Linear Profiles - Should You Be Using Them?

I WILL never forget the day, back in 2005, when my buddy, Rich Pomeroy and I returned to the farm where we were staying in Vermont during a fall color trip, and we were comparing our "take." At the time, Rich (now an accomplished wildlife shooter) was a fairly "new" photographer. I had been shooting film since the 1970's and digital since about 2000. Conventional "pro" wisdom strongly recommended recording images in the camera's native "raw" format. The idea is that it is the best way to record and store a digital image is in its "raw," unchanged or altered. Converting that "raw" image to a jpg (which virtually all cameras can and many only do) or similar format results in a permanent change, akin to "cooking" it. The vast majority of consumer cameras ("point and shoot") and phone cameras convert in the camera to jpg format (and don't even offer saving as raw as an option).

ALL THIS technology has come leaps and bounds forward and even a jpg made on one of today's cameras gives a lot more latitude than "back in the day," when digital cameras first came out. A few years ago, in the early days of this blog, I posted a detailed article on "Why You Should Shoot Raw." I remain a strong believer in that. But back then, Rich was shooting all his images in jpg format, even in his DSLR camera. The reason I say I will never forget is that raw images are generally very flat and dull looking. We compared our shots of some of the scenes and his jpegs looked pretty colorful and vibrant. I was using a body that was somewhat new to me and I was crestfallen to see that my image color and quality just didn't compare well to his. Or so I thought. Later, once I move the raw file into my Photoshop program and began to process them, not only did they compare favorably, but in some cases they were actually better. And because they were raw, I could make changes that were very different from the jpg renderings from his camera. On the other hand, he really couldn't. He was stuck with the "cooked" version the jpg file presented.

OLD NEWS. We both have been shooting raw format images for years now. And over time, the so-called "raw conversion" software just keeps getting better and better. The main point of this piece is really taking the theory of using raw images another step. It has to do with "profiles." I am going to only touch on this idea in a superficial way, because I cannot begin to explain it as well as post-processing guru, Tony Kuyper can, and the best thing I can do for you is link you to this very easy-to-read and understand article: Linear Profile Repository, on his website. I will quote his clear definition of a profile, and then strongly urge you to click on over and read his piece: "A profile1 is the set of instructions that tells Lightroom (Lr), Adobe Camera Raw (CR), or other RAW processing software how to display the data from a RAW file captured by a digital camera." Tony graciously offers his profiles free of charge on his website (it may be confusing when you visit because they are downloaded through his "pay" shopping cart and so it looks like there is a charge, but there is not). Note that they are camera - specific, so if you are shooting (or have historically shot with) different models, you will have to download a profile for each camera.

LIKE THE raw image looked to me back in Vermont in 2005, the image displayed with a linear profile looks blah on its own - quite dark, kind of grey, and flat. That is because it digitally represents the actual, "raw," linear data recorded by the camera sensor. It is up to you (or your processing engine) to create your own version of the image by making adjustments. In reality, ditigally recorded files are camera-sensor specific. Every camera model yields slightly different raw data and therefore a slightly different "curve," because every different sensor will record differently. Every manufacturer records the "raw" files recorded in the camera in their own proprietary "raw file format" (e.g., Nikon = NEF; Canon = CRW; Sony - ARW, and so on). And from what I understand those proprietary "raw files" are actually some variation of a .tif file, in order to make them visible on screen. Those "flat" images I saw in my laptop from my raw shots back in 2005? Those were Nikon NEF fies. So they had already already had a curve applied to them, to make them viewable.

BUT WAIT. There's more. 😆 Our "higher end" cameras that record "raw" images, actually apply two different curves. For those who didn't already know this, the images that show up for review on your camera's rear screen are actually jpg thumbnails produced by the camera. As we have said elsewhere, without a digital conversion through software, you cannot see the recorded data on a screen. The second "curved" image is different and is applied to the recorded data by your processing software at and after the time of conversion. This is where profiles come in. Raw conversion software (I use Adobe Camera Raw, but Light Room uses the same raw conversion "engine," and the other popular raw conversion software all has this feature) has a utility that applies a profile to your raw file. In the Adobe products, there is a drop down in the conversion engine that offers you a choice of several different profiles, and gives you the ability to upload your own profiles (like the profiles offered by Tony Kuyper). Each of these profiles is a "curve" applied to the straight-line (or "linear") data recorded by the camera sensor. And each is someone's "interpretation" of the best looking rendition of the data - or at least the starting point. The linear profile offered by Tony is his best shot at showing you the actual linear "curve" (theoretically a straight line) results on screen. This gives you the opportunity to make your own interpretation of the data, applying your own curve (profile) - more or less from "scratch." Pretty cool. It is probably worth the exercise to take a look at this part of your software, and play around with the different "looks" each profile gives you. Adobe, for example, pre-loads several, including "Adobe Standard," "Adobe Vivid," "Adobe Neutral," "Adobe Landscape," and a few others. There are also some creative ones available. In the end, though, what these are are just a suggested set of adjustments to that flat, linear profile. A starting point.

