Originally posted by option Now that I've switched my workflow over to primarily RAW, I've found it necessary to become more critical of my work. I use the digital preview more often to check my exposure, and if I don't like a shot, I don't hesitate to axe it. Once I get home, anything thats OOF, blurry, exposed past recovery, or useless in any other way, gets turfed. If I'm bracketing, I take the best exposure and do away with the others. Can I take 100s of photos a day? I can, and I do. Do I need even a third of them? Rarely.
I also don't bother with RAW for casual things like hanging out with friends. If I happen to need it, the RAW button is right there...
Even then, the GBs add up quickly, but storage is cheap these days. A 320gb Seagate drive in an eSATA enclosure sets me back about $150CAN; at less than $.50 a GB its an inexpensive and worthwhile investment...
I understand that other have different needs and shooting styles than me, and some people just cant bring themselves to delete a photo. As someone who isn't making a living from photography, being extra critical of my own work is essential from both a photographic and financial aspect.
Like Ben, I'm shooting DNG (no jpeg), importing into Lightroom and working in ProPhoto. Files stay in ProPhoto as long as possible, until converted to sRGB for web, or something like SWOP v2 for print.
HA HA, as someone who IS making a living from their work (well, trying to anyway) it is essential for me to be extra critical of my stuff. My near-idol and mentor recently told me I wasn't being critical enough, and 1/3 of my stuff was just wasting space on my hard drives. I don't know why I like to keep enormous RAW files laying around on my drives, but I do! Really though, it is a good thing anyway, to be more harsh on myself.
I also shoot DNG Adobe RBG, import into Lightroom, then PS as/when necessary. My clients are generally magazines, webzines, or ad departments/agencies, so I am probably less likely to toss an image than say, Ben, who shoots high end fashion (I gather?). While I aspire for perfection, occasionally a less than perfect image may fit the needs of said client well enough.
Now that I've said that, I must also admit to shooting JPEG on occasion. Particularly for family and friend events where I know the photos are not going to be of tremendous importance at any point. It is nice to shoot and not worry about much (if any) PP. I think the JPEGS out of the K10 are fine for everyday use and it gives me a chance to shoot away without worrying about how much time I'll be spending at the computer afterwords!
I've rambled enough, particularly since I'm just echoing everyone elses posts.
Happy shooting,
Cliff