Meet the Jury

You’ve often said that your real calling isn’t photography but storytelling. If photography disappeared tomorrow, do you think you would still be the same artist, or is the medium simply a vessel for exploring the questions that matter most to you?

There would certainly be a photography-shaped-hole in me if it disappeared tomorrow, because photography allows me to go on all sorts of physical adventures in the wild. It’s an excuse to explore as much as it is to create.

That said, I am a creature of creativity and a perpetual beginner. The art I make wouldn’t change at all. So far, I have taken up photography, writing, mixed media, and sculpture. Every iteration of what I create embodies the stories I hold dear, and that would never stop.

You once mentioned that photography allowed you to discover yourself both as the creator and as the character.

Looking back over nearly two decades, how have those two identities shaped one another?

Has creating these imagined worlds helped you understand who Brooke is in the real one?

When I create a new self-portrait, the version of me in the image is always an old one. I am not the type of artist to create in a moment of extreme emotion. When I experience something that needs to be translated visually, I step back. I quantify the experience, and then I transmute it into something tangible. So, by the time I photograph a scene, I have already created a story and character that I’m ready to leave in the past. My photography is a personal scrapbook of all the emotions I’ve felt, places I’ve explored, and lessons I’ve learned. It is only in understanding who I have been that I can be who I am now.

Many people spend decades trying to discover who they really are. You began that journey through self-portraiture in your twenties. Looking back, do you think art accelerated your own self-awareness?

I was very fortunate to come into photography knowing what I wanted to say and how I wanted it to look, even at 21. I didn’t experiment, didn’t try out weddings or portraits or landscapes. Photography was always the vessel that got me the quickest from point A to point B. Every image I create pulls me closer to myself and to understanding my place in the world. I have always created equally for myself and for others. My goal is to somehow quantify my experiences and give them to others.

How different is the Brooke creating today from the one who first picked up a camera in 2008?

Brooke the creator is the same now as it was then, in almost every sense. However, now I’m both more and less confident. I’m more confident in being exactly who I was meant to be. I’m less confident in being the best. Now, I’m a consummate beginner, and proud to always be learning.

Do you think creativity can become a form of self-awareness, not simply expressing who we are, but actually revealing parts of ourselves that we couldn’t otherwise see?

I think that is always true. When you create, you are forced to narrow your vision. You are forced to make decisions, and it is through deciding what we’re going to do that we discover who we are.

Your work often explores identity, transformation and becoming. Do you think we discover who we are, or do we gradually create ourselves through the choices we make?

Absolutely both. The art of becoming requires us to shed our skin to find the most authentic version beneath, while building up who we want to be on top of that through our choices and convictions.

You’ve often spoken about rejection with remarkable honesty, books that didn’t sell, ideas that had to begin again, projects that took years to find their audience.

As someone currently building Retoucher of the Year, I’ve realised how much creative work happens in that invisible space before anyone believes in what you’re doing.
There are moments of excitement that keep you going, but there are also long periods where you have to believe before there is much evidence to support that belief.

What kept you moving during those years?

The only people who fail are the ones who quit. I have never been the best artist, technically, conceptually, or otherwise. If this were all judged by skill alone, I don’t know that I would have the career I have. What I do have? Perseverance. I never stop creating. I study hard. I pivot when I need to. I work on my craft like it’s life or death. The true mark of success is not if the thing you made did well; it’s if the thing you made didn’t do well, but you didn’t quit with it.

Underscoring all of that is passion. I always want to be creating stories or consuming them. I have an insatiable appetite for creativity. So if the question is to stop creating art because something I did failed, or to keep creating despite it failing, it’s no contest. I can not create.

We touched on the setbacks and doubts you’ve experienced throughout your career. Even after international recognition, do you think imposter syndrome ever truly disappears, or do we simply learn to create alongside it?

Everyone has imposter syndrome to some degree. It’s a constant passenger in the car with you. Some days, you have to put the music up loud enough to silence it. It’s the same as bravery and courage. No one makes it through life without fear; we feel the fear, and we do it anyway.

For many creatives, self-worth becomes tied to what they produce, how their work is received, or whether they feel successful enough.

Has there been a moment when you realised your worth had to exist independently of your art?

To be completely honest, I think this is something I’m still learning. When your art intersects your life so fully, it’s hard to separate them. The most helpful idea I focus on is earnestness. Regardless of success or how people value me for my work, I focus on being as earnest as possible about what I’m doing. I want to be judged for how unselfconsciously I moved through life, not what I produced.

