Actually, it would be more appropriate to call it a lack of metadata crisis, and it is—without any hyperbole—a deadly serious problem that is taking place in every corner of the professional photography landscape. It’s an unnerving nightmare that affects you and every other photographer. Unfortunately, few photographers seem to know about it. Luckily, there are very easy steps you can take to avoid being a metadata-less victim.
Obviously metadata is an extremely broad term, with all kinds of metadata for all types of uses. What I am referring to here is the most basic metadata that all photographers must add to their files: your name, your contact information and the copyright status of your image. (Ranking, keyword and processing instruction metadata are all cool, but not adding them results in workflow inefficiencies, not an industry-wide crisis.)
Continue reading “The Big, Scary Metadata Crisis (And How To Address It)”