I made a tutorial on the Map Module in Lightroom Classic for the Dutch Photography community. It can take a lot of work to collect and add GPS data to your images. Is this information useful, or is it only good to have it?
It can be helpful to know where a photo was taken. You probably remember it very well, but as time goes on, the memory can become less clear. Especially if you travel a lot, it can be difficult to know exactly where that place is, if you come back one day.
You can track, of course. I used to put locations in a photo album, and usually the exact location doesn’t matter at all. But with the GPS built into the camera, you can record the exact location of where you stood when you took a photo. It can even record altitude.
GPS module inside the camera
Canon EOS 7D Mark II with built-in GPS, like Canon 5D MarkIV. Sometimes, I use it, sometimes, I simply forget to turn it on. The good thing about the built-in GPS is that it automatically tags coordinates while taking pictures. Now, I have Canon EOS R5, without built-in GPS. You could say it’s a pity, but if I think about how many times I need coordinates recorded with my previous cameras, it doesn’t really matter. At least not me.
Using the GPS Data Logger
There is another way to record GPS coordinates. With one GPS data logger, Your hiking trip can be recorded. Synchronizing the GPS data logger’s time with the camera and retrieving coordinates afterwards is easy.
Instead, I installed a simple GPS data logger on my smartphone. It does the same trick, although I don’t like being dependent on a smartphone for many things. I would like a separate GPS data logger, if I can find one. But it works and the app on my smartphone records my trips. This way I can put the coordinates in the EXIF data afterwards.
Map Module in Lightroom Classic
I use Lightroom Classic to manage my photo database. It has a built-in map module, which is normally monitored. If your photo has GPS coordinates, the software will place the photo directly on the map.
Lightroom Classic also allows you to import GPS tracking data. However, you must be careful because if you have traversed any time zone, you need to correct the track of the entered data in terms of hours. If you do, it’s easy to tag all the images with precise GPS coordinates with the push of a button, so to speak.
I did this for my photography tours to Norway, Iceland, France and Luxembourg, I recorded GPS coordinates every day and imported the tracks into Lightroom Classic. This way, the GPS information is placed in the EXIF data and Lightroom Classic automatically adds additional location information.
Now, I know where my pictures were taken. I can track my travels in the ,ap module inside Lightroom Classic and…really. I can’t think of anything else to do with the information other than look at the Map module.
With each export, the information is added to the EXIF information of the JPEG image. Information is read if I upload an image my Flickr accountand people can extract the exact location where that particular image was taken. Of course, I can decide to remove the location information during export because Lightroom Classic gives you a choice.
Do you need all that information?
It’s nice to have a complete set of EXIF data for each photo: exposure settings, lens type and focal length you used, camera make and model, and of course, all day and now. Coordinates can be added, just like location information. If your camera has a built-in GPS module, coordinates will be added without any further work.
But what if you need to use a dedicated GPS data logger or app and you need to do all the extra work of importing track data and syncing timestamps for a bit of information, which is probably mostly never used again, I wonder: what is that use? Isn’t it just a waste of time?
However, there are a few times where the coordinates are useful to me. I have been looking for locations in France for my upcoming photography classes. In this case, it is very convenient to have information readily available. It makes it easy to see where the best locations are and whether they fit my needs. On the other hand, I was also taking notes and I did some homework to figure out a lot of those places. I already know where they are.
Besides, I still have my smartphone, not necessarily a GPS data logger, but to take some quick pictures. They also have GPS coordinates, making locations almost always trackable. I almost forgot to mention a drone that relies on GPS to find its way. Photos taken with these devices also carry GPS information inside.
Maybe it’s not useful after all
GPS coordinates for your photos are a great thing to have, and even without a built-in GPS receiver, it’s easy to get precise coordinates for every photo you take. Software like Lightroom Classic will help place the image on the map. I think it’s a good thing that this is possible.
Alas, I can’t see much benefit. What is its use? Additionally, if you want to prevent the exact location from being publicly visible when using images online, you need to take precautions to remove that portion of the EXIF information.
Perhaps there is a good use of GPS coordinates for your photos. If you have a reason why you should go to the trouble of adding this information to your EXIF data, I’d love to hear about it. And while you’re at it, let me know if you’re using GPS coordinates in the comments below and why. I am looking forward to your feedback.
