I was having fun today taking shots of Valentine candies and was reminded of something very important!

Why I shoot in RAW!

First things first, what is RAW?

Exactly what it says - it's a format within your camera that is recording and giving you the RAW data. Basically, if you shoot in JPEG format, you are recording and getting files that have been slightly touched up by your camera (i.e. lighting and color). If you have manipulated your own settings using manual mode, this is the LAST thing that you want your camera to be doing for you!

So, my first reason for shooting RAW is that my camera is recording the RAW data for me, rather than recording and processing the file itself.

Here is how to set your camera to shoot in RAW format (for Nikon users & I'm sure its pretty similar for Canon)!

Secondly, when manipulating your own settings using manual mode on your camera, it is so easy to slip up and overexpose or underexpose an image. Here was my slip up today!