by Tara Jacobsen on December 3, 2009
Many new photographers are intimidated by the thought of shooting their images in Raw as apposed to JPG. I think that this is a HUGE mistake and one you may regret later! Stephen Shankland wrote a great article today shooting raw versus shooting jpg that I thought you would enjoy – follow the link for the whole article!
Using my then-new SLR in 2005 and 2006, I photographed everything from my new son to otherworldly canyons we visited in Utah. The only problem: the photos were taken only in JPEG format.
JPEG is fine as far as it goes, and indeed for most folks it will suffice. But having rediscovered my enjoyment of photography in the digital era, I wish I’d used the raw image format that comes with SLRs and higher-end compact cameras.
This illustration shows the checkerboard Bayer pattern of a typical digital camera's image sensor. Each pixel captures either red, green, or blue.
This illustration shows the checkerboard Bayer pattern of a typical digital camera’s image sensor. Each pixel captures either red, green, or blue.
(Credit: DxO Labs)
My initial regret was from the realization that raw photos, although taking up about three times the storage space as a JPEG and requiring manual processing, offer higher quality and more flexibility. But what I’ve come to understand since then is a second advantage of raw: because processing software improves over time, raw photos in effect can get better with age.
For that reason, I’ve begun recommending friends who show some enthusiasm for photography that they should think about shooting important events in raw format alongside JPEG. You don’t have to mess with the raw files today, but if it’s an important event like a wedding, you might want them for later.
by Tara Jacobsen on November 19, 2009
So you already have your digital camera in place, what’s the next best thing for you to consider? You have to have a good camera bag which can help protect your camera and other accessories which you will need to have as you use it. Some cameras already come with a bag to protect the gadget. But oftentimes, it might not be enough to handle your camera and all the other things that you need to have along with it. So the best thing to do would be to find a good camera bag. To help you with this task, here are some important tips that you can follow:
1. Prepare a list – To help you choose the right camera bag to handle everything you need, it would be best to list down everything that you need to have. Aside from your camera, list down other must-haves you need to bring with you like extra lenses if any, lens accessories, flash lights, extra battery packs. All these would matter especially since you can find camera bags that have extra spaces for camera accessories. This will also help you identify the right camera bag design that would suit your needs.
2. Consider how you would like to carry your camera bag – Are you comfortable with a bag that’s a backpack or would you rather have a front pack? Would you also consider having a sling bag that rests right at your hip? These are important considerations too especially when having a photowalk. You need to look back at your list and try to understand how you can still manage to make it comfortable for you to carry all of these things. If you have no idea which is better, try getting a couple of example bags (which resembles a backpack, frontpack, and a sling bag) and fill it up with around four pounds worth of content. That will give you an estimated feel of how it’ll be like to carry a camera bag in different ways.
3. Look at your options online and on local stores – These days it’s easier to shop around and canvass for the things you need. You can look at the internet for several camera bag designs that you would like to have. This is also a way for you to get a range of prices for camera bags these days and make you aware of the budget that you would more or less have to allot for this item. The good thing about online shops is that they often have these online carts where you can save the items that you are interested in. So in the event that some of the items catch your eye, you can save them and look at them again at another time and then make your decision whether to buy it or not.
4. Look at the extra spaces inside the camera bag – If you have the time to shop for a camera bag in your local store, make the most out of choosing one by looking into the nitty gritty of each bag. Check for extra spaces, pockets, and how they are fastened together. It would also be nice to find a camera bag with waterproof spaces inside so you can safely stash items without worrying about them getting wet regardless of the weather and what may happen. You might also need to look at how the attachments are placed. Velcros are often the best choice because it makes it easy for you to get the items right when you need them most.
5. Bring your camera and other equipments when buying the camera bag – This is great so you can actually try fitting all of your photography equipment right inside the bag. It would allow you to know what it would really be like to use that bag you are currently eyeing.