let's talk photography

Have you ever had an image that was perfect... well almost?!?!? everything is right but it is really blown out, or maybe too underexposed???? Maybe you were shooting in an area with lots of color casts and your subject is a weird shade?

So many things can be off and yet you almost had the perfect image for your client!!!

For many years I wasted time in my business shooting jpeg. WHY??? you may ask. Most photographers know shooting in RAW format is better. I am not tech savvy. I am not a nerd. I know what I know. It gets me by. I am also a wife, mom to 5 boys, I homeschool, I try and cook our meals (that one can be laughable LOL), I am the housekeeper, home manager, party planner, taxi driver ETC. Most Mom's can relate with a few exceptions.
I am also a photographer. Again let me remind everyone I am not TECHY! So learning technical terms,  a new way to use a computer these things do not necessarily come easy to me and can overwhelm me. I am a hands on learner so reading google makes my eyes glaze over. Sometimes I wonder if I actually typed in Chinese or something...but no computer nerd is just another language.

So I guess my point is, I was shooting jpeg because it was easier. I knew how to do that. It wasn't something new to learn. It was comfortable. But it wasn't best! So I finally took the plunge!!!
And it has revolutionized my photography.

First let me say,

 You SHOULD ALWAYS do your darndest to get the BEST shot IN CAMERA! Don't cheat yourself and your clients with mediocrity and so called "fixing" them in Photoshop. Your clients can be fooled but photographers know if an image is quality or not. And you should be working to get your very best outcome without any editing. 
Photoshop is a tool, it does not make an image quality it should be used to enhance. It makes a Great shot AMAZING!!!  Notice emphasis on GREAT shot. Start with a great shot in your camera with the correct settings. 
*this has NOTHING to do with personal style!!!
Every artist has their own style and no one should dictate what that is. Certain things can and should belong to you! OWN that! But images that are blurry, soft, out of focus,... that is typically not a style.

With that said....NO ONE will ever nail every shot. And need I even explain those toddlers who run around like crazy taking you from direct sunlight to shade in a matter of seconds, you can't even see how fast they are moving much less change the settings on your camera to meet the new lighting needs. It can be tricky.
There have been many times I have almost nailed a shot, everything was right, only one thing stood in my way between perfection and the trash bin....

UNDEREXPOSED

OVEREXPOSED

If you are shooting in jpeg and this has happened to you make your move to RAW! It can save your "image". Literally your IMAGE and your IMAGE as a photographer.  hee hee I couldn't resist that little pun!!! 

So now for personal proof that this can be life changing...or at least it will revolutionize your photography.

The first shot is SOOC. It has not been changed, transformed or enhanced at all. You can see even though I totally missed exposure his eyes are still in focus, it is not blurry or soft in anyway. So had the exposure been on the image works.  But Photoshop could never redeem this image without losing  quality. The second version has not been edited at all, but the RAW image was adjusted, it is still an untouched image but we have salvaged the exposure.
Third image now shows when edited no one would know it was headed for the trash bin!!!

HAPPY SHOOTING photog's Hope you enjoyed this little lesson!!!