One of the biggest pet peeve for a wedding photographer, is when clients make a regular, yet ill-judged demand — asking for RAW images. Now we know if you are at the other end of the service spectrum you may have asked for RAW images yourself or have every intention to procure them because well, you paid for them. So what’s the big deal anyway?

The deal is that they aren’t what you thought them to be —  the solution to all your photography woes. Contrary to popular belief RAW images are not natural images, high-resolution JPEG files or synonymous with all the images your photographer shot on the wedding day. RAW is  essentially a format in which wedding photographers shoot. They are just extremely large files that carries the full range of data for a given picture. So they are unedited but allow you to control far more in post-processing than you ever could could shooting JPEG. This is because when shooting in RAW the camera stores the full tonal range for lights, darks, highlights, and shadows, as well as the full range of colors and exposure (brightness).

The problem is that while it may seem on the surface that RAW images give you full-control over your photographs in reality that’s quite a mirage. So to save you from the unnecessary disappointment, Lifeworks Studios decided to bust some common misconceptions about RAW images as well as give you five reasons that will positively convince you why your photographer refusing to give you RAW images, is really the best decision  for you.

1. Tough Nuts To Crack

You can’t just fire up your I-photo or use VSCO tricks to edit RAW images. You need specialised software like Adobe Lightroom and sometimes even Adobe Photoshop for further processing. Not everyone has these softwares and moreover they are quite expensive. Also if you really want to edit them yourself, you are actually wasting quite a bit of your money. For when you hire a wedding photographer, editing the photographs is part of the service!

If you want the best of both worlds — editing a few photographs yourself and letting your photographer do the rest you are going to lose that consistent aesthetic in your wedding album.

2. They Are Huge

At more than 30MB per photo, those babies will fill up your hard drive real fast. Wedding photographers take an average of 5,000-7,000 images for just three ceremonies. If you can help it, you want to stay away from those kind of numbers.

3. Trusting Your Photographer

This is perhaps the key reason why you shouldn’t, wouldn’t and possibly couldn’t need RAW photographs.

You hired your wedding photographer based on their style and portfolio — which reflects itself in not just the photos they shoot but what they present to you after processing and editing RAW files. That is there true finished product.  You need to trust your wedding photographer to cull the best photographs from the ones they have shot and edit them to the best of their ability.

If you are still hoping to find some amazing image your photographer missed, then perhaps you should reconsider hiring a photographer you have more faith in, for which we have a guide here. (hyper-link previous article)

4. They Look Terrible

What most clients expect when they ask for RAW  files, is JPEG images images — the kind which are shot from your regular camera. You love these photos because they automatically compress the RAW image file and add basic changes to it in terms of highlights, shadows and contrasts.

On the other hand RAW files come out looking completely flat and dull along with inaccurate colors and extreme highlights or shadows. Though give these images to your photographer and it becomes for him or her the essential building blocks for creating their own artistic style.

5. Damaging For The Photographer

RAW images are a complete misrepresentation of a photographer’s skill and style. It’s like asking an artist to give their art before its finished and then judging their talent on that basis.

Moreover, if anyone were to see it and is most likely to have little or no knowledge about RAW images the photographer’s reputation and brand name is completely destroyed. That’s why its global industry standard not to give RAW files to the client.

If your photographer is ready to deliver the RAW images to you there is a fair chance he’s going to price them high and make money off it or he’s fairly new to the field and doesn’t want to lose out on clients.

At Lifeworks Studios we don’t provide RAW images to our clients (its in our contract) because we believe that if they have entrusted us with capturing one of the most special moments of their life, there is no reason why we should give them the unnecessary task of culling RAW files.

Our finished products will surely be worth both their time and resources.

So in our opinion, don’t walk away from the person who could be your ideal wedding photographer just because he or she won’t give you those RAW files — which you don’t need anyway.

Here’s some of our favourite photographs of our favourite clients!

Did you know not all photographers can shoot in low light?

Perhaps one of the most daunting task of planning a wedding (sometimes even more than picking your partner!) is
choosing a photographer. That single most-important person who will be capturing the madness, the joy and the thrill of one of the most important days of your life.

So how will you pick this photographer from the infinite options which are bound to pop up in your search engines? How do you trust him or her to crystallise these precious moments of your life? And how do you manage to procure these perfect frames without being broke for the rest of the year?

If you are getting married soon, we know that when it comes to wedding photography these are the kind of dilemmas gnawing at your brain. Yes, it’s easy to get helplessly overwhelmed and then make a hasty, last-minute decision just so you can tick it off your ever-growing wedding to-do list.

The good news is that you don’t have to.

Here at Lifeworks Studios, we decided to give you an insider’s guide to choosing the perfect wedding photographer – without losing your mind. These 10 easy actionable-steps which have been compiled after arduous discussions with our in-house team and top experts from the industry is all you need to drive those photography blues away.

So scroll down to find your ‘soul-photographer’ (yes, that’s a thing!) so that you can look forward to being clicked on your big day!

1. Your Day, Your Style

While it’s easy to pick the photographer who did a fabulous job for your best-friend’s wedding, it can also prove as a complete disaster for you. That’s because your best-friend’s wedding was captured in the style he or she wanted which can be completely different from your aesthetic sensibilities. Most wedding photographers have niche style in which they best capture a wedding. Believing that they can recreate the same magic for any style will most likely result in some unpleasant surprises.

