Lesson: Shooting RAW
So, you just got your G9 or maybe you haven’t delved too far into the capabilities of your beloved camera. Maybe, the term RAW frightened you off right from the start as it did me. Hearing about compatibility issues and the lack of ‘convenience’ that the JPEG format provides. For those of you who are already happy with the results of your photos, shooting RAW may not provide enough benefit for you to switch or give it a try. I can respect that and besides, its all about how you feel about your photos. For those of you in this demographic, I invite you to read on. I hope to demystify the RAW file format in a few short paragraphs.
The capitalization of the term RAW is a bit intimidating. I’m guessing that the use of all capitalization was to be able to distiguish it as a file format like JPEG or TIFF. So, it is not so odd that RAW is all capitalization but, rather, that the term RAW is also recognizable as an everyday word. So, the term RAW is a file extension just like JPEG or TIFF. Ok, I hope I didn’t beat a dead horse on that explanation but, that was one of the stronger reasons kept me on the outside looking in.
One of the greatest features of the G9 is its unique ability to shoot in the RAW format. This format gives the photographer complete control over the resulting photos. The RAW file format is pure data - unfiltered and unprocessed thus, giving you all the information that your G9 has captured on its sensor. Shooting in JPEG, this RAW information is converted for you by a computer that resides within your G9. Once the RAW file has been converted, it becomes a JPEG. The original RAW file has been ’stripped’ down of certain parts to reduce the file size of your photo. Who ’strips’ down the RAW file? Your G9 ’strips’ this RAW file down using its own discretion and prescribed parameters. When the G9 ’strips’ away unwanted information, it is deleted - never to be recovered. This automation process is far from perfect but, does offer the convenience of having a ‘final’ product with which to work with on the fly.
You can think of the RAW file as a slab of unsculpted marble. With this slab, the possibilities are endless as to your final creation. A JPEG file would be analogous to working with a piece of marble already carved into the likeness of man. The discarded marble to form the likeness of man is no longer recoverable. Just like JPEG files, the discorded RAW information is no longer recoverable. When shooting in JPEG what you are essentially left with is a ’stripped down’ light version of the image that you really took. If you are comfortable with this aspect, then, I appreciate you reading this far. My site is simply intended to inform all those interested in possibilities and options to their current workflows. I have learned to enjoy the flexibility of the RAW files. Yes, processing RAW files does require more steps but, the results far outweigh the time invested. In my next post, I will describe the simple workflow that I use to process my RAW files - super easy. See you tomorrow.