-Whitney Carlson

Today I am going to try to briefly explain the difference between RAW files vs. JPG files and help you decide what is best for you! Again, this is another heavily debated area, and there are great photographers that shoot RAW, and great photographers that shoot Jpg.

So, what is a RAW file? If you look this up on the internet, you will get some very good, very technical definitions that include phrases such as "wide-gamut internal color space" and "16 bit workspace" But what does this all mean for you as a photographer? Do you need to know all these details? I would say no, you really don't unless you just want to know. The easiest way to explain a RAW file is that it includes ALL the data that you photographed. There is nothing missing, and nothing compressed. By shooting RAW, you get everything the camera sees, and even a little more. What this means for you is that the files are a lot bigger than jpg, and they contain a lot more information to work with. So, if you overexpose an image, you have more info in the photograph to make the exposure correct. You can pull out more detail and can easily fix photographs that are not exposed correctly.

What is a jpg? It is basically a compressed version of the photograph that you are taking. It does not contain as much information as the RAW file does, thus making the file size smaller. However, to the naked eye, an unedited RAW and JPG file will not look much different. The biggest problem with shooting jpg is that if you mess up an exposure on a JPG, it will be harder to fix after the fact.

Now, which one should you use? It depends on a lot of factors. If you are consistent in getting exposures correct while shooting, then there may not be much reason for you to shoot RAW. JPG processes faster in the camera, and takes a lot less space on your card. For the most part, if you are shooting manual, you will be more likely to get correct exposures. If you are still not consistent in your exposures, I suggest you use RAW. Also, it is good to use RAW if you are in a very difficult lighting situation. But remember, depending on your camera, if you are shooting a lot, really fast, sometimes RAW can bog down the camera.

What do we use? Right now, we are mostly shooting JPG. However, this was a switch we made just a few months ago when we purchased new cameras. We used to shoot all RAW. I am consistent in my exposures and I love being able to shoot quickly. I also do not want to worry about switching out cards as much as I do when I shoot RAW. However, when I get into a difficult lighting situation, I will switch to RAW. We still debate if we want to switch back to RAW. I will let you know if we do! Does shooting jpg diminish the quality of your photographs? When you shoot correctly, absolutely not! The gigantic canvases in our studio were printed from JPG files, and they are beautiful. Here are details from similar photos, one shot in RAW, and one in JPG. Can tell the difference? If you are still unsure how you should shoot, I encourage you to do some research and talk with some other photographers to make the right decision for you.

Whitney Carlson

Owners Eva Marie Clarke and Shana Dyer have a great vision for their business and have definitely created one of the most unique salons around.

There are also witnesses to this oath which are reflected in the mirror behind them. There is even more evidence that this is a religious ceremony of sorts by the image of the rosary and the passion of Christ which is shown in the circles around the mirror.

When I look at this painting and I think of my own work, I am reminded that there is much that can be said in a traditional portrait. Each detail should be important, each object you decide to include in an image has the ability to tell a story. What is important to the bride? What can you include that will give viewers a hint of what is going on at an event that you are photographing? Are there things that should be excluded? What does the pose say about this person? Think about this the next time you photograph someone, and see if you can add just a little something extra that can make the viewer see deeper into who they are looking at.