JPEG or RAW Continued

I subscribe to "Popular Photography" and was just remembering that I saw an article titled "JPEG vs. RAW". This was before I even knew about RAW so I didn't read the article. Well, I went to their website and looked up the article. You can read it here: http://www.popphoto.com/howto/2196/jpeg-vs-raw-the-advantages-and-disadvantages-explained.html

I'm starting to think it is all just a preference thing. Just like the article said, there are plusses, and minus' to both. I have the space to save in RAW as well as the software and I like the fact that IF I do want to do alterations or adjustments, I have 100% of the photo information to work with. However, if you do not have that much space and you like how your pictures are already, then why not stay with JPEG? Honestly, I think it is a personal choice and I don't think you can go wrong. If you are doing JPEG, I would make sure to always, always keep the original and save alterations as .psd (if you are using Photoshop) so as to not take anything away from your photo.

One more thing, a little off the subject: I was talking to my friend, Jen, about this a few hours ago and one of the things we talked about was how no matter what you do, it seems like you will never have the best camera (or lens, or printer, or program, or anything for that matter) because they ( by "they" I mean all those imaginary people who are really smart and come up with all these fun toys) will always come up with something newer and better. That's just the way it is and isn't it great that we just keep learning and there is never an end? Sometimes it is great and sometimes, I find myself getting really frustrated. Being a mother of two, there is never enough time for me and my hobbies and it frustrates me that I can't be my best in this hobby and other hobbies because of time. But ya know what? The learning part is so fun and as long as my kids know I love them and they turn out well, I will have all their adult life to learn what I want and become better. Plus, look at all these great photos we're getting of our kids, loved ones, beautiful scenery, and so forth just while we're still learning. It's worth it right? Right. These are lasting memories that we will always be able to share with others.

I had to put a little paragraph in about this frustration because I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one that feels this way. I have to remind myself to be happy with what I DO know and how far I have come. Plus, if I knew everything, I wouldn't be getting to know all of you. It's so fun to share ideas and learn from each other.