Personal Details
Name : Jason Bennée
Mobile : 0468 325 647
E-mail : benzworldphotography@gmail.com
Profile
I have worked as a Digital Artist/Retoucher for high-end photographic studios in Sydney, Melbourne and the UK. I have used Photoshop every day for the last 10 years while working with a wide variety of Photographers. I am a fast accurate retoucher with a strong eye for detail. I am well versed in the quality standards required for stock and studio photography. I have five stock agency portfolios and my own photography website BenzWorld. As well as my creative side, I am highly organised and practical with strong IT skills and a design degree.
Career History
2015-2025
Photographer for Byron Bay Bluesfest, Writing reviews of gigs and albums. Using an archive of images produce content about the music of upcoming artists and then sharing across all social networks.
2013-2018
Creating 360 panoramas and virtual tours for Panedia. My main task was producing media content for Google's Oceans Street View and processing over 1 million .CR2 files in Lightroom and Photoshop for the Global Reef Record.
2012
In the winter of 2012, I became a freelance photographer for ANCR. I also worked as a Digital Retoucher for Verve Portraits. The work was similar to the three years I spent retouching at Venture except I used a Mac and tablet rather than a PC and mouse. I am equally comfortable on both platforms.
2011-2012
After moving to Australia in October 2011 I found short-term summer work for The Deck in Hopetoun. I was tasked with the redesign of their website. This involved photographing the stock, creating online galleries and producing a new website from scratch using Dreamweaver. I also installed Google Analytics so the owners could monitor the web traffic on their site.
2008-2011
I worked as a Digital Artist/Production Manager for Venture Photography. I was responsible for all production at one of their busiest studios. In my first year, I reduced the error rate to less than a third of any of my predecessors. Since then It has continued to fall. My role includes retouching, creating promotional material, making DVDs, designing albums, quality control, FTP ordering and IT maintenance. After my first year, I set up manufacturing of 7"x5" and 10"x8" framed images in the studio. This reduced the overall production costs beyond all targets.
2006-Present
Stock Photography, Producing high-quality images for five stock agency portfolios.
2001-2008
An interest in poker led me to a job at the Gala International Casino in Nottingham. I set my sights on becoming cardroom supervisor. I started as a croupier then was promoted to inspector and quickly worked my way up to the position within three years. In 2004 I reduced my hours In order to put more time into developing my Photography and building my website. I took two extended photography trips, four months in Cuba and Jamaica and two months in Egypt and Jordan.
1998-2001
After graduation, I spent three years promoting live music in Nottingham. I designed hundreds of posters, flyers, and a colour magazine which I updated several times a week. In that time I became an expert in CorelDRAW and Adobe Photo Deluxe. My work also included sound engineering and working as a booking agent for bands, clubs, pubs, cafes and bars. This part of my life taught me to think on my feet and gave me the confidence to tackle any challenge.
Work Qualifications
2010 Venture Photography, Licence to Retouch (Merit)
2010 Cambridge Folk Festival Photo Competition Winner
2008 Venture Photography, Digital Design (Distinction)
2001 to 2008 Gala Merit Level 3(Croupier),4(Inspector) and 5(Supervisor)
Education
1994 to 1998 University of Nottingham, 2:2 (Hons) in Design, Materials and Manufacture.
1991 to 1994 Hill Road Sixth Form College, Cambridge. A Level Design Technology (B), A Level Physics (C), A Level Maths (D).
1986 to 1991 Sawston Village College. 10 GCSE's Grades A to D
Skills Summary
I have a talent for getting the most from any technology. I am familiar with all the most common software and I am confident I could pick up any new package quickly. I am flexible in using new features to speed up my workflow and retouch speed. I have also set up scripts and written actions to help other members of staff using Photoshop. I am studying the Adobe Certified Expert Program in my own time.
I have not missed a day's work or been late for 20 years. I am naturally self-motivated, organised and conscientious. At work, I continually look for ways to increase efficiency.
I am a team player. I have always got on with the people I work with. In my final year at university, I shared an award from the Ford Motor Company for the best team design project. I have both Australian and British passports and driving licences.
Positions of Responsibility
In my second year at university, I managed Ancaster Hall Bar. In that time I increased the profits to £30,000, compared to the £6,000 loss the previous year. This restored the University’s confidence in student-managed bars, the majority of which are run by professional managers.
I was the senior cardroom supervisor at the Nottingham International Casino. I was responsible for running three poker tournaments a week. Each tournament requires the management of about 50 customers at once and several thousand pounds.
Interests
My Photoblog is my main creative outlet now. I enjoy discovering new Photoshop techniques and experimenting with them. Before taking up photography I played the guitar and performed at twenty different venues. I also designed and built my own electric guitar.
References
Carlos Chegado (General Manager) Reference 2013-2018
Emma Ferguson (Retouch Manager) Reference 2012
Richard Stanfield (Studio Director) Reference 2008-2011
