Most DSLRs (and many point-and-shoots) have the ability of shooting in RAW format. So why shoot in RAW?
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There are many different RAW formats – most are unique to each camera manufacturer and require special software (generally supplied with the camera), or something like Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom to read and edit the files. There is also a “universal” format, DNG from Adobe, but to my knowledge, no cameras actually capture in DNG format – it’s used more to share images in a RAW-like format, also called Digital Negative.
The information stored in a RAW file is taken directly off the camera’s sensor, without being processed (as is the case with JPEGs). This allows significant changes to be made without affecting the original. The best example of this is if you happen to change the white balance on your camera – to daylight, for example – and forget to change it back before shooting under different lighting conditions, such as fluorescents. In this example, what you will see if you shoot in JPEG format, is a heavy yellow cast, giving bad skin tones. If you are shooting in RAW, all you need to do is change the white balance to the proper setting, and process the image – no challenging colour-correction needed!
There are very powerful tools for making tonal and colour adjustments, sharpening, and even correcting known distortions for specific lenses, such as chromatic aberration and vignetting.
Once all the work is done on the RAW files, you can output JPEGs (or TIFFs) ready for uploading or printing – you can even publish directly to Flickr. Keep in mind that the quality of a JPEG image degrades every time you save it, so if you are going to do further work in Photoshop, use TIFF format.
One disadvantage of shooting in RAW is file size, which is generally at least twice the size of a JPEG. So if you have limited storage capacity, or are planning on taking a large number of photos, like on a trip, you may need to shoot in JPEG format. The other is the time involved in converting the files, but what I generally do if I think I may be capturing something good, or in tricky lighting situations, is shoot both formats at the same time (if your camera has this function), so you end up with JPEGs to view and upload quickly, plus the RAW format, in case you need to do some serious work on the file. Of course you need lots of storage capacity, but with memory cards being so inexpensive now, that’s not a problem.
MEC Photo Contest Winner
I’m happy to announce the very first winner of the Flickr group photo contest – it’s Peter Hoang with this ice climbing shot.
I like it because it has good lighting and composition, plus it shows some action, with a look of determination on the models’ face – and there’s even a logo placement on the gaiters! Congratulations Peter, we’ll be sending you a $50 MEC Gift Card soon.
I encourage MEC members to submit photos. Here’s how you can do that:
Check out our Photo Submissions page – it has all the details.
Go to MEC’s photo submission site on Flickr.
Have a look at this Flickr gallery. The images here represent the type of images we are interested in using – something with a unique perspective, showing people enjoying the outdoors, using the gear we sell at MEC.
If you liked this post, make sure you read more about MEC Photography.
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