Why don’t photographers give out raw file images?
What is a raw file image?
A camera raw image file contains unprocessed or minimally processed data from the image sensor of either a digital camera, a motion picture film scanner, or other image scanner. Raw files are so named because they are not yet processed, and contain large amounts of potentially redundant data. Normally, the image is processed by a raw converter, in a wide-gamut internal colorspace where precise adjustments can be made before conversion to a viewable file format such as JPEG or PNG for storage, printing, or further manipulation.
Raw image files are sometimes incorrectly described as "digital negatives". Rather, the raw datasets are more like exposed but undeveloped film which can be converted (electronically developed) in a non-destructive manner multiple times in observable, reversible steps to reach a visually desired image.
Raw image with no editing or processing.
JPEG with editing and processing.
With the images above, you may think they look perfectly fine as a raw image. That’s great! This is an example of an image that was properly exposed in camera which created minimal editing on my end. Regardless, as a photographer, I do have a particular style I like when I’m editing images which is why the final product was delivered this way.
Why does my particular style dictate how the image will look in the final gallery delivery?
Why does any artist deliver a final product the way they like it? Did Monet change his style of painting for someone because they felt it didn’t match what they wanted? No. People spend THOUSANDS on a Monet painting specifically because they like HIS work. What about your favorite music artist? Do they create music a certain way and alter it to peoples tastes? NO. They create their work and the people who love it… love it…and pay big money for it!
This is the same for a photographer. Brides hire specific artists (makeup artists, florists, DJs, cake decorator) because they LOVE their work! Or at least, that’s how it should be. I know I wouldn’t pay big bucks for a rock artists concert if I was expecting to hear country. It would be wrong to complain to that artist that they didn’t play what I specifically liked and wanted.
Photographers take HUNDREDS and HUNDREDS of photos.
For one wedding alone, I will typically have to sort through thousands of images. For the example wedding attached, I took around 4-5K images for an 8 hour day. To the right is an example of what my Lightroom will look like after offloading these images. As you can see, it’s many images of the SAME exact thing. For every moment, I take about 10 images. For every 10 images, I pick the best one or two out of those images to edit and send to the bride. Not only would editing every single image be incredibly time consuming, I don’t know a bride that would be very happy with me sending the same exact moment 10 times. The reason why I take so many images is because sometimes a picture will be blurry, out of focus, overexposed or someone could be making a weird face. I’d rather take lots of duplicate images and pick the best out of the bunch instead of risking out on missing a moment because I only took one picture of it.
So what goes into the editing process?
Once I have finished shooting a session of any sort, I immediately offload them onto an external hard drive. Once the images are on this drive, I upload them into Lightroom to start culling. Culling is the name for exactly what I showed above. It means going through each image and picking out the best one. This does NOT mean I leave out any special moments. Even on the rare occasion that I take a “bad” version of a certain moment (it was blurry or overexposed), I still include it in the gallery after editing it the best I can. Mistakes do happen but that dosen’t mean I will hold images hostage for the sake of art.
After culling images and picking out the best ones, I start editing. Many people think editing means slapping on a “filter” and calling it a day. This isn’t the case although sometimes I wish it was as it would save me hours of work. Most photographers use presets that they have made themselves to match the desired outcome they’d like. Much like I am able to walk into an art gallery and immediately spot a Monet painting because of his particular style, I want my style to match me and my brand. The presets I made for myself help me execute a consistent style without straying from that between each image.
Because every lighting situation is different, my presets sometimes don’t look 100% right when applied. This means I still tweak each image as needed to bring out better lighting, fix colors or correct exposure while still maintaining my style and brand.
Alright lets recap -
Raw images are massive files that need special file handling to even open.
A raw image gallery will have hundreds if not thousands of images. This could be overwhelming for a client. MOST of these images are duplicates of the final product or they are BAD.
ALL special moments are delivered. I never leave out moments because the picture is bad (this rarely happens but just a disclaimer).
Raw images are unprocessed and don’t reflect the final product. Your photographer wants to deliver beautiful images that are finished. You wouldn’t want a wedding cake to be delivered without icing - editing is like the icing on your images!
And here’s the final piece - delivering raw files leaves my hard work in the hands of someone else to be edited in a way I wouldn’t use. Imagine paying good money for a Taylor Swift concert only to find its someone else dressed like her, using her lyrics and choreography. Yeah, maybe it sounds and looks like her but it’s not HER. T-Swift came up with those lyrics. SHE came up with those dance moves, style and music. Should it be fair that someone else takes the stage and steals the show - highjacking all the hard work she put into her musical career?
This is how it feels to give my raw images to someone. I actually hate when people even SEE them. It’s very vulnerable and leaves my work up for grabs to be stolen or for someone to edit them in a way that doesn’t reflect me. I spent hours shooting your wedding, thousands on gear and years perfecting my craft. I don’t want someone else to take that hard work and re-edit them how they see fit.
So what if you still hate the images and want the raw versions?
First, consider if the images are poorly done or if you just don’t like something in particular.
There has been a few moments where I sent a black and white version of an image and a client asked to send the color version. I quickly re-edited the image and sent it their way. No big deal!
There have been moments where I did a session on a very overcast day which created a slightly different look than what the client initially wanted. This is where things get tricky. As long as I did my part in communicating that the session will be overcast which will leave out that glow a sunset gives, this doesn’t mean the images are bad. A cloudy day won’t give sunny looking images. If I know before hand that it will be a cloudy day, I try to reschedule with the client to avoid this.
There has been moments where a bride just didn’t like how she looked. This is also not on the photographer. Yes, a photographer is in charge of trying to pose a client in flattering positions but this does not mean you will look like Kim K just because the images are professional. Love yourself and be realistic about expectations.
IF the images are just BAD…well that’s on me! This doesn’t mean sending raw images are warranted - this just means they need some extra editing love or an explanation (usually both!)
Look at a photographers style before hiring them.
I am considered a more “moody” photographer. This means, the images I deliver will not look super bright and airy. That is not my style. If you want that type of look, please don’t hire me to take your images because I will not edit them to look that way because you like it. That would be unfair to me just as we discussed above. Find a style you like and go with that! If you like rock music, go to rock concerts!
After all is said and done, just be understanding, respectful and realistic (clients and photographers)
At the end of the day, your wedding, maternity session, graduation pictures and everything in between are special moments. These are moments that I and every photographer understands and wants to capture well. We know you only get these moments once so we put a lot of love into them. Maybe it rained at your wedding and the images look more gloomy than you wished, reach out to your photographer and see what they can do. But also, be understanding that rainy days happen and we aren’t magicians. That shouldn’t take away from the beautiful moment you had! Try to accept that as a part of your day and your special moment.
Photographers, remember how big these moments are for our clients. At the end of the day, our portfolios don’t matter. It’s equally as important to set boundaries within your business and for clients to respect that. It’s a balance and its hard sometimes, but its SO worth it y’all.