Wow, have we been keeping busy! This NEXT week is going to be awesome… taking a little trip to Virginia Beach for one wedding and then to the mountains for another!

Recently someone asked us, “So what is a RAW file anyway and what makes it so much better than JPEGs? Do you give RAW files to your clients?”

When you first turn on your camera, it’s almost always set to automatically take pictures in .jpeg format.

Lower end, consumer cameras only shoot photos in .jpeg and only give you the option to choose the quality of the .jpeg you want to produce.

DSLRs, mirrorless cameras, and some higher end point-and-shoots have an option to shoot RAW rather than JPEG.

When we are shooting with our digital cameras on jobs though, we shoot RAW. No exceptions. 

The image on the right was initially overexposed… from one moment to the next, the sun came out from behind a cloud so the light coming from the window became much brighter. Shooting RAW allowed us to save the exposure and the highlights when Allie gave us this gorgeous smile, so that it looks no different from the image on the left which was exposed correctly. 

What is a RAW file? 

For a lot of people, it doesn’t matter what it is. Not everyone “needs” to shoot RAW. It’s basically a little folder of uncompressed, or “RAW,” data. It’s information that hasn’t yet been turned into an image (or image file). That’s why when, if you ever try to shoot in “RAW” mode on your DSLR and then transfer your images to your computer, you cannot open them to view unless you have a special editing software such as Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom.

Because it’s “raw” and uncompressed, it retains all of the information that reached your camera’s sensor, making it very easy to save highlights (or the bright areas) in post processing. That’s our favorite part about shooting RAW – being able to maintain greater “dynamic range,” which is basically the scale of different shades of light from white to black. Finally, RAW files maintain their quality and can be edited and re-edited without a loss of quality. JPEGs lose information each time you edit them – even if you rotate them, I’ve heard. RAW files are through and through just far more flexible.

So while not everyone “needs” to shoot RAW, if you’re a professional or even a serious amateur, you can see why it’s the better option.

Shooting RAW DOESN’T mean:

Shooting RAW does NOT mean not paying attention to your exposure settings. Do not, do not, do not go on a serious shoot and say, “Well, I’ll fix that later.” You should try and do everything to get your exposure right in camera. As flexible as RAW files are, it’s still possible to lose your highlights or underexpose, making either a harsh, white image with tons of lost information or a dark image which can be corrected but get’s extremely “noisy” (noise = ugly digital grain) in the process. Also, trying to get your settings right “in camera” eliminates tons of time in post which could be spent doing better things! Like watching soccer, eating sushi or getting out in the real world (what we like to do in our free time).

Look at it this way: 

A raw file is bigger, clumsier, takes more time to transfer, cannot be printed directly, usually looks slightly flat and needs a bit of sharpening. But that’s because it is what it is – it’s an unfinished product, and a far superior file than a .jpeg. It gives you more creative control with which to produce the final result.

That’s also exactly why, although we offer “digital negatives,” we don’t offer our RAW files. If someone sees our photos and loves our style, but wants to have RAW files to edit themselves, then they’re not really getting our style are they? You wouldn’t go to a restaurant, order the house special, but ask that it be brought out for you to prepare yourself, right? What was the purpose of going to the restaurant then? 

We hope this helps!

<3 xoxo, Michael and Carina

PS: If you have a question about photography, please leave a comment, send us an email at info@www.michaelandcarina.com or drop us a line at our Facebook page.

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]]> http://www.michaelandcarina.com/q-a-thursday-raw-vs_jpeg_virginia_wedding_photographers/feed/ 0 http://www.michaelandcarina.com/williamsburg-wedding-photographers-christopher-wren-wedding-emily-chris/ http://www.michaelandcarina.com/williamsburg-wedding-photographers-christopher-wren-wedding-emily-chris/#comments Tue, 17 Sep 2013 06:03:47 +0000 michaelandcarina http://www.michaelandcarina.com/?p=6648

Simple… fun… easygoing… beautiful

These are perfect words to describe Chris and Emily’s wedding which took place at the Christopher Wren Building on the historic College of William and Mary Campus last week. Emily’s parents work for the college so it was a natural first choice.

Emily grew up in Williamsburg, but she and her now-husband Chris live in New York City. Chris and his closest friends and family joined Emily’s in Virginia last week to celebrate as he and Emily tied the knot at the Chapel. Afterwards, we all headed over to the nearby Williamsburg Manor Bed & Breakfast for a beautiful, easygoing, simple reception.

We were honored to be a part of this beautiful day. Emily’s indoor bridal portraits were taken at the Wren Building and after the wedding we had a fun portrait session in the nearby gardens, which at one point involved crashing a tailgating party! lol

Emily and Chris happen to be lovers of film themselves-  they brought a Polaroid camera for guests to have fun with at the reception… we were happy to get our hands on it too!

Thanks so much for inviting us to be a part of your special day, Emily & Chris! It was a night to remember!

We photographed these on digital & film; the film was developed and scanned by Richard Photo Lab.

We were assisted by our wonderful friend Anthony Le <3 Thanks, Anthony.

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Hope this helps guys!

Please send your requests for Q & A Tuesdays to info@www.michaelandcarina.com or visit us on Facebook.

This falls into the category of something we don’t often do, except on the rare occassion…

And Alicia and Josh are very special to us for booking with us back when most people thought we were crazy for moving to the US and going full-time photographers at the same time.

Monica is an absolutely beautiful young lady who’s full of big ambitions.

She loves video games (something we have in common), especially The Sims. She doesn’t just like to play them, she finds them inspirational as a creative outlet…

She wants to design them and develop them, too.

