Free RAW Photo: Big Sur (California)

I took the featured photo a short time after switching camera brands. After shooting for a long time with Canon cameras, I moved to mirrorless Sony. The difference in image quality was noticeable. My Sony a6000 produced much cleaner photos with practically no digital noise, plus the dynamic range was humongous.

The free RAW photo was taken during my coastal drive from Los Angeles to San Francisco, somewhere around Big Sur.

Exif Data:

  • Camera: Sony a6000
  • Lens: Sony 16-70mm
  • Aperture: f/8
  • Shutter Speed: 1/250s
  • ISO: 100
  • Focal length: 16mm

When I edited the RAW photo, my main goal was to improve the composition. Also, I needed to balance the exposure. Straight out of the camera, the photo was underexposed by around 1/2 stop. And I was not too fond of the distracting flowers in the foreground.

Free RAW Photo: Big Sur (California) 1

Free RAW Photos for Editing Library

My RAW Editing Version

And here is my editing version of the free RAW image. You can access all my editing steps from the Snapshot Panel of the Develop module in Lightroom.

To improve composition, I changed the photo’s aspect ratio from the original 3:2 ratio to 16:9. To balance the exposure, I applied the Graduated Filter with the Range Mask to the area of the sky. And I used the Spot Removal tool to eliminate the distractions in the foreground.

Free RAW Photo: Big Sur (California) 2

What About Copyright?

All free raw images I share, I took myself, and they belong to me. They are not sourced from the public. But they are still copyrighted. 

You are free to edit my RAW photos. And if you want to share them on your blog or social media, go for it; all I am asking is to credit me with the link to my site. And you can not use them commercially.

Free RAW Photos Library

Please remember to download my free Lightroom develop presets for faster raw editing.