SHOULD YOU be using them? My best answer is that I don't really know. It is going to depend on many factors. I like to "play" with my raw images. I process each one individually. I have the time and enjoy the "ride." For me, the processing is as much a part as the making of the original images. But I know I am not "typical," if there is any such thing. I know many shooters who primarily enjoy making images and will want to spend minimal time processing them later. For you, though I would still highly recommend you shoot raw, if for no other reason than archival purposes, you are probably going to be more satisfied choosing one (or a couple) of the provided profiles in your software and leaving that as the default application.

IN MY own case, it has become one of the many "tools" in the digital toolbox. My buddy, Rich Ennis, pointed them out to me last fall during my visit to Vermont.  For a time, I appled the linear profile to every image. Rather than working completely from scratch, Tony suggests using the "AUTO" button on LR and ACR after applying the profile, and then making your own adjustments from there. I will let him explain (see the link above) why that may be a better approach than just using one of the other profiles offered in the software. I know Rich uses the profiles for a lot of his post-processing. And he is far advanced from me (both as a photographer and processer). But after a trial period, I found myself going back to one of Adobe's profiles: "Adobe Color", and preferring it. It just seems to come closest to the look I am seeking in most of my images. Which is why I am considering the Linear Profile a "tool in the box" at this point. Something I will use on occasion, but do not currently see enough utility to go through all the steps required.

I SUPPOSE that in the end, that is "using" them. I do suggest that if you do any degree of processing of your images, you download the profile for your camera model(s); load it into your software (it works in LR and PS - ACR; I am not sure about other processing software - but he does make an offhand reference to "other raw processing software), and try it. At the very least it will give you an eye-opening look "under the hood," so to speak. And, as Tony so generously offers these profiles as a no-charge item. What have you go to lose? 

Trondheim

Celebrity Apex at its Trondheim, Norway berth
Copyright Andy Richards 2025

IT WAS hard to believe, but after a final "at sea" day, here we were at our final port stop: Trondheim. In retrospect, Trondheim was probably the only real "city" we visited (maybe Alesund, also). From our pre-cruise research, we knew Trondheim was not only a very walkable city, but with its population of nearly 220,000 people, would have some things we could see on our own. As I have noted, these northern Norway destinations offered very little in the way of excursions. It seems like walking tours (like "tours by foot" and similar) are simply non-existent in that part of the world. Probably a function of lack of demand? Anyway, we simply planned our own "general" walking tour.

Trondheim's Canal - Trondheim, Norway
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

TRONDHEIM IS a cool city. It doesn't necessarily rank up there with places like Barcelona, Porto and London, but as smaller, lesser known cities go, it was a fun place to visit. I was surprised to learn that it is Norway's third largest city. We found a few things to do, including a visit to a spectacular cathedral, lunch in a local gastropub with local food, and a walk along some of Trondheim's quiet streets and their canal. We also thought the cruise port was pretty impressive. There is a marine research institute facility that is housed in a basin just inside the cruise pier. I believe it is associated with the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Norway's largest university. Formerly known as The University of Trondheim, it was changed to NTNU in 1996. There are satellite campuses in two other Norwegian cities (one of them Alesund). There are two other small universities in Trondheim and the total number of students in the city is nearly 42,000. So there is a bit of that "university town" atmosphere. There were some very interesting looking research vessels moored in the basin. But for my purposes, the basin served and even more useful function: a nice photographic reflecting surface. 😊

Trondheim's main canal, looking across to Bakklandet and the colorful houses on that side of the Canal - Trondheim, Norway
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

PROBABLY THE best route into the city from the cruise port is to the right as you walk away from the ship, and then straight up some stairs and into the city. The stairs take you up to a walking bridge that spans the multi-track railroad facility right next to the port. Of course we didn't see that at first, and following our maps, and "noses," we instead turned to the left and eventually back right and into town. It probably turns out that our path served our own touring plan better, as it took us along a quiet street that paralleled Trondheim's main waterway, The Nidelva River (apparently often mistaken as a canal), and to the Old Town Bridge, a footbridge across to an area known as Bakklandet.

