What to do if Your Clients Ask For The RAW Photos

A friend recently asked me: "I don't understand why photographers refuse raws, for the right price, why can't you just give them out?"

This is such a hot topic.

you will find photographers that give all their raws for a low price, just to book a client, and to avoid the editing work, and you will find photographers who absolutely refuse to ever give away their raws, not even for a good price, because this is unfinished work.

So what's the right answer? and what should you say if someone asks you for the raws and you don't want to give them away?

My slightly controversial opinion is that there is no right answer. I believe in running your business intuitively and following your own rules. I believe in asking yourself what feel good, and what you want to do to satisfy a client.

But a more practical answer is the following:

You have to ask questions.
Why does your client want the RAW files?

If your client is a business

If you are working B2B, chances are they are asking for the RAWs because they have an in-house editor, work with an agency, or have special needs within their business that requires editing images over time and in different formats. they might need to keep the editing consistent or have access to different versions for different graphic design needs.
So if you refuse the RAWs, you are giving your client a service that they don't want.

As an agency, or a production company, often Tims they are working with clients themselves, so for them, having access to all the material shot is part of what they need when they hire you for your services.

I've been in this position before, and I was happy to grant the agency the full shoot on a hard drive as I knew they were going to need to go back to them through out a period of a few months.

Not only that, I had no interest in being on call for them for every time they needed a new photo or an adjustment, based on their clients needs.

Of course we had a contract specifying the limitation of usage in their part, therefore protecting me and my work for being abused or over used.

If your client is a consumer

If you work B2C, then it's a different story. Maybe they are asking for the RAWs because they read somewhere that's how they get the most value, or maybe because that's what they think "high resolution" means.

In this case, the best thing you can do is ask questions to get to the bottom of your client's need. Confused clients don't buy, and if you simply refuse without explaining anything, you might lose the work.

a B2C client might not know that raw images are heavy, and unedited, and pretty much useless to a non-photographer. You should ask questions to understand why they are asking for RAW, and inform them on the different reasons why you do not hand those out.

Do you know the reason why?

It could be a creative control issue, it could be a quantity issue, or it could simply be an issue of price (yes, you can simply charge more and hand those over).

Whatever your reason is, know where you stand and how far are you willing to compromise to secure a client.

So what to do if a client asks for the RAWs? Ask them why, educate them, and come to an agreement that serves you both. (and ps you should try to always have these conversations before the booking!).