Change Is Hard

…but change is certain.

Raw Katie-girl

by 40 Comments

I’ve been taking a series of free online classes about night photography. Of course the instructor believes we should all be shooting in RAW. It’s not the first time I’ve heard this.

At Katie’s park on a pretty day in March.

Many years ago I took another night photography seminar, where RAW was suggested as well, mostly because you can change the white balance when you’re processing if you shoot in RAW.

“No snow, mama, but still lots of ice!

What does it mean to shoot in RAW? Well, it just means the image you are getting hasn’t been processed at all. There’s more data in the image and it’s all unmodified.

The blackbirds were singing, so it must be spring.

I’ve been shooting JPeg, because, for some reason, RAW made me nervous. Years ago I did a few test shots in RAW, but my processing software wouldn’t allow me to download them. So I haven’t tried again.

“Kinda windy out here, mama!”

But lots of time and software has passed since then, and I figured I should try again. So I took Katie to her park yesterday; in 50 degree (10C) with a stiff breeze, she was in heaven.

“I’m having a good hair day!”

It has been a long time since we visited her park, and, as I remember it, a blizzard was bearing down and it was so very cold that we didn’t stay long at all.

“I love my park!”

Yesterday she pranced like a puppy, tail wagging, nose to the ground looking for all the pee-mail left by other doggies just for her.

“Hey mama, the smells are just wonderful over here!”

I took a few pictures, in RAW, just to see how they came out. To be honest, I can’t tell the difference, but I’ll keep shooting in RAW until I figure out why it’s better.

“It’s so good to be out here, mama!”

Katie says she’ll gladly model for me again. As long as I bring treats.

“Can we come back tomorrow, mama?”

Author: dawnkinster

I'm a long time banker having worked in banks since the age of 17. I took a break when I turned 50 and went back to school. I graduated right when the economy took a turn for the worst and after a year of library work found myself unemployed. I was lucky that my previous bank employer wanted me back. So here I am again, a long time banker. Change is hard.

40 thoughts on “Raw Katie-girl”

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  1. Helen
    March 6, 2022 at 7:19 pm

    Katie looked very happy. One of my brother in laws used to shoot in RAW when digital cameras first came out but he had to download the pictures to photo software on his laptop before you could see the picture. I expect things have changed since then.

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  2. lois
    March 6, 2022 at 7:31 pm

    I don’t know about RAW, but Katie looks great!

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  3. Paula Light
    March 6, 2022 at 7:35 pm

    Those are beautiful pics of Katie! So fluffy and happy 🙂

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  4. trentpmcd
    March 6, 2022 at 8:27 pm

    I used to love to shoot in RAW, but I am still using an ancient version of PS that doesn’t include my new camera. Yes, my camera software (I use Olympus, I have an OM-D EM 1 II) does work with RAW, but I like Photoshop.
    Nice photos.

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  5. Michelle
    March 6, 2022 at 9:29 pm

    So glad to see Katie in her park, and RAW too! 🙂

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  6. Ann Hay
    March 7, 2022 at 12:42 am

    I’m an old IT/computer/Microsoft professional (MCSE) but I’ve been retired for so long that I don’t know RAW from cooked. 🙂 I shoot JPG images that save around 10,000KB so I can edit and downsize them if needed, and still have sizable images with great detail.
    Oh, Katie’s the best!

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    • dawnkinster
      March 10, 2022 at 11:01 am

      Yes I’ve been shooting JPG forever, and have a LOT of pictures stored on my laptop, and even in JPEG I’ve had to get bigger and bigger memory. Now I store them on a backup storage thingy, but I don’t know how to do the next backup without overriding…and since they’re on that backup thingy I deleted a bunch on my laptop so I’m concerned when I go to backup again I’ll overwrite and lose the stuff I had before forever. SIGH.

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  7. Rupali
    March 7, 2022 at 2:10 am

    Nice images. I shoot in JPeg for file size and battery life in my camera and also due to software limitations. Anyways, I am happy with the results.

    Liked by 1 person

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  8. susurrus
    March 7, 2022 at 5:24 am

    RAW formats allow finer adjustments afterwards. It might be worth doing a few more tests switching between the two to see if they are worth the extra file size. I’m sure Katie won’t mind acting as a model for photographic science. I just use my iPhone, so really I have no room to talk!

