What are the common pitfalls and challenges of working with RAW files?

For most amateur photographers the challenge of large Raw files may seem like an issue but in today's world, you can buy a 128 GB memory card for under $25. Portable 2 TB hard drives are way under $100. If your computer is over 5 years old it's time to upgrade and almost any computer you buy today will be fast enough to handle raw files. Most manufacturers have free software to process raw files today as well. The learning curve can be daunting but well worth the effort.

I started using RAW back in 2009. Been using them consistently ever since. They are what almost bring me back to the time in the darkroom. There, even for a reportage photographer, there were unimaginable possibilities. Yes the files are much larger, but that is trumped by the possibilities of the third phase (1) preparation, (2) recording and (3) the development including the editing.

Years ago, I used to shoot Raw on one card (CF), .JPG on the other (SD). I could have both a backup as well as a quick share file if necessary, At a trade show that worked great. On a Bar-Mitzvah, the CF card corrupted. I recovered all but one file, I realized, "what is more valuable for a social event function? It has to be backing up the Raw files". So, I changed the file format storage protocol and only shoot Raw on both, because that's what is most valuable. BTW, since the second and third letters of Raw do not stand for other words, it's a proper noun and not an acronym, like JPG. File storage size was an issue when digital was a new thing. Today, memory is relatively cheap. There's no excuse. Friends don't let friends shoot JPG :)

Since RAW files take so much space I make sure I have back ups for my back ups for my back ups; a great photographer once said you've got to plan for fire, theft, and flood of your photos; so external drives in various locations with a chosen day every week to sync is good. But also having some online back up storage like through DropBox, iCloud, and Amazon Web Services can provide even greater peace of mind.

The benefits of the Raw files surpasses the cost of space they occupy. With Raw you can adjust or correct an image as you please, Jpegs are converted from Raw with the camera manufacturer definition, that might not be your choice. Finally, there is no way of going back from Jpeg to Raw. I only shoot Raw, even in my iPhone using the ProCamera app.

I wold definitely recommend converting your RAW files to DNG files, which are also a RAW format. Not only can DNG files be read universally by different software, but they can store all of the metadata of the image in the file, whereas many RAW file formats require an additional "sidecar" file to hold the metadata.

As some of the editing software are now a subscription, the newer Raw formats that could come out, will be supported by the latest subscription version (or they should….). In the worst case, the camera manufacture does have an editing software, which is not perfect but good enough to convert it to your preferred format.

These challenges and potential extra steps are just part of being a professional. You need to factor this time into your cost and pricing.

Compatibility and format. The RAW files may present some challenges with camera or software changes. Based on Lightroom, the software is not a big challenge. Because you always work with a copy of the original file and never in this one. I usually choose to copy to DNG to possibly finish with JPG. When upgrading the camera, ADOBE is quick to implement the changes. So the cost of ADOBE is quickly recouped in the time saved.

Compatibility issues occur mostly when one needs to share the photos with the client immediately while the shoot is on. Many clients have no idea that Raw files need a proprietary image viewer. Hence they complain that they can't view the files on their laptops. The ideal would be to inform them before the shoot to download the freeware.

In my experience, knowing that you have full control over your RAW files, can only be a bonus to your photography. If you know the full opportunities of editing, it allows you to expose effectively for post production. Lightroom is an amazing tool to help you with this, and once you know its full capabilities you it will help with how you capture your photos. My advice would be to learn the art of editing before you continue with your photography journey. With AI on the rise… it will offer more opportunities than ever. Embrace your editing as much as photography itself.

Exposure and white balance The more precisely you can control the camera settings, the less editing work afterwards. For reportage photography with difficult or changing light conditions, I would rather overexpose than risk underexposure. I'm from a time when ISO400 was insanely coarse film, but ISO has a completely different meaning in modern cameras.

The ability to adjust the image afterwards is invaluable and a must for professionals. The less controlled your environment, the more important if becomes.

The control of RAW is its power, but also does mean you must do some post-processing in a raw editor. If you're just getting started with RAW it can be helpful to capture RAW+JPEG in camera. That way you can edit the RAW files from your best shots, but you still have the in-camera processed jpeg's so you don't have to process everything and can just use the jpegs like you're used to.

The RAW format offers the desired creative possibilities, especially in relation to color and contrast. Even for a reportage photographer who wants more than a flat newspaper photo and who doesn't. RAW files can really look a bit boring straight out of the camera, and they of course need sharpening, contrast, saturation, possibly with your own homemade layer filters that bring out the season in the photo.

Because the RAW workflow involves another step it facilitates organization in a way that jpg shooting does not. Importing RAW files into Capture One (or anything else) forces your hand with file structure and allows for intentional file naming, copyright information and backup. This workflow pushes you into thinking in a more sustainable way

As a Medium format photographer, I would take less images, allowing me to plan and register details of each image on paper or a recorder. This data I would key into a Excel file, with a standard naming. When professional scanners appeared I scanned the film images and through custom software incorporated the metadata. With the digital cameras, most of metadata details come along with the raw file. I have settled with Adobe Lightroom, creating a mega catalog using various terabytes of disk space. This process took many weeks. Today after a trip, I upload the Raw files into Lightroom and complement the metadata, which does not take time. However the development process needs time and creativity.

The arrival of RAW files in 2009 meant more hard drive space. And organization software. The first choice for me was Lightroom, which was originally available for purchase. Which meant I could skip a few generations. And upgrade when it fit into my everyday life. Now the program can only be acquired by subscription. With the advantages and disadvantages it entails. The database has always worked well and the editor is in constant development. So a photographer can do without editing in Photoshop if desired. My image backup is in the cloud and also on separate hard drives here.

I always shoot RAW+JPEG BASIC. The jpeg gives me a way to quickly share and preview files with client, and then in post I adjust the raw files at my leisure and the client is BLOWN AWAY by the final result.

Most quality print services do not accept RAW submissions. Convert to JPG within the editing processes for printing or sharing. But remember every time you edit the JPG further, you will lose some quality.

Working with raw photos is like having a superpower for photographers. It lets me have complete control over every detail in my pictures, from brightness to colors and all the tiny nuances. It's a bit challenging at first, but the more I learn, the more I can shape my photos exactly the way I want them to be. It's like painting with light and colors, creating something truly unique and personal. The journey of mastering raw photo editing is a fulfilling adventure that brings out the best in my creativity.

RAW files not only allow unprecedented historic ranges of millions of digital colors for the first time, unavailable in any traditional arts or past media, but new potentials in large-scale printmaking. See examples globally at https://www.lensculture.com/steve-yates

I always shoot RAW. Otherwise you are allowing your format to make decisions regarding what you want to represent . JPEG has limited options for change after the shoot . In raw you have total freedom over how you create colour, exposure, definition and size . All true professionals shoot raw and convert to Tiff or JPEG because of the huge benefits it allows them in image creation. Yes the files are way bigger that’s because they hold more gold!