I though there were many specification stated- by me and others. The question pertain to the making of a GREAT portrait photographer. The consensus among many of the responders was GREAT talent, education, mastery of the equipment, lighting and related techniques and people skills. The philosophical attributes are love of the craft, seeking the beauty in all one's subjects, patience and empathy.

In terms of the actual skill sets, a discussion of the nuances of lighting and posing can easily consume endless pages. Certainly books, guides, and short courses are helpful, however, there is nothing that surpasses hands-on training and mentorship by an established master over an extended period, continual practice and study.

It can be difficult to properly replicate "poses" in a book or guide without an understanding of body mechanics, posture, weight distribution, line and form. Lighting diagrams illustrate angles and positions but finite techiches like feathering, lighting dynamics and corrective methods need to be demonstrated and carefully explained.

I do believe TALENT is inborn- we all have talents in many areas to different degrees. Some folks have a natural feel for placement and design- the perceive things in MAINLY a visual way as opposed to an auditory or kinesthetic manner. Some people have great mechanica inclinations and manual dexterity. Many skills can be learned but each of us have a natural proclivity in certain areas where we will do better than others, learn faster and eventually perform at a higher level. Most of these talents need to be assessed by ourselves. This requires honesty and introspection and believe me, it ain't easy and is oftentimes painful. Once one knows their own capabilities, the education and development can begin.

The original question did not mention GREAT financial or business success. So many folks mention the "customer" or the "client". Again, the business aspect of operating a portrait studio or business can consume a book- a tome! There are many talented photographer who have the product and the personality but fail miserably in business.

From an educational point of view, imagine attempting to learn, study, practice and master all of the aforementioned skills and learn business management all at the same time. Think about it; generating a business plan, financing, marketing, sales, merchandising, bookkeeping and accounting, banking, pertinent laws, copyright issues, taxation, employee management...there quite a bit to know about running any enterprise. You needn't be an expert in each and every aspect that I have mentioned or has an MBA after you name but you gotta get a grip on all of this and have a good overview and perspective. Again, some folks have more business acumen and savvy that others but theses talents also need to be developed and exploited. I speak from experience- I thank God that my lovely wife runs our office with an "iron hand" and also looks after much of the sales work! She' a lovely gentle lady but in the office she is a "Divisional Sergeant Major" with a whole lotta hitch marks on here sleeve. I'm just a Sp/5 with a camera!

No Raw file has jpeg embedded in it.

Raw files contain ALL the information captured by the sensor when an exposure is taken. The camera's software creates a JPEG from that data and applies what it "thinks" is the best looking corrections and compresses the result.

The detail removed in the process can never be recovered from the jpeg.

Post processing software can also apply correction and compression to a RAW file to create a jpeg.

All jpegs are created with lossy compression!

Brent, I think you are both incorrect and expressing a highly personalized view of the world.

A JPEG is not required in the process if printing oneself. One does not always save to DNG or PSD. I can if I wish to, but there are many other formats which may be superior in some instances. Regardless of what you believe works for you, your workflow is neither the only one available, nor is it necessarily better than the many others available.

So long as the original detail and the edits are preserved by the software in use, GIMP, PSP, DPP, or others, one can complete the work at high quality, save the work without losing anything, and never need to use JPEG, DNG, or PSD formats.

All formats have their place in the world, but by making the kind of statements like the one above you merely demonstrate the limitations of your own knowledge and experience.