Practical Artistry: Light & Exposure for Digital Photographers

152 Digital Darkroom

Digital photography is one part photography and one

part digital. In many ways, the fun in digital photogra-

p

hy begins after

you take the photo.

That’s not to justify taking lousy photos. I’m a firm be-

lie

ver in taking the best photos you possibly can in the

first place. Ideally, digital post-processing should en-

h

ance great captures, not fix problems in exposure and

lighting. To take the best digital photos possible, you

need to understand the power and capabilities of the

digital darkroom in advance.

As I mentioned earlier, a RAW capture saves all the orig-

i

nal data of a digital photo. Since all the data is present in

a RAW capture, this kind of exposure is the best place to

start in the digital darkroom to get the most from your

photos. However, getting good results with a RAW pho

-

t

o requires an extensive process (see sidebar).

The key point to realize about a RAW conversion is

that a RAW original file is a potential p

hoto, not the

photo itself. I’ve heard this put using a silver-halide

metaphor: the RAW file is the negative, and the fin-

i

shed version is the print. While the metaphor isn’t

perfect (the finished version is a computer file, not a

print, after all), the sentiment does accurately convey

the sense that, like an old-fashioned print, a finished

digital photo depends on the vision and skill of the

craftsperson ...