Far too often on photography forums, websites, tutorials, and articles, photographers downplay and even make fun of shooting JPEGs. It’s become a badge of honor to only shoot RAW format photos.
Of course RAW photos give you more editing leeway, but you can get some lovely results of you learn the ins and outs of your cameras picture controls. Also, it’s very tough to match all of the individual color presets and looks that you can get in camera with a RAW editor.
Because both formats have advantages, I usually shoot RAW +JPG. However, more often than not, I find the JPEGs perfectly adequate for my needs. Also, it’s a function of time. I don’t always have the time to edit each photo the way I want.
The photo of my daughter blowing bubbles (above) was shot using an Olympus E-M1 in vivid mode, with a shady white balance, and an Olympus 45mm f/1.8 lens. If I want to be picky, in post, I’d probably want to brighten her face, but it’s not bad the way it is. I used manual exposure and dialed in the camera to give me the shot I wanted.
The rest of the photos were also straight out of the camera (various bodies and lenses). The point is, not EVERY photo needs post processing. Photography is supposed to be fun, not a laborious and arduous process.
