NEW YORK, NY.- As part of its 38th Photography Awards in 2023, the Association of Photographers is commemorating the late Martin Evening with a special award, the Martin Evening Digital Retouching Excellence Award, that will span both photographic stills and short form film to recognise outstanding work in digital retouching and post-production.

Martin, who sadly passed away in December 2022 at the age of 63 after quietly battling cancer, was a highly influential photographer, expert digital retoucher, author and teacher. He was an early pioneer of digital retouching and an early adopter of Photoshop. Martin was a long-standing member of the AOP and had a successful 25-year career as a London-based, award-winning portrait, beauty, and advertising photographer, working with some of the biggest names in hairdressing.

In 2008, Martin was inducted into the Photoshop Hall of Fame, in recognition as a respected leader in the industry and his contributions as an alpha and beta tester for Adobe in contributing to its advancement and development.

Isabelle Doran, CEO of The Association of Photographers, says, “It’s a great honour to introduce this new and special award for a photographer who embraced innovation and foresaw where digital photography, retouching, and post-production would take us. We hope that the Martin Evening Excellence in Digital Retouching Award will become a beacon for recognising and celebrating the skills and talent digital retouchers, of both still and moving images, brings to our industry.”

AOP president Tim Flach adds, “Martin Evening has been a massive figure in terms of the impact of the technological changes that came to our industry with the advent of digital photography. Clearly a kind man, he was always generous with his time and encouragement, particularly towards those entering our industry. He will be greatly missed but his influence and legacy will live on for future generations of professional photographers.”

Nominations for the Martin Evening Digital Retouching Excellence Award open on 20 March for three weeks, closing on 14 April. Nominees will be invited to submit their entries by 12 May and the finalists will be announced week commencing 12 June. The judges will be looking at essential aspects to include photographic application of digital retouching and post-production skills.