Balogna Sandwich

Many people feel secure when they have some type of backup for important photos. In their mind it's Got to be a RAW file. That request seems to upset many photographers doing work for things like a wedding or a high school senior, etc. I say "If it's a bologna sandwich they really want, it's a bologna sandwich they get!"

There is a lot of discussion on the distribution of RAW files. It's common to hear things like, "My friend is really good at fixing photos." That makes me wonder why they incorrectly assume my photography will be inferior in the first place? If their friend is so good, why not choose that person as the photographer since the end result would not be my style of photography?

After doing all of the work, owning the copyrights, and then giving possession of the everything to them, that would make me wonder what they plan on doing with it?

Truth be known, RAW and JPEG files are both digital negatives. A JPEG file has often been processed to a visible form whereas a RAW file to a large degree has not been.

As an example, pretend its lunch time! Suppose you operated a deli market, and a customer comes in to order a bologna sandwich. Will you sell them a cow? I really don't think so.

We all know that a meat manufacturer has processed the cow into a form of bologna. Seasoning could also have been added within the bologna to change it just a touch but it's still basically RAW meet.

It now gets inserted into various casings to become hot dogs, links, or good 'ol baloney. Just add some bread, lettuce, tomatoes, and other things. Very similar to post processing. I hope the client chose you as the photographer because they like your "flavor" or style.

Updating our thoughts, a RAW file is like liquid bologna, whereas a JPEG file is similar and close to the final sandwich ready to be enjoyed. The client could possibly add a touch more flavor enhancements. This is like their friend mentioned earlier.

For those who insist on a digital negative, a JPEG file is most likely what they really want. All you need to figure out is to what degree of being finished they really want.

There are, however, special cases where some people and companies will need modifications for future requirements. This could be for things like advertisements and magazines. In this case most photographers would rather just move on and not get tied up in their editorial department requirements. In something like this, just give them the RAW file being they likely already made an agreement for it.

This makes things much simpler.