In the days of film the dedicated amateur often took a notebook to record photographic information about the shots, such as shutter-speed and aperture. Some photographers still take a notebook without realising that whenever a digital camera takes a picture, this information and much else is automatically recorded by the camera and is known as metadata or EXIF information.

If a digital photographer does not have a computer, then perhaps a notebook is still essential, but for those who have a computer this information can be accessed after the images have been downloaded.

Most digital cameras come with their own software, the use of which is optional, but when used EXIF information should be comprehensive, but accessing it will vary between manufacturers. Alternatively it can be viewed without special camera software by using Windows XP, Vista or 7 by right-clicking on the image for the submenu and choosing properties.

In addition to showing a comprehensive list of camera information, all of which is automatically recorded, it will also show the date and time for every photograph. This must be set manually first via the camera menu, otherwise this part of the information will be incorrect! Most cameras do not adjust automatically between time zones and daylight saving changes, such as Greenwich Mean Time and British Summer Time in the UK.