Photography

Photography — questions and answers

What does shooting in RAW give you that JPEG doesn't?

RAW files preserve all the data the sensor captured, allowing extensive adjustment of exposure, white balance, and shadow or highlight detail in post-production without degrading image quality. JPEGs apply compression and bake in settings at capture, leaving far less room to recover detail or correct colour later.

Why do some photographs look sharp on screen but soft when printed large?

Print resolution demands more pixel density than screens. An image that looks crisp at 72 or 96 pixels per inch on a monitor needs at least 300 pixels per inch for sharp printing. If the file lacks sufficient pixel dimensions, enlarging it for print exposes softness or visible pixelation.

What's the practical difference between a 35mm and an 85mm lens for portraits?

A 35mm lens includes more background and requires standing closer to the subject, which can distort facial features slightly. An 85mm lens allows greater working distance, compresses perspective more naturally, and isolates the subject better with shallower depth of field, making it a common choice for flattering portraits.

Can you fix motion blur after the photograph has been taken?

Not reliably. Motion blur results from the subject or camera moving during exposure, and that information is genuinely lost. Sharpening filters can't reconstruct detail that was never recorded. Preventing blur requires faster shutter speeds, flash, or stabilisation at the moment of capture.

What does it mean to deliver images with embedded colour profiles?

A colour profile tells software how to interpret the numerical colour values in an image file, ensuring consistent appearance across devices. Embedding profiles like sRGB or Adobe RGB means colours display predictably whether opened on a phone, monitor, or sent to a printer, rather than shifting unpredictably.

How does artificial lighting differ from working with natural light on location?

Artificial lighting—strobes, continuous LEDs, or tungsten—gives complete control over direction, intensity, colour temperature, and consistency, but requires carrying equipment and knowing how to shape it. Natural light is free and often flattering, but changes constantly with weather, time of day, and season, demanding adaptability and sometimes compromise.