Can I have your RAW files??

[Dylan & Marianne]

Marianne and I just had an enquiry about a wedding where the client wanted RAWS to do their own processing?
In short, we weren't available anyway but if we were, I think we would have said no anyway?
We haven't been in the game that long but it's our first experience with someone asking for original files
Is this a common request and do photographers actually give their RAWs out to clients? - just curious is all

[ameerat42]

Are they pRAWns? RAW pRAWns?

That's enough to start a WAR!

[Steve Axford]

Er, why not? If they are doing the paying and the pay is reasonable, why would you care?

[JM Tran]

Er, why not? If they are doing the paying and the pay is reasonable, why would you care?

LOL, Kym's post is a pretty good summary as to WHY


After only 4 years of doing weddings, and 80 ish weddings - never once have I given out RAW files even if the client offered to pay more.

Primarily because I dont trust their processing and editing, and if they do a crappy job, my name is still associated as being the photographer who took that badly edited photo - thus making my business name look bad. Not to mention potential loss of future clients and sales etc.

[Xenedis]

I'm not sure what other photographers do, but I'd be saying no.

[Kym]

No, Nyet, Nein, Nay, Non !!!!!
http://www.freelang.net/expressions/no.php

You have lost all creative control if you do.

Edit: @Steve Why you must care... Say they really bugga up the processing and people see the images and ask who the 'tog was ... your professional name is mud.

[Dylan & Marianne]

Steve - mainly for the reason kym stated- my thinking is that we'd like people to associate 'everlook' with the kind of images we put out - if said client did what we considered a butcher PP job and then blamed us or even credited us with a look we didn't appreciate, then Marianne and I aren't comfortable with it - just a personal preference and a reason why we definitely we would say no.
I was just interested in the opinions of others coming from a viewpoint that everyone's views are valid (it's not my intention to start a flame war !)

[Xenedis]

Dylan: Bingo. My reason for declining echoes yours.

[Dylan & Marianne]

how often do you get asked Jackie? it's the first time we have been and we were taken a little aback lol - noone's ever asked us for a RAW of our landscape shots for instance

[JM Tran]

how often do you get asked Jackie? it's the first time we have been and we were taken a little aback lol - noone's ever asked us for a RAW of our landscape shots for instance

about 50% of my weddings are Asian clients, and about 1 in 4 will sometimes ask - oh can we have the raw files so we can edit later? The dilemma here is that only half of them will really know what a RAW file is, they think raw means just an unedited jpeg

Questions I have had asked before

-can we have the raw files along with the edited photos you include for us on disc - NO

-can we have the raw files of our parents before they go home or go back to Asia? - NO

-can you change those B&W shots into colours as well for us, or give us the raw files so we can do it? - NO

-can we get the RAW files off you at the end of the night before you leave? - NO

-can your 2nd photographer give us the RAW files when he finishes tonight? - NO


so yeah, you get all sorts of funny questions. But 99% of them will just acknowledge it and never bug you again

YOU GOTTA BE FIRM!

friendly, fair, but firm

[Xenedis]

Questions I have had asked before

Easily summarised as "Can <blah blah> raw files <blah blah>?"

"No."

:-)

[JM Tran]

Easily summarised as "Can <blah blah> raw files <blah blah>?"

"No."

:-)

yeah pretty much it! as soon as hear the word RAW my brain switches off and I start thinking about cool things, like sleep, or Lego etc.

[junqbox]

For all the reasons above I wouldn't give anyone a Raw file, or a JPEG larger than a basic version.

[Brian500au]

Very interesting discussion here - what stops a client editing the smallest jpeg you give them, and making a hack of it but still putting it on display.

I have had many a model take a 0.25mb jpeg and edit it without my permission (normally a terrible job).

You are assuming all your clients know the difference between a raw file and a low quality jpg. I reckon I could ask 100 people where I work if they knew what a raw file was, and I would bet 98 would say no. Then again if I asked you photographers what a stopple fitting was I would assume not many would know.

Have you guys found a magic code that stops your clients editing any jpeg you pass to them?

[Xenedis]

what stops a client editing the smallest jpeg you give them, and making a hack of it but still putting it on display.

Legally: Whatever condition you specify in the contract which forbids people to modify and republish your work.

Practically: Nothing.

But why make it easy for them? Giving them a raw file -- the least processed and most pure form of image -- provides the potential for a would-be editor (who knows what (s)he is doing) to extract the most from it.

[JM Tran]

Legally: Whatever condition you specify in the contract which forbids people to modify and republish your work.

Practically: Nothing.

But why make it easy for them? Giving them a raw file -- the least processed and most pure form of image -- provides the potential for a would-be editor (who knows what (s)he is doing) to extract the most from it.

Not to mention if one is spot on with processing and editing, the model or client would have no urge/incentive to edit them anyway

[NikonNellie]

what stops a client editing the smallest jpeg you give them, and making a hack of it but still putting it on display.

I am only very new to having clients but I get them to sign a contract that forbids any modification or replication of my images as well as getting them to acknowledge that I own the copyright to the images. I provide them with full sized jpegs on a disk to have printed as they please as well as specific web -sized images and collages for their facebook page - this way I basically have some control as to what images go on facebook as I tell them that they are the only images that I give permission to be posted on the net. So far so good! I would never give out my RAW images. Like I say I am very new to the business side of photography and probably still have a lot to learn business wise.

[Xenedis]

I wonder how many wedding clients are photographers, or otherwise possess the skills to properly process photographic images.

It's said that doctors make the worst patients. Maybe photographers make the worst subjects.

[camerasnoop]

I wonder how many wedding clients are photographers, or otherwise possess the skills to properly process photographic images.

It's said that doctors make the worst patients. Maybe photographers make the worst subjects.

I suspect that their photographer friends suggest they get the RAW files. Lots of people here know how to edit RAW files. I'd agree with Xenedis that photographers are sometimes each others' worst enemies. I've had one person ask me for RAW files and I refused, but offered him full-res JPEGs extracted from the RAW without any of my edits. He didn't want those. He wanted the RAWs or nothing. I guess he's probably editing my already edited JPEGs now.

[ameerat42]

...He wanted the RAWs or nothing...

The puffed-up cheeky person!

You should have taken him up on the "nothing".
Am.