Forest Lake, Palmer, Massachusetts—July 9, 2015.

In-camera JPG without adjustments (except scaling for internet presentation.)
Fuji RAW file adjusted using Lightroom and output as JPG, following nominal adjustments to color, contrast and exposure.

Seven years ago, I exposed this photo of the northward Mass Central freight near Forest Lake, Massachusetts.

At the time, Mass Central was operating on a late schedule, departing northbound from Palmer in the evening, to accommodate heavy track work on the line during the day.

In this view, I used my FujiFilm XT1, and exposed an in-camera JPG at the same time as a much larger RAW file.

For point of comparison, I’ve displayed both the in-camera JPG (without alteration) and a JPG that is the product of post processing—created from the Fuji RAW image.

Choosing to work with the camera-RAW instead of the in-camera JPG, depends on the photo and its application. If the image needs little to no adjustment the JPG will save a lot of time. However in situations where it is desirable to make adjustments, the RAW file provides significantly more data, giving more room to maneuver, and can result in a better image.

Tracking the Light Posts Daily!