why I only shoot in jpeg....

I’ve been a photography enthusiast since probably middle school, and one thing photographers will love to tell you is, “SHOOT IN RAW” or die. Literally, almost every pro blog or pro YouTuber will tell you NOT to shoot in jpeg, and it’s always irked the shit out of me.

In case you don’t know, shooting RAW, is just a file format. Most digital cameras can shoot in either RAW or JPEG. RAW files aren’t something you can just upload on your phone and post directly to Instagram. It’s a file that can only be opened in photo-editing programs, like Photoshop or Lightroom. It basically preserves all of the details in a photograph, so you can correct all of the lighting in post. It is most definitely a tool that professionals SHOULD use, but we’re talking about amateurs here. We’re talking about people who like to shoot photos of their kids, their dogs, their cats, and their coffee. We are the majority.

To be fair, I get that these YouTubers and bloggers are specifically marketed at a more professional audience, but they can’t really assume that 99% of the community are all professional photographers. This is a hobby that’s as common as hiking. Most people enjoy photography to some degree. Most people are interested in good cameras. Most people like taking photos of their mundane lives. That’s the wider audience. So it always kills me when I hear “DON’T SHOOT IN JPEG” because you’re expecting people to open a photo-editing software to ‘perfect’ their photos. The keyword here is “perfect”. It starts to get discouraging, like if I don’t shoot and edit in RAW, my photos are just shit.

I know this might seem like a silly rant, but I’ve read enough articles, watched countless videos, and this is the common thing I hear often. Obviously, I can shoot however I want, as I do. But my gripe with this “rule” is that it turns a lot of people away. It makes amateurs, enthusiasts, and hobbyists like myself, feel like, REAL photography is shot in RAW and edited. Of course, to professionals who sell their digital photos or prints, this makes sense. But does this rule apply to the wider audience? Really?

With that said, I only shoot in RAW when the lighting is absolute shite. I’m talking like, sunniest day possible or the darkest lighting possible. And that’s because it’s way easier to correct overblown highlights or shadows. But 99% of the time, I shoot in JPEG and a lot of the time, I am posting straight out of the camera. Although, I’m particularly picky about the LOOK of my photos, so I usually apply my own filters.

The other downside of shooting RAW, for me personally, is how much more space they take up. They are big files, so for every 1 RAW file, you can probably take about 10 jpegs. I watched one YouTuber say, “I don’t want to hear the excuses for not shooting RAW. If you run out of space, buy extra batteries and extra SD Cards”. Bruh…. sorry we are all not able to drop $100+ on higher GB SD cards and extra batteries. I also, simply, don’t really want to. I want it to feel organic when I take photos. If I run out of space, if my battery dies, then so be it. It’s better to capture the moment in front of you, instead of waiting around for something else to MAYBE be memorable. But I’d rather have 300 shots instead of 100. Again, if you’re doing a JOB, then that’s a different story. You’re not going to photograph a wedding with one SD card and one camera. But most of us aren’t that audience.

You also have to remember, the reason these Peter McKinnon-type YouTubers specifically tell you this stuff is because they are usually advertising a product that’s affiliated with their channel. And I get it, more power to them and their hustle. But I’m just saying, don’t let any of that discourage you from shooting your shots. I’ve had countless people tell me they like photography but feel too intimidated to start. They want to post their photos, but feel like it’s not good enough. They don’t have the best photography gear. They don’t have the best camera. The most fun I’ve ever had shooting photographs, is with this Ricoh GR II (which all of these photos are shot on.) This is a camera that was released in 2007. It’s 15 years old! And it’s literally one of the best compact cameras I’ve ever own. You can get a used one for roughly $200-400 depending on the condition. You don’t need the latest or greatest of anything. You need only to adventure out. I’ve taken most of my best photos with my iPhone tbh.

The best photos are the ones you actually take. Periodt. Trying to perfectly curate every single shot is not realistic to me. It’s a turn off. Instead, I just shoot hundreds of photographs and pick 3-4 of my favorites. And sometimes, my favorite shots are often the most imperfect, compositionally, but have the best lighting or best moment. And to me, that’s my favorite thing about photography. There’s always an element of surprise when you go out and shoot.

all photos shot on Ricoh GR II - Positive Film mode JPEG