Using iPhone GPS to Tag Photo Locations

Photography Essentials

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To use your iPhone’s GPS to tag photo locations from a mirrorless or DSLR camera, you can follow these steps:

  1. Record GPS Data with Your iPhone:
    • Use a GPS tracking app on your iPhone to record your location data while you are taking photos with your camera. Apps like Strava, GPX Tracker, or others can record your location data in a GPX file format. Many of these apps are also available for Android.
  2. Sync Time Between Devices:
    • Ensure that the time on your iPhone and your camera are precisely synchronized. This is crucial because the GPS tagging will rely on matching the timestamps of the photos with the GPS data.
  3. Take Photos with Your Mirrorless Camera:
    • While the GPS app is recording your location, take photos with your camera as you normally would.
  4. Export the GPX File:
    • Once you’re done shooting, stop the GPS tracking and export the GPX file from your iPhone. This can usually be done directly from the app. Save it to a shared location like iCloud Drive or OneDrive, or email it to yourself to use on a computer in the next step.
  5. Use Photo Geotagging Software:
    • On your computer, use geotagging software that can read the GPX file and apply the GPS data to the photos based on the timestamps. Software like Adobe Lightroom, Geotag Photos Pro, or HoudahGeo can do this. Import both your photos and the GPX file into the software.
  6. Match and Tag Photos:
    • The software will match the timestamps from your photos with the location data in the GPX file and tag the photos with the corresponding GPS coordinates.
  7. Save and Export:
    • Once the photos are tagged, you can save them and export them as needed. The geotags will be embedded in the photo metadata.

By following these steps, you can effectively use your iPhone’s GPS to add location data to the photos taken with a mirrorless or DSLR camera that doesn’t have built-in GPS capabilities.

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