Q: Do you shoot RAW or JPG?
A: We shoot everything in RAW for the greatest amount of control in post processing later on. If you totally botch a photo’s exposure or white balance, it is far more salvageable if it was photographed in RAW than if it was shot as a JPG. RAW records detail that, if blown out, is recoverable.
However, I will add that I personally shot JPG when I was learning, which helped me become a more accurate photographer instead of someone who wildly clicks away with lesser regard for whether the photo is exposed or not (as RAW is more easily fixed in post). Obviously if you shoot in RAW you need to have more storage space at your disposal as well. Right now my “2010″ hard drive has a 2TB capacity, and I may add more before the year is out.
Pros of Shooting JPG
There tends less work in post to ‘finalize’ the picture—it’s done for you in the camera. Many photographers claim that shooting in JPG format makes their images “snappier,” likely due to this reason.
JPG image files take up less space on both capture cards and hard drives
Pros of Shooting RAW
Lost data (image detail) is recoverable from a RAW file
There is more control over basic aspects of exposure, white balance, contrast, and other post-processing effects
We use Adobe Camera RAW for processing, and more frequently Adobe Lightroom for batch RAW processing.
by Molly
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