Old Town Bridge - Honningsvag, Norway
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FOR THE life of me, I cannot figure out what happened here, but I could have sworn I took a couple photos of the bridge. Back home, I couldn't find any on my card, and only a very small thumbnail in the dredges of my phone. Thanks, Photoshop, for the ability to "salvage" awful photos - at least enough for illustration purposes (and the careful observer will see obvious signs that I "worked" it a bit). Noted for its older, 18th century buildings, Bakklandet was actually built as a "suburb" of Trondheim. Today, it is touristy, with lots of shops and cafes. We were a bit disappointed, as the main center as you exited the bridge was under substantial construction. We didn't really stay there very long, but headed back across the canal and on into the city.

Thomas Angells Hus
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AS WE walked along, we came upon a monument to Thomas Angell. Other than that he was somebody important in Trondheim, I had no idea who he was. But as I turned to look across the street, I saw a building with the name Thomas Angell's Hus. It seemed to me that "Hus" was most likely Norwegian for "house." Man, these famous figures are vain. I don't think the thought has ever ocurred to me to put a sign on the front of any house I have ever owned: "Andy Richards' House." 😀 Just kidding. After I returned home, I did some post-visit research. Thomas Angell's Hus, it turns out, was never his personal residence. Angell was a wealthy Trondheim Merchant and at his death, he donated his fortune to a trust. The "hus" is actually housing for the elderly.

Nidaros Cathedral - Trondheim, Norway
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YOU PROBABLY wouldn't fault me if you were along with us, for assuming Angell had something to do with the Nidaros Cathedral given its proximity to his statue. The church was just a few hundred feet further up the street (as far as I am aware, there is no official connection). From the side street we approached it from, it was pretty obvious that this was a major church. Its gothic lines and details made for a handsome structure, and I lingered along the side for a bit, making some photographs.

Nidaros Cathedral - Trondheim, Norway
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

AT THE front and main entrance to the church there is a large, open courtyard and from the back of the courtyard I was able to make a passable wide-angle shot of the front facade. The courtyard, by the way, was full of people, but my crop takes them out of the picture. To the left of the courtyard as you face the church, there is a concession building, where you can purchase souvenirs, limited food, and tickets for admission to the interior of the church. Perhaps most importantly, there are bathrooms in there.

The organ pipes in the Nidaros Cathedral - Trondheim, Norway
(my friend and former law partner, David Meyer, would admire these - if he is reading this)
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

IF YOU get to the cathedral, I highly recommend that you do purchase tickets and see the interior. In my view, that is where it is at its most spectacular.

Nidaros Cathedral - Trondheim, Norway
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

MY RESEARCH tells me that this cathedral is the northernmost medieval cathedral in the world. Like many of these huge churches, it wasn't all built at once. Beginning around 1070, it was substantially completed in 1300. Numerous additions and rennovations have ocurred of the years with the most recent (a major reconstruction project) completed in 2001.

Nidaros Cathedral - Trondheim, Norway
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THE CHURCH is built over the burial site of Norway's King Olaf II, the Patron Saint of Norway. In addition to its important religious history, the church is the traditional location for the consecration of new Norwegian monarchs. Originally designated as the Archdiocese of Nidaros, for the Roman Catholic Church, it was changed in 1537, to become part of the newly formed Church of Norway during the Protestant Reformation. Today it is the seat of the Bishop of the Church of Norway.

Nidaros Cathedral - Trondheim, Norway
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

I DON'T always overpopulate my posts with images of the same place, but I was so impressed with this church's interior, that I just kept making images - and feel compelled to display them.

Nidaros Cathedral - Trondheim, Norway
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OF THE many churches and cathedrals we have seen over the past 15 or so years, I think this is the most impressive that I have visited!

Nidaros Cathedral - Trondheim, Norway
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WE LEFT the church in an appropriately reverent frame of mind. But biology can have a way to influence the circumstances, and we walked on, into one of the city's primary squares, with food on our minds.

