Home » Why Photos Taken by a Professional Photographer Look Professional and Yours Do Not

Why Photos Taken by a Professional Photographer Look Professional and Yours Do Not

Posted: Tuesday, October 13, 2009

by Alex Koloskov
AKELstudio, Inc.

Professional photographers shoot only in RAW!

It's simple to get technically perfect photography! Shoot RAW or RAW plus JPEG, if your camera supports such modes. When using this format, you will have a choice of using JPEG if you are satisfied with the image; alternatively, you can make adjustments in RAW and then save in JPEG.

What is the difference between JPEG and RAW formats? The main advantage of JPEG format is that images in JPEG are ready for print or can be uploaded to the web as soon as you take them off your camera.

If you choose to use RAW format, you can have a lot of fun manipulating your image. I promise :-). You may not know it, but camera RAW format is 12, 14 or even 16 bits per color (depending on your sensor), compared to 8 bits per color for a JPEG. What does that mean? RAW gives significantly more room for adjustments, as it has more color information (this is a raw snapshot from a camera's sensor), allowing more brightness, contrast, white balance, and saturation, without losing quality. The final image will be converted (down-sampled) to 8 bits per color, because our monitors only support 8 bits per color anyway. Working with JPEG is like manipulating on a small web-size photo, compared to a full-resolution source and saving it to a small size afterward.

Next time we will explain how to choose a RAW converter and show some examples of how to work with it.

Professional photographers know how to use light: strobes, flashes, reflectors, sun or all of them together. They know how to use light right to make it work for them, not against them. How many times do we see people shooting their lovely kids with sun in front or beside them without a flash? I see it every time. We will help you understand which lighting is better in which situation. Keep checking our website for a lighting lesson coming soon! You are also always welcome to ask questions through this site and our blog.

Professional photographers know the simple rules of composition, including golden section, perspective and lines of sight. These are the basics, but they make a big difference in how a final photo will look. Again, I remember what I see in most family albums: a person's head in a center of a frame, while the upper half of the image is all sky. Not the best way to shoot an "I was there" type of photo! Come back for an easy lesson on composition coming soon!

Pros know their cameras. Read the manual of your camera. Read it with the camera in your hand and try to practice right away. Try each mode and understand the difference between them. You have to know at least how to use Av (Aperture priority) and Tv (Shutter priority) modes; these are used by pros 90% of the time.

By following these simple rules, you can greatly improve the quality and look of your photos!

AKELstudio, Inc. is a full service commercial photography studio located in Atlanta, GA offering professional photography for advertisements, catalogs, web sites, brochures, annual reports, construction, architectural and industrial photography, hotel and restaurant photography, food and drink, product, still life photography, editorial photography.

Photography studio web site: www.akelstudio.com

Photographer's Portfolio: http://www.koloskov.com

Working as a professional photographer, Alex concentrates his attention on photographic lighting which makes his images perfectly clear and sharp. His creative mind and strong work ethic help him meet his clients' demands and produce top-quality photographs every time.

AKELstudio, Inc. www.koloskov.com

Blog: http://www.akelstudio.com/blog