If you are a newbie to the world of wedding photography some of the popular styles today are photojournalism, contemporary wedding photography and the old-school studio photography. If you still feeling quite lost begin with picking wedding photographs you really love and getting to know which styles they were shot in.

Pro Tip : Your monetary budget finds its base in the style you choose.

2. Putting Down The Big-Bucks

If you are looking to buy leather boots then you would know that by the virtue of the craft required to make them they demand a higher base budget than your regular canvas shoes.

Similarly the budget for your wedding photographer will depend on the skill and resources required for the photography style you prefer.

So start by scanning the market prices for the style of wedding photography you and your partner have finalised on. Also keep an eye out for the range of quality provided in each style – this will depend on the time a photographer invests in his work (pre & post shoot), the inventory of his equipment and his experience in the field. These become the markers of different rates within a particular style of photography.  Once you have completed your style-specific research you are ready to put down a budget which suits you best and is is even realistic for your potential photographers!

Pro Tip : There is no point spending time and energy in photographers that you won’t be able to afford.

3. Photographs v/s Albums

It’s easy to lure clients with a compilation of your best photographs taken from different weddings. Though if you really want to know the true worth of your photographer request for at least two-three of his or her complete albums. This way you can analyse whether or not the photographer is genuinely good at telling long visual narratives or can only manage a few great Facebook display pictures.

Going through albums can also help you determine the strength and weakness of your photographer. For example a photographer might bring out stunning pictures when working with  natural light. However, if you are getting married in a dimly lit hall and he has nothing to show for that, he’s definitely not your guy.

Pro Tip : Yes, your eyes might go numb from looking at album after album but trust us, it’s worth the ordeal.

4. Befriending Your Photographer

It is absolutely fine to just want a professional relationship with your photographer but it helps to know him or her personally too. Why? You will be spending most of your time with him on your BIG day, so it’s good to have someone who won’t make you want to disappear or better still you actually like having around.

So have an in-person meeting with your photographer before you decide to hire them. This can also become a space for you to have all your unanswered queries regarding his services (don’t forget to make that list of questions) and also put forward your own aesthetic expectations. Unlike virtual correspondences this not only saves time but also keeps you away from being disappointed with your photographs at a later stage.

Pro Tip : Don’t panic if your photographer doesn’t binge-watch the same Netflix series as you do. He doesn’t have to be your BFF. Just someone who gains your trust with their work and personality.

5. So Who Is Shooting Anway?

As Murphy’s law – “whatever can go wrong, will go wrong” proves to be painfully true in most situations, don’t think it will make an exception for your big day. Just be prepared. Not only make sure that the photographer you interviewed will be the one taking the bride and groom’s photographs but also that your contract mentions a backup shooter, incase something were to happen to your main photographer.

Also, even if you are subjected to obtuse reasoning by family, do not hire seperate teams, i.e – one for bride and one for groom. Use those resources to hire one exceptional photography team. Unless you want to end up with mediocre

photographs where each team gets in each other’s way and even your frame!

Pro Tip : If you are confused about the ideal strength of your wedding photography team, contact Lifeworks Studios for free consultation!  

6. Beware Of The ‘Weekend Photographer’

Photography can be a tricky terrain to manage when you are earning a living out of it and so many turn to weddings when the cash-flow is running dry. Though these “weekend photographers” might have delivered some great work in the past, seasoned photographers still have an edge over them. For example in dire situations they have better back-up equipment and storage solutions which might become a crisis situation for photographers who occasionally venture into the wedding field. Also, full-time wedding photographers are more likely to offer you a far wider range of additional services and diverse package choices as compared to a weekend photographer.

Pro Tip : Seasoned and full-time wedding photographers are less likely to be solely driven by monetary gains and thus are more dedicated towards their art.   

7. Bringing Home The Best Package

Along with shooting time, a photographer offers various other services in his package like albums, special effects, retouching options and additional shooting of your engagement, after-party or even your pre-wedding shoot. Get the final quotes for an all-inclusive package that suits you best and compare it to the packages of the other photographers you have shortlisted.

Pro Tip: Make sure you double-check the coverage time mentioned in your package. You want those photographs right

from the time when you begin to get ready for the big day until your final exit from the ceremony!

8. Post-Production Meets Patience

Yes, we know you’re anticipating the clicks from your big day but it usually takes a month before you will receive the final photographs. This is because your photographer is shooting  enormous raw files far bigger than a typical JPG. While this gives him or her greater ability to correct the photo it also slows down the process of uploading, processing and editing them.

Each photographer will also have his or her own post-production style of working. Make sure you ask them the resolution at which you will be receiving the files, the number of images you can expect and what is their process of re-touching images.

Pro Tip : Do not ask your photographer for RAW images. Unless you want to burden yourself with gigabytes you could

9. Reviews And Recommendations To The Rescue

If you are still feeling indecisive after following all the above mentioned tips, don’t fret. We understand it’s your big day and you are aiming for nothing less than perfection. So let reviews, recommendations and testimonials by ex-clients help you pick the photographers you have shortlisted.

Pro Tip : People with past experience with a photographer maybe able to give you a perspective you might have missed.

Our thorough guide and pro-tips are designed to ensure a stress-free road to finding your perfect wedding photographer. Don’t hold back when it comes to investing time, patience and resources for the photographer you want. At Lifeworks Studios we believe that those first gleeful looks,  affectionate gestures and wild laughs on your wedding day mark the beginning of the special moments you will make with your partner.

Years later when memory might fail you these photographs will be all you will have, of the young couple you once were and perhaps wish to be again.