A good question came up in a recent photography class. I’m paraphrasing here: “If you create photographs in a RAW file format, since a raw file holds no white balance or color space, why do you bother setting white balance or color space?”
I set color space just in case I decide to capture in a JPG format instead of my usual choice of RAW file format.
I set white balance because it makes me get involved in a thought process regarding color as a compositional element.
Although I know that my white balance is not applied to my RAW file and I’ll need to apply it in post production, it’s applied in my mind during my compositional process to help me visualize the final photograph.
I think a good photograph involves a good thought process.