Nick Watson started out in high-end fashion and advertising retouching in 2010. From early on he was drawn to colour — fascinated by how a grade could direct the eye, control the mood, and define how an image felt rather than just how it looked.

That fascination led him toward a senior role, where he could be the one shaping the images. Going freelance, he worked alongside some of the most respected photographers worldwide from studios in London, building a reputation for precision and an instinct for colour.

That work expanded naturally into motion grading, and in 2018 he founded Escape Hatch Studio to bring both disciplines together.

He now works across stills and motion — retouch, colour grade, look development, campaign finishing — with photographers, directors, brands and agencies who care about how their images feel as much as how they look.