Geotagging
Geotagging adds location — latitude and longitude — to a photo's metadata, so software can show where it was taken and photos can be searched and mapped by place.
A geotag is a set of GPS coordinates stored in a photo's EXIF data. Phones geotag automatically; most interchangeable-lens cameras don't have GPS, so photographers add location another way: a GPS accessory, a Bluetooth link to the maker's phone app, a GPS track log matched later, or tagging by hand on a map.
Location is useful for property, news, travel and wildlife work — and sensitive for others.
How it works
Whatever the source, the coordinates end up in the photo's GPS tags. Track-log matching compares each photo's DateTimeOriginal with a recorded path and picks the matching point, which needs the camera clock to be right. Bluetooth links send the phone's position to the camera, which writes it as it shoots, but the link can drop.
An example: a property shoot
A real-estate photographer shoots several houses in a day. Geotags on every frame mean each set files itself by address on a map, and there's no confusion about which kitchen belongs to which listing.
Geotagging in CloudTether
With geotag photos on for a shoot, CloudTether records the phone's location while you tether and writes it into each JPEG, matched to the capture time, without recompressing the file. A camera clock offset in More › Settings › Geotagging corrects a camera that's ahead or behind. RAW and HEIF files pass through untagged. It's set per shoot so you choose where location travels. See how to geotag with your phone's GPS.
Privacy
Geotags can reveal a home address or a protected species' location. Leave geotagging off, or strip location from public deliveries, when it shouldn't travel.
Tips and common mistakes
- Sync the camera clock with the phone before geotagging.
- Allow location access for the app doing the tagging.
- Check what platforms do with location before sharing.
Put it into practice
CloudTether tethers your camera to your phone and delivers every shot to the cloud, live as you shoot — no laptop.