Nope. We don’t just take pictures, we make them. Clicking the shutter on the camera is just the start of the process we use to produce quality images.
First of all, the image files from our cameras aren’t in a file format you can use. We shoot in Camera RAW rather than the more common JPG or TIFF file formats. The advantage of RAW is that it retains much more of the detail in the original scene, but it requires post-processing on a computer to extract that detail and record it in a usable file format. Color correction, exposure compensation, and straightening verticals are just part of the processing that every image receives.
Most of the finished images we deliver are actually composites built from multiple individual image files. We shoot multiple images of each scene using different exposure settings and lighting. Then we might blend together the mid-tones from one image, the darker areas from a different image, the bright windows from another image, and perhaps an image shot with flash. The computer software, the specialized techniques, and the skills we use in post-processing actually have more impact on the quality of the finished images than the cameras and lenses we bring to the photo shoot. The camera is vitally important — the processing, even more so.
So, asking for the raw images from the camera would be like going to a fine restaurant and asking for a plate full of raw ingredients, when it’s the chef’s expert preparation that transforms those ingredients into a delicious dish.