Making notes for digital photos

[pgowder]

When I took film I carried a pad and could not the photo's number. Now with my digital camera I have no idea what the number is.

Is there a good method for keeping notes on digital photos?

[Chunk]

When I took film I carried a pad and could not the photo's number. Now with my digital camera I have no idea what the number is.

Is there a good method for keeping notes on digital photos?

What kind of camera do you have? The ones I'm familiar with show the picture's filename/number when displayed in the play/view mode. Cycling through the different display modes may be necessary to find which shows the name.

[Asylum Steve]

...is that you can rename the files, and so convert them to a filing system of your choosing.

Digtial cameras create their file names using numbers in sequential order, either starting over with each change (or reformat) of a memory card, or continuing with a running count. Your camera should have the option of changing the numbering system from one to the other.

If you choose to rename your digital files (and unless you're a Brainiac with number memorization, thats probably a good idea), it makes sense you either name them with some sort of a date code (keeping them in chronological order), or with a subject keyword.

Some use both, so a glance at the file name lets you know both the subject and when the shot was taken.

As far as a shooting notebook is concerned, that's still probably a good idea, although much of your shooting info is now stored in the image file itself as EXIF data.

[another view]

The EXIF data will have more info than you probably care about - which WB setting, actual focal length of the lens for that shot, whether or not the flash fired, time it was taken - along with shutter speed/aperture/ISO.

Like Steve says, a notebook is still a good idea to know how you set things up, or what you metered on, why you tried something, etc. Some of it (if not all of it) will be visible right from the camera, but Photoshop or any other editing program will display it too.

[Chunk]

The EXIF data will have more info than you probably care about -

Probably doesn't list the subjects- left to right...

I'm always glad I don't have ot do stuff like that when I see news photographers at public events.

[pgowder]

I'm talking more about names of people in the photo, or notes about the scene.

I'll have to look and see if my camera show the file name, it's a Maxxum 7D. Never thought of doing that.