Your images couldn’t exist without both photography and post-production. The camera captures the ingredients, but the final image is built through layers of storytelling.

How do you see the relationship between photography and post-production in your own creative process?

You put it perfectly. It takes both to create the way I see the world. One is an extension of the other. They are so linked that the moment I finish a photo shoot I rush the image into Photoshop to continue the process. I don’t personally use any generative AI tools in my work, so Photoshop feels more like a hand-guided process that allows me to get physical with my work. I also print a lot of what I create to complete the process.

You’ve often described Photoshop as a paintbrush rather than simply an editing tool.

Do you think post-production is still too often viewed as a technical process instead of a creative language in its own right?

I think it totally depends on how it is presented. But what I’ve learned is that everyone has their own views of photography and post-production. I know for a fact it is a creative language, and my job is to show just what can be done with it.

Our Composite category is called Alchemist, because it celebrates the ability to transform fragments of reality into entirely new worlds. In many ways, compositing does exactly that.

In your view, what is the real magic behind a truly great composite?

That is the perfect name!

The magic in a great composite is when you forget it’s a composite at all. You get sucked into the world that is being created. You become intertwined with the concept until your story is part of the image’s story. A great composite comes not just from seamless editing, but from integrating the artist’s vision into each pixel.

Much of your work, through your books, teaching, workshops and community has been about helping people believe in their own creative voice.

Retoucher of the Year was born from a similar belief: that recognition can change how people see themselves and their potential.

What role do you think recognition plays in a creative person’s journey?

Can it genuinely change how someone sees themselves, or does confidence have to come from somewhere deeper?

Recognition plays a vital role. Artists don’t love hearing this, but validation at the right moment can make an artist’s path so much clearer and easier to navigate.
Negative feedback at the wrong moment can do the opposite. I believe everyone has the potential to grow into the artist of their dreams.
Even when I see work that could be better technically or conceptually, I make sure to lead with the most incontrovertible truth when speaking to that artist: that they have the capacity for greatness.

Retoucher of the Year was created to bring visibility to a craft that has long remained behind the scenes. What made you want to become part of a project dedicated to celebrating the people who help bring photographic visions to life?

Photography is an incredible medium because it allows people to express themselves non-verbally. It is a craft and artform all it’s own, despite how dragged it has been for being digital, or simply for not being painting.

Your images are the result of photography, compositing, editing, writing, symbolism and imagination working together. When you look at a finished piece, where do you feel its authorship truly lives?

This beautiful question is exactly why I sometimes shun the label of photographer, because I never take a picture and call it done. Labels can be complicated for exactly this reason. None of us are ever simply clicking the shutter, even if your images are shared straight out of camera. There is so much forethought, ideation, skills, and decisions that go into creativity. The authorship of an image lives in the process of creating more than the finished piece.

Beyond creating photographs, you’ve also built books, communities, educational platforms, conventions, and opportunities for other creatives.

Has your definition of success gradually shifted from creating meaningful work to creating meaningful impact?

Absolutely. I still strive to do both, but when I think about what I want my legacy to be, I want people to remember me as someone who helped others become more open to the world.

At every stage of a creative career, doubt seems to find a different voice.

Early on it says, “I’m not good enough.”
Later it whispers, “I don’t need recognition anymore.”

If you could speak to every artist who’s hesitating to enter Retoucher of the Year, regardless of where they are in their journey, what would you want them to remember?

Success is built on a mountain of “no’s”. If you don’t rack them up, you will never make it to the top. Enter the contest. Take the picture. Spill the paint. Throw the clay. If you don’t, you’re not even in the running.

At its heart, this conversation isn’t only about photography or post-production. It’s about becoming. Brooke’s journey is a reminder that the most meaningful creative careers are built through curiosity, perseverance, and the willingness to begin again, over and over. We’re incredibly grateful to have her as part of the Retoucher of the Year jury and can’t wait to see how her perspective helps inspire and shape the next generation of creative talent.

About Brooke Shaden

Country: United States
Years in the Industry: 18+
Primary Specialization: Conceptual Fine Art & Self-Portrait Photography
Main Expertise: Storytelling, Compositing, Fine Art Photography, Creative Education
Website: brookeshaden.com
Instagram: @brookeshaden
Facebook: Brooke Shaden Photography
Youtube: Brooke Shaden
Flickr: Brooke Shaden