Personally, I shoot in RAW format when my intention is to sell my images to stock photography libraries
. This lets me enjoy the absolute maximum quality possible from my digital SLR camera. Once you understand the benefits of shooting RAW, you will find that it is worth the extra effort. On the other hand, I usually shoot in JPEG for family vacations, parties, and general photography. In these situations, I sometimes prefer to just bring my pocket point-and-shoot digital camera, which still has some degree of creative control.