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  9. Nancy
    March 7, 2022 at 7:01 am

    Katie looked like she was having a blast. Loved all the pictures… even if she was in the RAW! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

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  10. Suzanne@PictureRetirement
    March 7, 2022 at 7:46 am

    Dawn, I think ‘control’ is a thing for most photographers and RAW just provides more of that when processing. JPeg, doesn’t always capture the best white balance and for that reason alone, I use RAW. If you are not interested in the artistry side of photography, and just want to fine-tune once in a while, stick to JPeg and you will still produce beautiful photographs. Your Katie-girl looks like I feel on a day like that.

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    • dawnkinster
      March 10, 2022 at 11:03 am

      I am interested in the art of the photo…so for some things I’ll probably shoot RAW and for others I probably won’t. The trick will be to remember to change it back and forth.

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  11. Laurie Graves
    March 7, 2022 at 7:56 am

    Look at Katie go! Oh wonderful. I’ve heard of RAW but have never used it. Susanne’s comment really helped clarify why it might be better to use RAW.

    Liked by 1 person

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  12. Debbie
    March 7, 2022 at 10:56 am

    Love your last photo! Looks like you’ve got TWO Katies! And yes, I agree that she was having a good hair day … and obviously a lot of fun. Bet you’re paying for those 50 degrees today, though, right??

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  13. Ally Bean
    March 7, 2022 at 11:35 am

    Thank you for explaining what RAW means. I’ve read articles that talk about shooting in it, but had no idea what it meant. My camera is a point and shoot OR a phone, so I don’t think the advice applies to me. I like your photos, even if Katie’s fur is looking a little floofy. On her, it works.

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    • dawnkinster
      March 10, 2022 at 11:05 am

      I am growing Katie’s fur out. The previous groomer couldn’t seem to keep her scissors away even when I repeatedly (for a year) told her I wanted to keep her fur long. So we found a new groomer.

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  14. Far Side
    March 7, 2022 at 11:39 am

    I tried raw once that was it for me, too much fiddly stuff for me. I prefer jpeg…simple:)

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    • dawnkinster
      March 10, 2022 at 11:06 am

      I can understand that. I think I’ll use it for night photography and maybe if I ever get to go on a trip out west and have beautiful vistas…but for just around the house it will probably be jpeg.

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  15. Denise
    March 7, 2022 at 5:55 pm

    Katie looks like she had a wonderful time at her park! Flowing furs and all! 💕

    I tried shooting in RAW years ago. I agree with Far Side; too much fiddling for me. Shooting JPEGs is fine for me. 😊

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    • dawnkinster
      March 10, 2022 at 11:06 am

      Fine with me for most things here too! Katie had a wonderful time that day. I took her to another park yesterday and she sniffed and walked, but she didn’t see as happy as she was at her own park the week before.

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  16. Shelley@QuaintRevival.com
    March 8, 2022 at 6:53 am

    Aw, Katie looked so happy! I shoot in manual mode all the time – it does make for easier editing and I can adjust the white balance as I go. It helps with the bokeh effect, you’ve captured some of that in your photos. Nice job!

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  17. Chaymaa
    March 9, 2022 at 8:39 pm

    Very beautiful ones!! 😍

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  18. DailyMusings
    March 10, 2022 at 5:35 am

    Katie! She looks so frisky- nothing like fresh air and a favorite place to allow one to forget how old they are ❤

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    • dawnkinster
      March 10, 2022 at 11:08 am

      Yes, I think for awhile she was young again at the park we named after her, sniffing all her favorite places, running down the hill we used to sit on to watch the kids play softball. We didn’t walk all the way around this time, and we may not ever get to do that again, but we had fun doing what we could do.

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  19. SHL2
    March 16, 2022 at 7:35 am

    I have always shot in raw and jpeg. That way I can see the image in jpeg before developing the raw and get rid of the ones I do not want before I work on them. I feel like sunrises, sunsets, beautiful landscapes and portraits benefit from raw editing. But most of the software I use allows me to change everything anyway so I honestly do not mess with it much anymore. Raw takes up an extreme amount of room on the computer.

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