Shooting in raw

The phrase “shooting in RAW” can sound like intimidating technical jargon, something reserved for professional photographers. In reality, it’s one of the simplest ways to unlock the full potential of your camera, and your creativity.

Think of a RAW file as a digital negative. Just like film negatives used to contain all the information from a shot, a RAW file stores everything your camera sensor captures, before any automatic processing or compression takes place. That means you get the purest version of your image, ready for you to shape.

Here’s the important part: RAW files won’t look better straight out of the camera. In fact, they can sometimes look a little flat or dull compared to JPEGs. The real benefit comes when you edit them. Because a RAW file holds so much more data, you have the freedom to adjust exposure, recover detail in highlights and shadows, tweak white balance, and refine colours, all without damaging the image quality.

JPEGs, by comparison, are already “baked in”: smaller, more convenient, but with far less room to adjust afterwards. RAW is all about giving you control over how the final photo looks.

Of course, RAW files are larger and take up more storage space, but the trade-off is creative freedom. With the right editing, they can take your photography to the next level.

It’s one of the topics we often explore in our camera workshops, where we look at how shooting and editing in RAW can transform your photos and give you more confidence in your creative process.

So next time you’re out with your camera, give RAW a try, and take the time to learn how to edit. You might be surprised just how much more depth and detail you can bring to your photography.