To me, Retouching or Photo Manipulation in Photoshop is like a working on a puzzle--it's a mind-relaxer. Some are harder than others. Most of my retouch pictures are taken close-up because I like to show everyone the details of my retouch.
I have total respects for photographers because it takes a lot of works to shoot a perfect picture. I just rather stay behind my computer in my room retouching their pictures:-)
If you need to see more of my works, please visit my deviantart gallery.
I hope one day that I can make some extra money on the side doing this as a hobby. I am neither a graphic designer nor a professional but I do hope that my works will improve as the years past by. For now, I am just having fun doing this and still learning.