Trondheim's Courthouse - Trondheim, Norway
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MARKET SQUARES or plazas are called torgs in Scandinavian languages. We were seeking Trondheim Torg, which is a large, retail/commercial plaza in the heart of the city. Using Google Maps, we took kind of a roundabout path to the Torg. Looking now on the map, if we had taken the straightest shot, we would have walked right by Trondheim City Hall. But then we would have missed the Trondheim Tinghus. And you know, you don't want to miss seeing a tinghus when you have the chance. As I walked by, the unique decorations on the entrance caught my eye, as did the unique (to and English language speaker) name on the building. I have to admit, my mind went somewhere else when trying to think what a tinghus might be. 😅 Turns out (perhaps thankfully for all involved) it is a courthouse. Once I realized that, the figures on the walls began to make some sense.

McDonald's in the heart of Trondheim Torg
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ONE OF the things you can count on these days is finding a McDonalds (and usually Burger King, too) in almost any city in the world. I have made it a point to photograph them when I see them, and have a collection in my archives. Here it was, right in the middle of things on Trondheim Torg. Eat there? Not on your life. I do my best to avoid them even here at home. I wouldn't dream of visiting some place  in a different culture and going to McDonald's. Ironically enough, literally across the street, we found something much better: Phoenix Gastropub. We learned a bit about Scandinavian cuisine that day. Other than a lot of seafood (and things like sardines and herring), their food isn't particularly "ethnic." But they way the eat it is unique. I ordered a corned beef sandwich. My wife ordered their Skagen, which was kind of like a shrimp salad. For the table, we had an order of Nordic Sardines and of Marinated Olives. for my corned beef, I was thinking sandwich. The two-fisted variety. I think she was thinking traditional salad. To our surprise, all of our entrees were sandwiches and all of them were served open-faced! That is apparently a very common Scandinavian presentation. Worked just fine for me. Used a fork. The upshot: very tasty! Todd and I also shared an "appetizer" which was sardines and crackers, served right in the tin. They were good, as was the local popular lager beer. Interestingly, the pub gets some mixed reviews on TripAdvisor (which is too bad, as it might dissuade folks from giving it a try. We think that would be a mistake. The 4 of us were unanimously in the 5-star camp! Sometimes, I think people's reactions and comments are a product of their expectations. When you are in an unfamiliar and new country, I think you need to be adventurous and put those expectations aside!

Thomas Angell's Gate - Trondheim, Norway
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SATED, WE moved along. There was more. About 3 blocks in the general direction of the cruise ship terminal, we came upon a retail shopping street: Thomas Angell's Gate. Sound like a familiar name? That guy who was the wealthy merchant who donated his fortune to a foundation. Same guy.

Thomas Angell's Gate - Trondheim, Norway
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WHAT WAS really cool about Thomas Angell's gate though was for me a photographic opportunity. This was one that has become a recurring motif around the world. My first exposure with The Pink Street in Lisbon, Portugal, some years back. More recently, I discovered a much smaller, but equally colorful and photogenic display near our home - in Dunedin, Florida. in just a couple weeks we will visit Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic, where it is my understanding that there is yet another "umbrella street." The colorful, hanging umbrellas are a magnet for a color street photographer, and this was no exception. It is the largest such display I have seen yet, which gave me multiple compositional chances.

Thomas Angell's Gate - Trondheim, Norway
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

ANOTHER LONG day in the books. We could say that our self-made walking tour of Tronheim was a great success, and we had a lot of fun exploring. We were ready to head back to the ship and take a load off. It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon, and we were looking forward to sitting on the Sunset Bar deck with cigars and cocktails, and a sunset sail-away.

Only this canal from the Nidelva River out to the ocean, and some railroad tracks separated us from Trondheim and our Cruise Ship -Trondheim, Norway
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FROM THE end of Thomas Angell's Gate it was only about 3 city blocks, in a straight line, back to the cruise port. We had only to cross the canal in front of the port, and find our way across the railroad tracks. This time, we did it by the book, and took the pedestrian walkway back to the port. It was good to see our Celebrity Apex in sight in the nearby background.

Footbridge from the City to the Cruise Port - Trondheim, Norway
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WE WOULD have a couple more days at sea to get back to Southampton, and then a ride to LHR, where we would bid our great friends goodbye. But only for now. We already have a couple future cruises booked together. And perhaps we will do a visit somewhere before then. In the meantime, we made the best of those last two days.

