You spent nearly two decades working in advertising before deciding to become a freelance photo compositor. Looking back, what gave you the confidence to take that leap?

Oh, I definitely didn’t have any confidence going in. I left the advertising industry in 2016 after a severe case of burnout. Back then I knew that if I simply opted for changing agencies it would feel like a fresh start, but sooner rather than later I would end up in the same place mentally. My mind was a ticking time bomb unless I focused all my efforts on doing something that truly made me happy so I needed to switch things up.

Using Photoshop, doing retouching and photo compositing was something I did as a hobby initially. Something to distract me from the day to day while working in the agency; so the idea of monetizing this skill became attractive to me even though I had no professional experience in this particular business. Much less working on my own which imposed a whole new set of challenges in regards to work structure, admin chores and financial discipline. But, I was more excited about the possibilities than confident in my own skills. 

I knew that I had to polish my work if I wanted to take it further. So, I started doing that; practicing everyday, learning from tutorials, taking online courses and getting a few gigs here and there until I got to work with the famous design studio Sagmeister & Walsh doing retouch and compositing for them on a few projects. This experience gave the confidence to do this because I thought: “If this famous studio decided to hire me for these projects, I must be doing something right”. After that, it was a matter of keep learning, practicing and applying what I had learned into the next project. That’s how I ended up doing this full time.

Your giant sneaker series has become one of your signature projects. How did that idea first come about?

​It all started back in 2019 as an exercise in element integration and lighting work. I did a series called the Air Jordans Project. The idea was to take sneakers from the Air Jordan line and placing them in different parts of the world while making them look giant. The intention was to practice integrating the shoe into a background and trying to make it look as real as possible. I did over 30 of these composites and posted them on Instagram as I finished each one. 

​To my surprise, the project went viral within the sneakerhead community worldwide and it caught the attention of Sneaker Media which shared the project reaching bigger audiences and also several Design Media featured the project as well. I took all this attention upon my work as a sign for me to dig deeper into this particular style so I decided to make a big project out of it.

At what point did you realized that this personal project was opening doors professionally?

​Right after the Air Jordans Project I decided to follow it up and do a year long project on the same subject in order to explore this style and try to make it my own. I created and posted one sneaker photo composite a day, everyday all throughout 2020. The pandemic helped giving sneaker culture a big spotlight and my photo composites were right in the middle of it. That’s how I got to work with sneaker designers who approached me so I could help them with their releases, same with sneaker customizers, some celebrities that are prominent in the sneaker world and subsequently the sneaker brands themselves. I got to position myself within the footwear industry but overtime I also got to diversify and work for different production companies around the world as a freelance photo compositor; which I still do to this day.

You once said that winning an award for a personal project felt even more meaningful than winning one for client work. Why do you think that recognition felt different?

​You see, I have won awards as an agency employee doing work for clients but they all felt like an accomplishment of my agency and its clients. When you win an award for a passion project then it really feels like a personal accomplishment, because it is. When I won Gold at the 2021 Latin American Design Awards for my year long sneaker project it felt special because as a sneakerhead myself I won an award for doing something I love (Photoshop + Sneakers). And for me that is the truest form of success. No other industry accolade or recognition comes close to that. 

Looking back at the awards you've received throughout your career, did they change anything tangible, or did they mainly change how you saw yourself as an artist?

​I don’t believe awards can change our self perception as creatives or artists. If you are a creative person, you create in order to express yourself. You don’t need permission, motivation or even excuses to do that. However, -from my perspective- awards do serve two purposes: validation and opportunities. Getting professional recognition from your peers validates that you made the right choice in doing what you do. You might not need that recognition or validation, but it is nice to have it. 

​Secondly, these credentials often attract clients that want that type of work done for them and their brands. In my experience big clients tend to be risk averse. They want certainty of the end result. That’s why they hire people who are known or credited for a particular style or a specific type of work. They want it done well and as quickly as possible. They don’t have the time to experiment with someone who may or may not be able to do what they need even if it is for less money. They have the budget and they pay for the certainty of the expected result. Simple as that.

What does winning an award validate for you today? Your own belief in your work, or recognition from the industry?

​Winning an award (any industry award) can do both of those things for you as I stated in my previous answer. But in my case, I just want to grow and learn more about retouching and compositing. I learned Photoshop 5.0 back in 1999 and I have used pretty much every version released since. Yet I still don’t know a lot of the new features well enough. I am kind of settled in my own old school work flow. I want to aim high and shoot my shot. I might succeed or crash and burn but at least I will have fun in the process and I will learn something from the experience. That’s all I want really.

You've already built an international career. What made you decide that Retoucher of the Year was a competition worth entering?

​I think it is a healthy thing to challenge yourself as often as you can. This competition is an excellent opportunity to do that. To try new things, different approaches and techniques. I have been rather busy with client work so I haven’t been able to do many personal projects this year. I hope the ROTY competition will spark that fire in me once again. I’m excited about it!

When the competition is over, what would make you look back and feel that entering was worthwhile, regardless of the final result?

​Feeling that the work I put out represented my region well. I am from Costa Rica. This is a small country in Central America where opportunities in the post production industry are limited locally. Positioning yourself and your work internationally is super hard. It takes dedication and know-how. But it is doable. I am living proof of that.

​I want people from other small markets to know that we can make it in this industry regardless of where we are from. We just need to be passionate about our craft and display our skills in the right platforms for opportunities to come. 

​An initiative like ROTY can shine a light on so many talented people from small markets. I want my colleagues from developing countries around the world to know that if some guy from little Costa Rica can do well in this arena, so can they. I believe in them, I believe in us.

About Carlos Jiménez Varela

Country / Based in: San José, Costa Rica
Years in the Industry: 25+ in the creative industry / Freelance Photo Compositor since 2016
Primary Specialisation: Conceptual Photo Compositing
Background: Graphic Design, Creative Direction, Communications & Marketing
Known For: Surreal Compositing & Sneaker Imagery

Carlos Jiménez Varela is a Costa Rican photo compositor and graphic designer whose work combines commercial design, conceptual storytelling and surrealism. After spending much of his career in advertising as a Creative Director, he took a leap of faith in 2016 to focus entirely on photo compositing.

A serious sneakerhead with a collection of more than 300 pairs, Carlos has turned that personal passion into a distinctive part of his creative work. His international career has included projects for Adobe, New Balance, Puma, Foot Locker, HatClub, the NBA and many more.