Recents shots from Bay of Pigs, Cuba

Hector1959 wrote:

kelpdiver wrote:

if you're going to a contest that is jpeg only (which is mildly ludicrous, but certainly easier to conduct for a one day event), then you're going to have to pick up the techniques around a grey card and custom WB setting.

I really understand the reasons why they accept JPGs only. As you say, it is easier and on the other hand the argument is to "evaluate" your shooting dexterity not your editing one, which is of course valid in a more general context.

It's more common for shootouts to allow 'global edits only.'

I'm not fond of the rule as it forces you do alter normal process where you don't need to worry about this.  Only the video guys have to worry about constantly getting custom WB readings.

I usually shoot RAW+JPG but for the contest I think Only JPG would be better since JPG can be quality EXTRA FINE while in RAW + JPG is just FINE. I am not sure if that would make a difference but for being "safe" i shoot Extra Fine. Any thoughts about?

That's camera specific, so you'd have to examine it.   But I'd be a bit disappointed if I had a great shot that just needed white balancing or levels but I only had a jpeg for it.   In the first contest I did with my first SLR rig (canon 20d), I was shooting jpeg only and had a great, but overexposed shot of a diver in the kelp.   Exposed right, it would have won me the category, and instead was dropped to honorable mention.