Do You Need The RAW Files? (HINT: The Answer Is No)

Can we talk about RAW files for a minute?
(Do you even know what “RAW files” are?)

This topic seems to come and go like the tide. Every few years, the “controversy” of clients requesting RAW files seems to re-surface. It bobs about for a while, and then floats back out to sea, where it rests for a few years before coming back.

I’m a part of quite a few photography Facebook groups (places where photographers can share their work for critique, ask for advice, share their struggles, etc.) and it seems like 2024 is the year clients as requesting RAW files from their photographers, again.

So, let’s talk about it:

WHAT ARE RAW FILES?

RAW files are the format that most professional photographers capture images in. Unlike JPEG files, which are compressed and have certain color and exposure “baked in”, RAW files provide the greatest dynamic range and wide-open options for a photographer to work with in post-processing, without losing quality in the final image.

RAW files are typically very large (much larger than JPEG files) and require specialized software to view and edit.

Think of RAW files like a traditional film negative. Sure, they’re fun to have – but unless those tiny, brown, translucent squares are in the hands of an experienced professional, you (very likely) do not have the capability of turning those film strips into a beautiful image.

WHY DO PEOPLE ASK FOR THE RAW FILES?

It’s 2024 and people are very tech savvy. We all have computers (let’s be honest, likely more than one) in our homes, and we carry small computers around in our pockets 24/7. Additionally: we’ve all become really good at applying “filters” to images in Instagram and VSCO.

The way I see it, there is one main reason that someone would request the RAW files from their photographer:

They are trying to save money.

Requesting the RAW files typically comes along with the request for a discount. After all – if they remove “half” of the work from the photographer, the photographer should lower their price, right?
*This isn’t always the case – sometimes people are just control-freaks and want to have every single photo that was taken because they don’t trust the photographer – that’s a whole other problem. In my experience though, most people ask for the RAW files because they are seeking a discount.

Maybe they saw it suggested online as a way to save money.
Maybe they’re “amateur” photographers themselves (it seems like most people are nowadays) and they think it would be fun to edit their own images.
Maybe someone close to them is a “photographer” (or used to be one) and has volunteered to manipulate the images themselves (maybe as a “gift”? maybe just for fun?)

No matter what, people somehow get the misguided idea that taking the culling and editing of the images out of the photographer’s hands would mean that they can get a discount.

And let’s be brutally honest: good photography is NOT cheap.
In fact, a lot of people can be floored when they hear how much a photographer charges. (Let’s not even talk about the fact that it’s 2024 – welcome to inflation). And if you fall in love with a particular photographer who is above your budget, you might start hunting for a way to find a discount. Sadly, a lot of websites will suggest asking for the RAW files as a means of receiving a discount.

There’s just one problem: good, professional photographers do NOT give their RAW files away, period.

WHY DO PHOTOGRAPHERS NOT GIVE RAW FILES AWAY?

I learned how to manipulate RAW files in college. I learned how to use Photoshop back in 2008 and I’ve used it on a weekly (oftentimes daily) basis ever since. I learned how to use Lightroom a few years ago, to further enhance and speed up my workflow of how I was already operating within Photoshop.

I shoot very specific to how I edit. The two go hand-in-hand. I know precisely how I’m going to edit an image the moment I press the button to release the shutter on my camera. I hardly even look at the back of my camera anymore while I’m out shooting, because I just know – yeah, the image is going to show up a bit dark or bright on my screen, but I know exactly how to make that image beautiful in post-processing.

It’s all part of the process.

A very popular analogy to someone requesting the RAW files from a professional photographer is this:

Imagine that you and your spouse are going out to dinner. You’re celebrating a milestone (maybe a promotion or an anniversary or a birthday), so you pick a fancy restaurant.
You take time to get ready and you wear something special – after all, you’ve been looking forward to this evening for a long time.

You walk into the restaurant and are greeted by the maitre d’hotel. Your coat is taken, and you are seated at a lovely corner table. There are fresh flowers in the centerpiece and lit candles provide the perfect ambiance. Classical music softly serenades you as you’re presented with the menu, a drink selection is suggested, and you’re left to decide what you want to order.

The chef is in the kitchen of that fancy restaurant. He has years of experience. He has trained under the best of the best and he continues to hone in his craft. He is proud of what he does in the kitchen – how he can turn ordinary ingredients into pieces of culinary art. He is highly sought after and is paid well for his knowledge, experience, and creativity.

How do you think the chef of that fancy restaurant would feel, if the request came back to him that the couple seated in his dining room, has simply requested that he deliver the raw ingredients to their table. After all, the prices here are outside of their budget, and so they would like to just get the raw ingredients and then go home to assemble the meal themselves. That way, they would still enjoy a delicious dinner, but at a discount.

You’d likely be tossed out of the restaurant and asked to never come back.

Think of your professional photographer in the same vein as the chef of that fancy restaurant. They have poured years into perfecting their skills and craft. Pressing the shutter button (or selecting the perfect steak) is only half of the process.

And just like no chef would ever dream of handing over his raw ingredients for you to simply “make at home”, no professional photographer would ever dream of handing over their RAW files for you to simply “DIY”.

It just doesn’t work that way.

The process of taking a photo only gets us half-way to the finish line. I then bring those images home, pull out the best of the best, and I very carefully manipulate them until they look exactly as I want them to. I have a particular style and way that I process my image – just as every photographer does.

One of the reasons my clients hire me is specifically for that style.
If an inquiring client doesn’t want to receive go through that full-process with me (or doesn’t trust me to edit their images) – then they’re not my client.

And that’s the story behind RAW files.
(Please don’t ask your photographer if you can have them – just like you’d never ask a chef for his raw ingredients.)