Cigars on the Celebrity Apex
Trondheim, Norway - Southampton, England

Honningsvag and the North Cape

Fishing Harbor near Honningsvag Norway
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HONNINGSVAG's POPULATION is 2250, and though its primary industry is fishing, it has also become a significant tourist destination, as "the gateway" to the North Cape. While there are a couple other very small towns north of Honningsvag, it is really the northernmost community with any real port facilities. We arrived in the port at 10:00 a.m., and shortly were able to disembark. Our meeting place for the tour we had booked was literally steps from the ship area, so getting there was easy.

I don't know this guy, but he is clearly excited about being at the northernmost point in Europe 😆
North Cape Visitor Center - Norway
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IT MAY have gone downhill from there. I guess I have to qualify that statement, though (and explain "may"). Over the years we have been doing cruises around the world, we have had mostly very good luck with high quality, well-organized tours. But most of ours have been private tours with participant numbers between 4 and 12. We have observed that as those numbers get larger, the tour quality tends to go south - no matter where in the world you are. As we began our planning for the Nortwegian Fjords cruise nearly a year in advance, I was struck by how few private excursions seemed to be available. Partly, I am sure, because these destinations were so far north and often in very small areas. It did seem there would be more available in the more populous cities in the southern part of Norway. We only found a couple and they seemed to us to be uniformly expensive. The North Cape Tours all seem to be run by the same company and although they did have some smaller ones available, they again seemed awfully expensive for the experience offered. Ours was a large busload. We did get up to the North Cape Visitor Center, and we can say we saw the northernmost land spot in Europe, so there is that. It wasn't a terrible experience.

North Cape Visitor Center - Norway
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BUT IT wasn't really as advertised. Unfortunately, there was a certain level of hyperbole in their advertisement. "A visit at a Sami family with traditional Sami outfits and a reindeer.'" There was a house along the road, and across the road, a Tee-Pee, a chained up reindeer, and a tent with "souvenirs." When the bus stopped and unloaded a guy came walking across the road from the house. He was dress in apparently native garb. He walked over and stood with the reindeer what a crowd of tourists shot selfies with him." So, yeah. It was a stop. But a visit with a family, and the implication of reindeer plural? Not so well executed. Or, "A visit to a picturesque fishing village with its harbour and fishing boats." Right. The bus drove into the parking lot of the the harbour, and never even stopped, as the narrator described the fishing village and pointed out the boats. 😒 That's a "visit?" "View stops overlooking fjords, ocean and the monumental North Cape Cliff." Nope. No stops. None. We stopped at the reindeer selfie op, and at the North Cape Visitor Center. No place else. And finally, "Sightseeing through the arctic town of Honningsvag with its sights and attractions." Well. if driving down a couple of the streets, pointing out the church and park as we drove by is "sightseeing" then I guess I have to give them that. All in all: Underwhelming. But such as it is, it appears to be the only "game in town," so if you want to see the sights, that's your choice.

This was the "traditional Sami family with reindeer" stop. I did a bunch of retouching of this image to try to give it some semblance of what could have been scenic natural surroundings. In reallity, he was tethered. He was not the one being used in the selfies. But he sure looks like he could be majestic there. Instead, I felt kind of sorry for him
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I DON'T want to dissuade people from going to Honningsvag - or from taking a trip up to the North Cape Visitor Center. It is one of those things where you want to check it off your list. We did and we don't regret that. But just don't set your expectations too high. And in fairness, maybe I did do just that. It was not a particularly expensive excursion, and maybe I was being unrealistic with my expectations based on the reading of their advertising, rather than my perception of what might be realistic in that price range.

The Picturesque Fishing Harbor we "visited" - somewhere between Nordkap and Honningsvag
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WE ALSO thought the little town of Honningsvag was, itself, kind of cool. We found the local "craft brewery." It was appropriately "rustic" for its size and for the size and nature of the town (and really felt more like just a local bar). That was actually fun. The bartender was friendly and we enjoyed the stop. I also liked the harbor and fishing boats and made a few images I liked. And Heather pointed out an image I very likely would have missed that was part of the brew pub and was really a great find! In all, it may have been one of our better stops on the cruise, ironically. We still had one more ahead of us, after another "at sea" day. It would prove to be perhaps the most enjoyable of any of them - with some of my better picture opportunities. Next up: Trondheim.

Honningsvag, Norway
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THOUGH OFTEN more travelog than photography these days, this is a photography blog. And in that context, I will say this was a pretty successful outing. Colors. Reflections. Marine subjects. Whimsical images. I did find some pretty nice ones.