Note: This site is currently "Under construction". I'm migrating to a new version of my site building software. Lots of things are in a state of disrepair as a result (for example, footnote links aren't working). It's all part of the process of building in public. Most things should still be readable though.

RAW Images

I took the new camera out to photograph a friend's band last night. I find it's always a good idea to take some photos of the bartenders too. Helps to get to know them which tends to pay off nicely.

I noticed a mirror behind them so I shifted to where I though the flash wouldn't reflect and cause issues with the exposure. Turns out that there were two mirrors and I was a little off.

You can see the flash reflection and the under-exposure it caused in this image:

An under-exposed and dark photo of five bartenders smiling in a group behind a bar.

If I was using the JPEG image format to save the files, the image would have looked crummy if I tried to lighten it to a decent level. But, I was using RAW which allows much more manipulation while maintaining quality.

I figured I'd see how far I could push it. I'm pleased with the result:

Five bartenders smiling in a group behind a bar with an adjusted exposure lightening the photo to make it more visible

This is the first time I've pushed an image like this. I'm impressed.

Bonus points for salvaging an image that I can drop off for the crew.