Thoughts on Geotagging your Photos

General question:

I am working on improving and fine tuning my PP workflow. Yesterday Apple released the new iLife 09 suite, which updated iPhoto to include some pretty cool Geotagging of GPS Lat/long into the EXIF data... I don't use iPhoto, but do use Apple Aperture, and it also will use this data if its embedded.

So playing with iPhoto, I started thinking, and found that there is a freeware app called GPS Photo Linker http://www.earlyinnovations.com/gpsphotolinker/ that will take a .gpx file from a GPS device, or even the GPS in my iPhone 3G (found 2 iPhone apps that will do a .gpx track, and waypoints) and update the EXIF data in my Canon .CR2 RAW files....

Tested this last night and it is really cool.

My question is, "Does anyone else add this element to their workflow"? How secretive should I be about showing the GPS data in my photos? Any known issues or liabilities?

The concept of knowing exactly the spot I took a shot, and linking it to Google Earth/Maps may help down the road when I am old and lazy and wanna enjoy some of the stuff I shot --- wait I am old and lazy now

I did a search of the forums, and didn't see much on this subject, but I am the newbie, so I apologize if this has been discussed before.

I'd love to be able to do it - mostly for myself to ease in the Photography log I keep and less to share with others. Scientifically it would be wonderful - for location based records and such.

Unfortunately most of the stuff seems to be for apple - I'm on windows; and Nikon seems to have embraced it more thoroughly than Canon (of course I shoot Canon). Most programs that combine GPS data and camera time stamps also seem Apple based.

I don't think you need to be too secretive with the data, and frankly you can always remove it from the image Metadata if you wanted to keep a location on the down low.

I'm with Aleks on this one. Like her, I'd be more inclined to use this data for personal use, and be very picky about which locations I include for public consumption. In most cases I don't mind other people figuring out where I took a photo, but having them figure it out and drawing them a map to it are two different things.

I can understand workshop leaders doing this, but I would rather be photographing in a new location each year rather than repeating what I've already done, so I don't think it would be of much use to me. Areas close-by (I include all of Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah) that I do photograph often, I know well enough that GPS coordinates would be of little value to me. If I were going to write a guide book, this would probably help sell a few more copies.

Todd you know you just called Aleksei her instead of him, while you were probably thinking of Aleksandra (Aleks) who would be a her. But then maybe you have some inside information of some changes in the past couple of weeks.

Back to GPS, it is possible to get a unit which attaches to your camera and then allows you to import the data. While the units can be costly at this time and on Nikon use the port which is normally used for a remote cable it does store the data. I believe Lightroom will show the data, but only when it is embedded in the imported file so you can not edit it later. As Nikon has it as an expensive attachment at this time you could always just not use it when you want the location secret.

You can also download software that will add the GPS co-ords that you got from your personal GPS into the EXIF fields for you, but I haven't seen much advantage.
I suppose you could use your GPS unit and mark the waypoints and then add the waypoint number to your EXIF data fields yourself.
Maybe you could use Google Earth and mark your photo file numbers on the location on your PC/Mac.
Endless possibilities.

The software I found (Link above) uses a .gpx file from the device that is a track file, and it compares the timestamps of the images with the time in the track to get the GPS Position. Appears to be real quick way to tag them before import into Aperture. It will also work with setting waypoints and reading that file, but then I have to remember to click a way point everytime I shoot an image, and that sounds like a PITA.

Think I will try the track file after the shoot this weekend -- My wife thinks i am nuts, and a total gadget freak :)

I fiddled with GeoTagging images I took on a jeep trip in Canyonlands NP last summer. I found the process a bit cumbersome - even on my Mac. After downloading the GPS track info, I had to import the RAW images into Aperture, export them to a folder, launch the app that did the tagging - then re-import into Aperture.

It was fun to see the track and the photos on Google Earth. I don't think it's worth doing for every shoot though. Like most photographers, I'm a visual person - so I have no problem remembering how to get back to a given location, or remembering where an image was captured. If Canon makes Geotagging easier in the future I might consider using it more often.

I have a Geomet'r GPS receiver that attaches to the Nikon D300 through the 10 pin connector. The D300 has built in GPS capability so with the device connected GPS data is recorded in the EXIF file when I take a photo. The device comes with software to display the camera location on a Google map or you can use several applications like Flickr, Picasa, etc. to display your track and photos on maps. I use some freebie software, GeoSetter, that lets you display stuff in Google Earth. I use Windows XP on my PC.

I don't have any particular reason or purpose. It's just cool

http://www.macsense.com/Product/peripheral/gnc-35.htm

I geotag every image and have done so for the last 3+ years. I use it more and more as part of my trip reports. For example, I've incorporated the Google Earth browser plug-in into my trip report to Cathedral Lake last fall.

I like carrying a GPS with me on my travels, anyway. Geotagging a batch of images take 5-10 extra minutes at the beginning of my workflow. There are many, many different workflows and software solutions to geotag. I use the tracklog of my Garmin 60CSx and RoboGeo (I use a PC). I do it for fun because I'm a total map-geek.

Though I don't have or know about all the tech, I remember where I was for all my photos. I guess that comes from loving photography, let's hope in the years to come this continues. One use for me would be if I wanted to recreate a photo exactly from the same spot for different seasons, or to just try again with better conditions, then this would be a great feature. I doubt I could recreate the exact same composition/angle from memory. Now if you're doing more journalism then it might be helpful. But like Bret Edge said in the photo he posted, the ranger didn't want him to divulge the location of the ruin, but if it takes a lot of bushwacking to get somewhere then a GPS and tagging a photo might be useful for a return. But I admit it is cool to have the option.

Thanks Neil, No, no changes - Still a him. Easy mistake though with my full name so no harm done

I have seen some neat stuff done with syncing GPS to photos. A lot of the local trail riding groups use programs like RoboGeo http://www.robogeo.com so they get the GPS of the trail they rode and it also syncs where they took their pictures. I think it could be beneficial for logging a trip through a foreign country.

Thanks for all the responses!

Arlen -- From what I can tell, if you download the images to a folder from the camera, then you run the GPS linker program (Many for Mac and WIndows) then import into Aperture or Lightroom it would make the workflow MUCH smoother -- thats what I am gonna try next

Scott -- GREAT link -- I love what you did on the Cathedral Lake trip report -- the Google Earth Plugin is WAY cool. I played with Google maps/Earth but that the first I have seen the plugin. I am hooked to give this a try.

Cynthia -- I agree, I remember where all my shots where taken, but I am hoping that by geotagging I can get others more interested, and make my photography more interactive I guess. I am a geek, what can I say.

I did an experiment yesterday -- with a $2 iPhone app, I started it running, and drove home from work. I had a small P&S camera with me (I always carry -- "just in case") and took some snapshots. I got home, and the iPhone app E-mailed me the .gpx file and a .kml file, so I ran the GPSPhotoLinker on the files, using the track, and it instantly geotagged them all!

I will "test" it with real photos on Saturday :)

There is a great discussion of this topic with links over at the main forum. Last week I believe.