Her big dream is to work in California at a video game company.

She was perfect in front of the camera and Alicia did a fantastic job on her makeup, too!

Monica, hope you enjoy your all-film senior session and Alicia and Josh… see you soon at your wedding!

These were photographed on Fuji400h film and developed by Richard Photo Lab.

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We had shot some film at the Norfolk Botanical Gardens before… but on this particular day the clouds rolled in so we got some really beautiful dramatic light, almost spotlighting our gorgeous couple in the middle of the idyllic gardens (seriously, if you’re reading this and are debating whether or not to shoot there, let’s shoot there!).

Morgan is a meteorologist and Wade is a proud member of the military.

We loved how natural and relaxed they were in front of the camera, exchanging little secret jokes and keeping it romantic but fun.

That’s the secret behind photos like this… we like to describe our work as natural. And Morgan and Wade just fit that description perfectly!

These were shot on a mix of Kodak Portra 160 and Fujipro400h and developed by Indie Film Lab!

Couple sessions begin at $550 and are included for *free* in wedding collections!

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Sarah and Jeff have been inseparable for years. They love the outdoors, their dog Bailey and hanging out with friends. They are also business partners! And we think they are also secretly models.

Yorktown Beach is one of our favorite spots in Virginia for engagement sessions. And when the light is right, it’s just magic!
<3

All film. Fuji 400H. Developed by Indie Film Lab.

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We wanted to wait until we received their film scans to share this blog post…

But we couldn’t…

Morgan and Wade are an amazingly in love couple.

He’s a sailor in the US Navy… she’s a meteorologist, raised on Maryland’s Eastern Shore and currently based out of Milwaukee.

Like we’ve said, we seem to always find those couples who have their love tested by a long distance relationship… just like us…

They are soo perfect for each other… and so hilarious! Such a cool sense of humor, laid back and easy going…

Their favorite restaurant? Chuck E. Cheese.

They were constantly throwing insider jokes back and forth…

We loved hearing how he asked her to marry him <3

But ever so often the perfect quiet moment just… happened.

And the whole evening was beautiful.

The Norfolk Botanical Gardens were the perfect setting… but more perfect was the energy they just shared.

They’re currently planning their wedding on MD’s Eastern Shore…

We know it’s going to be even more breathtaking…

Morgan and Wade, thanks so much for inviting us to document your love story!

Film scans coming soon-

Thanks to Carina’s brother, Jonas, for assisting us!

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Film scans coming soon!

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We wanted to wait until we got their film scans back to share these with you…

But… *sigh*

We couldn’t.

These are just too gorgeous!! Just can’t keep them to ourselves any longer!

Enjoy! <3

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I have been looking forward to this time for an entire year. My “little” brother, Jonas, has been a big part of my life ever since I was seven years old. We traveled together, studied together, went through thick and thin… now he is 16 years old and actually taller than me.

It was the hardest thing for me to hug him good-bye in August 2012 when Michael and I moved to the United States after living in Europe for 4 years. I knew I would miss him the most. That’s why as soon as we found a good deal, we got a ticket for Jonas to come visit us this summer. He has been working towards this vacation all year too…he will actually graduate from German high school next summer… *so proud*

After a few more “car adventures” (yeah…that is “positive-talk” for expensive repairs), Michael and I got a rental car to pick up Jonas from Dulles airport. We ate rice cakes on the way – a family tradition And I was so excited to finally see my brother again. I was wondering how he would like our new home, what he would think of our apartment, our job, our new “American way of life”. I couldn’t wait to introduce him to all of it.

Then…Thursday night he finally arrived. First thing we did was buy him some Starbucks. Yup, welcome to America, bro!

We spent all Friday discovering D.C. – the gorgeous marble city that I think is pretty similar to Rome. We saw all the monuments and two museums; the Air and Space Museum and the Natural Science Museum. We loved seeing the dinosaur bones. My brother was blown away; after all he used to be a HUGE dino fan! We also saw the White House, the Capitol,…we walked from place to place – by foot. It was great! At any given opportunity, we hung our feet in the water/pools. My brother was impressed by it all. One of our last stops on our D.C. tour was the Lincoln Memorial. That place is really special to Michael and I. Yes, it has a lot of history etc. but it also has a special meaning for our love story. In August 2007, when I was 17 years old (yikes, just 1 year older than my little brother now!!!), Michael asked me to be his wife on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial after a romantic summer day spent in D.C. Being there brought back a lot of memories and I am super excited to have nice pictures of us there now (thank you, Jo! he has become a pro at photography!). It was also really great making new memories there with my brother.  This place will always be special to me.

The next day (after a few more “car adventures”), we drove through the Virginian countryside towards our new home listening to John Denver and Johnny Cash. We made a few stops on the way, taking pictures by awesome signs and cars, feeding some hungry stray cats and eventually hitting up a superstore. We really wanted Jonas to experience it all

He is having a great time here in America, noticing all the little differences between the two countries, Germany and America. He loves American hospitality, music and BBQ and he is excited to dive even deeper within the next weeks.

I am over the moon. Within these few weeks, I want to show my brother why we love living here and savor every moment together. These memories will last forever. That’s why I am so thankful for these photos…they are much more than travel snapshots…they will remind us of these wonderful times spent together.

Here are some highlights from the past few days…more to come soon!

But we are totally thrilled at how these film scans came back from Indie Film Lab.

They pretty much matched our digital files from a color standpoint, which is exactly what we wanted!

Moving forward, we will begin posting our digital work and our film work side by side for a more comprehensive presentation.  

Xi and Wesley, enjoy

film: fuji400h

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