Lecture 11: DSLR Photography & Camera RAW Editing

Today’s lecture was the final digital session scheduled for this module. As I’ve mentioned previously I took Photography at A-level so I’m familiar with both DSLR cameras and with camera RAW editing in Adobe Photoshop. However Steve Oliver’s sessions are always informative and helpful. At the end of the day I am always open to a refresher but hopefully I’ll learn something new!

The pre-recorded lecture opened with a video which introduces DSLR cameras as well as how to set up and use a DSLR. Owning both a Nikon 3300, multiple lenses and a tripod meant that for me this aspect of the lecture was pretty basic stuff. I’m not going to go into detail on what transpired in the video but I will say that it was helpful to review the function wheel as I think since leaving photography there hasn’t been much need for experimenting with different settings, this has led me to become comfortable in just using the Auto function.

The second portion of the video was focused on Lighting, specifically on using LED lights and building a reliable set up. Whilst useful this was a bit repetitive this is something we completed last year, but I am intrigued to try using multiple lights in a set up to illuminate a space and add more definition to my subject, this is something I plan to do in the future to photograph my models and props for my portfolio.

Camera RAW editing is something I understand and have utilised before, however I am very excited to learn more about this process as I feel as though there's a lot I don’t know yet. Camera RAW editing allows you to import and enhance raw images without damaging the image. Adobe RAW Editor lets you adjust the image’s temperature, exposure, contrast and more. Whilst I understood the practice I found it interesting to learn that when you’ve finished with editing your image in Camera RAW there is a difference in the file type depending on how you chose to continue or save, ‘open’ or ‘done’. For instance, if you select ‘done’ it will save the image as what Steve terms a ‘digital negative’.

The phrase 'digital negative’ wasn’t something I was familiar with so I decided to pause and look it up, discovering that Digital Negative or DNG is a archival format for raw files which are generated by digital cameras. Basically it would be saved in place of the original RAW file. This also means that the next time I open that file I can just continue editing from where I previously left off. I was shocked to learn how important it is to keep the XMP file in the same folder as the Digital Negative, as this is something I have definitely overlooked in the past. By moving the file from the original you remove the possibility of continuously editing from where you originally saved it.