Now, raw files aren't pretty, it is very easy to be seduced by the over-saturated, over-contrasty image that the JPEG creates; when you look at the back of the camera you think you want your picture to look that way, but in reality the JPEG is compressing all that precious data and dumping pixels into oblivion, where you can never get them back.
I'm not going to lie, it took me a while to understand the importance of raw files, I mean, why would I want to create more work for myself if the camera was already creating a "pretty good photo" right? Wrong, "pretty good" is not good, "pretty good" is lazy, "pretty good" doesn't let you grow. I was limiting myself to what the camera made for me, and allowing it to take away the possibilities the raw file provides.
Sometimes the change is subtle, some color grading, contrast, and boom! you already got what you wanted.
Sometimes it requires a little more, with this image I was already pretty happy with the raw file, the girl's expression was so great that I didn't think I needed to do anything else to it, but then I started editing the picture, and I was so much more happier with the color, the light, her expression is even more defined thanks to the editing, and I was able to take it to the next level.
And other times, you are not so in love with the raw file, and it requires a little bit more work. You know when you take a picture and you really should have bump up that exposure another stop, but you didn't. Because I shot raw, I was able to add 1 and half stops of light to the image, dealt better with the noise, and then played with color and character. You see, raw files are your friends, it's like having a magic wand to fix your mistakes.
Yes, you have to get used to a little big more work, but at the end it is so gratifying. With amazing tools like Lightroom, Alien Skin, Photoshop, etc., you are not really adding that much work, you are creating a different workflow.
It's worth mentioning that raw files are much bigger than JPEGs, which means, your memory card fills up quickly and your hard drive storage space runs out of room. I am on my third terabyte, however, it is a an investment I am willing to make because of the many advantages that come with the format.
So in conclusion, shooting raw allows you to record more information, get better detail, add/subtract light, easily change white-balance, and because you are creating an image from a high resolution file to begin with, your prints will be better, period. So do yourself a favor, if you are shooting digital, shoot raw and let your imagination run.
Flor Blake is a Portrait, Editorial, and Commercial Photographer based in Denver, CO.
