🔓 RAW/NEF vs JPEG — Why RAW Gives You the Edge

Ian Miller
Sep 11
2 min read

🧠 1. Maximum Image Data

RAW files contain all the sensor data—like a digital negative.
JPEGs are compressed and processed in-camera, discarding up to 90% of tonal and color information.
With RAW, you retain full dynamic range, color depth, and exposure latitude.

Think of JPEG as a baked cake. RAW is the full pantry—you decide how to mix, bake, and season.

🎨 2. Superior Editing Flexibility

RAW lets you recover highlights and shadows without degrading image quality.
You can adjust white balance, contrast, exposure, and colour non-destructively.
JPEG edits are baked in—every change risks quality loss.

Shooting RAW means you can revisit your archive and reinterpret your images with fresh eyes and evolving intent.

🌈 3. Better Colour and Tonal Gradation

RAW files support 12–14 bits per channel, while JPEGs are limited to 8 bits.
This means smoother transitions in skies, skin tones, and shadows—critical for storytelling with emotional nuance.

For your work documenting care and dignity, RAW preserves the subtle tonal shifts that convey presence and humanity.

🛠️ 4. Custom Processing, Not Camera Defaults

JPEGs apply in-camera sharpening, noise reduction, contrast, and colour profiles.
RAW lets you override those defaults and apply your own vision in post.

You’re not locked into the camera’s interpretation—you shape the story.

🧳 5. Archival Integrity

RAW files are ideal for long-term storage and re-editing.
As software improves, you can reprocess old RAWs with better tools.
JPEGs are final—what’s lost is lost.

For someone who revisits their archive as a creative discipline, RAW is a living format.

⚠️ Trade-offs to Consider

RAW files are larger and require post-processing.
You’ll need software like Lightroom, Capture NX-D, or PhotoLab.
But the payoff is creative control and fidelity.

In short: RAW/NEF is for photographers who want to craft, not just capture. It’s the format of restraint, revision, and reverence. And for your kind of work—where every tonal shift and framing choice carries ethical weight—it’s not just an advantage. It’s a philosophy.