ejones0310 Loc: Tulsa, OK

My wife and I are going on an Alaskan cruise in August. I've spent the morning looking at Mike's (Blacks2) vast array of Alaskan photos and it occurs to me that I can't rely on memory anymore to keep track of what I'm photographing. I don't want to lug around a notebook, or even an iPad. But it occurs to me that there must be an app for my iPhone that would do the trick.

Does anyone use a journal or logger and if so, which one is your favorite. I've looked in the App Store and was overwhelmed by the choices. It occurs to me that something that uses gps and allows voice notes as well as auto sequencing of the photo number should be available.

I just found a thread on UHH that talks about Nikon specific devices, so I'm editing this thread to note that I will be using a Canon 80D and will not have web access for about 10 days.

DNW

I ...one word and date it. Then save the file. If that helps...it works for me. ë¿ë

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

I take a shot with my phone of the area so I can associate it with a group of shots from the DSLR. I have location turned on for the phone photos, so it comes in real handy for places like Acadia where I'm in MANY locations. The GPS coordinates from the phone shot will pin me to where I was when I took the photos.

Jay Pat Loc: Round Rock, Texas, USA

Every port is different.
Take shots of signs as you enter each different thing you visit.
Your images shot from the ship could be confused. That is what image number id is for to keep everything in order.
Jinx & I have been on 2 cruises. Have not had a problem keeping up with the images.
Send us a postcard!!
Pat

ejones0310 Loc: Tulsa, OK

That brings up another question. I will have my iPhone in Airplane Mode while I'm out of the lower 48 so as not to incur expensive roaming charges. Will the GPS receiver work in airplane mode?

ejones0310 Loc: Tulsa, OK

While photos on land can be tracked by shooting a local sign from time to time, shipboard photos (over the rail shots) would be problematic. That's one of the reasons I was looking at GPS loggers.

Photocraig

With Digital and zoom lenses, you can make it routine to shoot wide to show location, even if you never use that photo for anything else, and then shoot your images from that location. People use an shot of their open and closed hands to show the begging and end of a bracketed or HDR intended sequence. The idea of signs , including the plaques and other stuff along the way make gerat clues.

A rhetorical question: "If you can't remember or tell where and when a photo was taken, is there, perhaps an issue with your:

Subject selection
Perspective being all the same
Angle of view left, right high low being all the same?

My suggestion is, we ALL have gotten into routines. And travelling, we want to avoid holding up the group etc. This results in the kind of "I can't remember where this was, but ain't it pretty" moments my catalog is full of. It really shows the snap shooter and spray and pray element of travel photography that overcomes everyone. What I've tried to do, sometimes, is carve out a few hours to sneak off and MAKE a few photographs. Then my 'inner artiste" is mollified. The only thing worse that looking at someone's vacation photos may be looking at them being MADE. I like the phone trick. Most have a notes app or a voice recorder app and an "establishing shot" with a verbal note (like the sign thing) on your phone that mirrors the actual photograph or sequence on your camera is a good way to get a geographic pin.

You're a member of a big group,
C

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

My fool proof method used since 1968.
--Bob

(Download)

David in Dallas Loc: Dallas, Texas, USA

I carry a small GPS Logger with me that records where I am about every 15 seconds while I'm active on a tour. I also take a laptop with me and leave it at the hotel room. Each evening I download my photos of the day to the laptop, and also the GPS data from the Logger. The Logger device comes with software that looks at the photo and GPS data and figures out where I was located when each photo was taken. It can display that as information on Goggle Maps and it can add the coordinates into the EXIF information for each photo. In order for this method to work well, the clock in the camera must be set quite accurately, however--I typically do this each morning before leaving the hotel using Internet time from the laptop. If you'll only be taking photos while walking around, the accuracy need not be extreme, but if you (like me) take photos from the coach while traveling, you'll want the time to be accurate to within a second or so--one second at 60mph is 88 feet of movement.

The GPS Logger I use is called "I-gotU" and is about the size of a 9-volt battery; its internal battery is good for about 15 hours the way I use it, and it charges through the same USB cable employed to download the data (and can do so concurrently)--a full charge takes about 5 hours, so it's easy to charge it each night in preparation for another day's touring the next morning.

If you do as I do and merge the GPS data with the photos each evening, it is important to insure that subsequent post-processing steps don't remove the GPS data from the EXIF--some tools require specific steps to insure this doesn't happen.

I actually take 2 of the I-gotU devices with me in case my day's travels go longer than 12-15 hours. The merging software can utilize multiple sets of location data during the process.

Although this process does greatly assist me in knowing what it is I've taken a photo of, it isn't perfect. Especially for photos taken through the coach windows while driving along, identification is sometimes difficult. I spend considerable time when I get home from a trip using web searches for things like "churches in Ishkabibble, Fantaland" and then attempt to match up the images. (I'm getting to be surprisingly successful in this effort.) For my more recent tour images uploaded to Flickr, maybe 70% or more have descriptions of what they are.

I also sometimes take photos of street signs.

rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA

Most phones have a basic voice clip recording feature already built in. Simply tell your phone what you just shot with your camera and save the audio clip. Include whatever information you think you will want to recall - date, time, location, etc. And there are many downloadable apps for voice recording if for some reason you don't like the one your phone came with.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

My phone says "Airplane mode will turn off calling, messaging, and mobile network functions." These require the phone to transmit. So I would imagine since GPS is receive only, it would still work. Simple test: turn on airplane mode, go somewhere, take a picture, review picture data to see if it is location tagged.

Stardust Loc: Central Illinois

As mentioned take photos of signs, menus, refrig magnets, anything that tells you where you are - most can be discarded later. I also have a simple app on my phone called ASR that touching icon starts recorder, big button stops. It is my backup when no sign like "big blue bldg was where so&so grew up" etc. I use Android but sure i-Phone has their version.

Also, assuming i-Phone is like Android, don't put phone in Airplane Mode or you won't be able to use free WiFi at any restaurants that offer, Starbucks, etc. (Will cost arm&leg on ship) What you want to do instead is turn off Roaming and Data so no calls outside your coverage area, no expensive automatic app updates, and sure your GPS will still work.

Enjoy Alaska - a beautiful area - and hope you like salmon. I leave for China Tuesday, my 50th destination outside USA, so doing the same planning.

ejones0310 Loc: Tulsa, OK

Tested and GPS does work in airplane mode.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Excellent.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Wow!!! I use a steno pad and pencil. Sometimes the easiest simplest solution is the best. If you want a tech solution, use the voice recorder on your cellphone.