I shoot RAW.
A quote that in itself doesn’t say a lot. But when you see it in context, it makes much more sense.
First, you might ask what RAW is. The simplest answer to that would be that your camera stores what it sees without compressing the data like it would do with JPEG. It’s kind of like the digital answer to the editing flexibility of film.
Of course, uncompressed data means more data. A lot more data. But with memory cards getting more affordable (of course there are also more expensive options), size is no excuse to shoot JPEG. When you want JPEG, you can still do both.
More data also means more information for editing software like Lightroom to work with. You can edit JPEGs to some degree, but you’ll have more possibilities and flexibility with RAW. And I edit all photos I share with anyone. It gives them a personal touch and helps you to tell your story.
My last argument would be that JPEG hands over all style decisions to the camera. It kind of incapacitates the photographer. The photographer that is you.
Why do you shoot RAW? Why do you prefer JPEG? Tell me in the comments down below.