redefining what it means to be a photographer today. Attendees didn’t just walk away with new tools; they left with renewed purpose, creative clarity, and a sense of belonging to something bigger than themselves.
What Attendees Learned:
How to read and sculpt natural light as your storytelling tool
Using continuous lighting cinematically—no strobes, no fluff
Building emotional trust and connection with your subjects
Embracing spontaneity and intuition over rigid planning
Stripping images back to black & white to elevate truth and story
Developing a personal, cohesive visual language that resonates
Who This Was For:
Emerging photographers, visual artists, and anyone drawn to emotionally driven portraiture—especially those ready to simplify their process, deepen their creative vision, and forge authentic connections through their lens.