Shooting In The Raw...

So, I have always shot jpeg, and thus always received flack from my RAW file shooting peers. But why fix what isn't broken? Raw files are giant, time-suckers that look curiously identical to their svelte, ether-thin jpeg counterparts. Jpegs are lightening fast when shooting and post-processing.  I am told by my sharp-shooting RAW file friends that there are other great editing possibilities on the other side of the data file rainbow. Nope, I said, can't afford the hours and hours of extra editing time, even if the rumors of RAW file elfin magic were true.

Lightroom is the answer, my uber-talented second shooter, Chris Lee said. Don't worry, Lightroom does it all for you as a batch. Now, I like batches. Photoshop will do lots of things for you as a batch. In fact, it cleans up images so well, I call it the washing machine. You can set it up to work on hundreds of images while you are off doing other things like, well, real laundry.

So I did it in the RAW, files anyway. Lightroom did not disappoint. The post-processing was handled in one big fat batch, I think I even heard my computer cry at one point. The images looked great. However, I had a problem. Something was missing. The images were cleaned up and even converted to petite little jpegs, but that was not enough. Gone were my special touches, the look and style that I give to each individual image, never done in a batch, but always done with what I believe is the quickest editing system on the planet, my dq QuiKeys. My QuiKeys only worked with Photoshop, which brought me back to my first problem with RAW files, they add much more work.  Not only did the QuiKeys do an amazing job on each image, but they helped me work or several hundred images in a day. I missed my QuicKeys. Before, I was a good photographer. QuicKeys made me a rock star. Not only that, but most of all, sitting at my editing station with my QuiKeys and the tablet in front of the two wide screens placed corner to corner, made me feel like an extra on Star Trek. Now I have to run everything through Lightroom, then through Photoshop with my QuicKeys. Welcome back to the stone age.

Then the email arrived. QuiKeys now works with Lightroom and has a RAW file module! Are you kidding me? Don't mess with my emotions just because I am reading the email at 2am and am willing to believe anything! Lightroom and A RAW file module? maybe they heard my whining all the way to Vancouver. Bring it on! Move over, Picard! I am coming home!

As for the Steak Tartare pictured above, while always curious about such a dish, I did not indulge. Since I made this one in my own kitchen from some everyday ground chuck, I simply settled for some kick-ass meatballs.