Back to Basics - Part 4C - Metadata, Keywords & Search Tools for Underwater Photographers (2025 Edition)

Back to Basics – Part 4C: Metadata, Keywords & Search Tools for Underwater Photographers (2025 Edition)

If there’s one aspect of Lightroom that most underwater photographers overlook, it’s metadata, keywords, and the built-in search tools.

Unlike the flashy features of the Develop Module, these quiet tools are the backbone of an organized, searchable Lightroom library, and they’re essential if you want to find any underwater image—fast—even years after the dive.

Whether you’re shooting daily in Roatan, traveling the globe chasing sharks and nudibranchs, or simply want a streamlined system for organizing your dive vacation photos, mastering metadata and keywording will keep your underwater collection manageable and accessible.

This chapter on Oceanic Explorers will serve as your go-to reference, a resource you'll revisit time and again to refine your workflow and maximize your photography's potential.

📂 Section 1 — Understanding Metadata: What Underwater Photographers Actually Need

Lightroom utilizes two primary types of metadata to organize and manage your photos effectively.

1.1 EXIF Metadata (Automatically Added by Your Camera)

This includes:

Shutter speed
Aperture
ISO
Date/time
Camera body
Lens
Focal length
White balance
GPS coordinates (if available)

Underwater relevance:

Helps track exposure choices in different depths
Shows which lens was used for macro vs wide-angle
Allows filtering by camera body or dive day
Useful when identifying time-zone sync issues

1.2 IPTC Metadata (User-Added Information)

This is where you add:

Your name
Copyright
Location (country, region, dive site)
Descriptions
Keywords

This stays with your image—even after export.

1.3 Copyright Metadata (Required for All Photographers)

Set this once and apply automatically during import.

Example:

© 2025 Robert Herb Photography – All Rights Reserved
Contact: bob@robertherb.com
Website: www.RobertHerb.com

This protects your images when sharing online or submitting to publications.

🧩 Section 2 — Metadata Presets (Your Time-Saving Power Tool)

Metadata presets are a handy feature that can save you a lot of time and effort. They eliminate the need to repeatedly type the same information, making your workflow smoother and more efficient. Plus, using presets ensures your work stays consistent and professional-looking every time.

2.1 Copyright Preset

Apply automatically for every import.

2.2 Location / Dive Destination Presets

Common underwater examples:

“Roatan – West End”
“Roatan – Mary’s Place”
“Utila – Black Hills”
“Anilao – Secret Bay”
“Cozumel – Santa Rosa Wall”

Fields may include:

Country
State/Region
City
Sublocation (dive site)
GPS (optional)

2.3 Dive Trip Preset

Useful for multi-day dive vacations.

Sample fields:

Destination
Operator
Boat name
Water temp
Visibility
Housing/strobe setup
Notes

This becomes invaluable during portfolio reviews or article submissions.

🏷 Section 3 — Keywording: The Foundation of an Organized Underwater Library

Keywording allows you to search by:

Species
Behavior
Dive site
Environment
Camera gear
Lighting conditions
Trip location
Year

Without keywords, your library is just a collection of folders.
With keywords, it becomes a searchable database of your underwater life.

These same keywords also power Lightroom's Smart Collections. When your keywording stays simple and consistent, Lightroom can automatically group images by subject, location, behavior, or trip, which you will see in action when we get to Part 4E on Smart Collections and automation.

📚 Section 4 — The Ideal Keyword Hierarchy for Underwater Photography

This hierarchy is optimized for underwater photographers and Oceanic Explorers.

4.1 Marine Life

Marine Life

→ Fish

→→ Blue Tang

→→ Angelfish (Queen, French)

→→ Tarpon

→ Crustaceans

→→ Shrimp

→→ Crabs

→ Macro Subjects

→→ Nudibranch

→→ Seahorse

→ Small Critters

→→ Blenny

→→ Goby

→ Sharks & Rays

→→ Caribbean Reef Shark

→→ Nurse Shark

→→ Southern Stingray

→ Turtles

→→ Hawksbill

→→ Green

→ Eels

→→ Moray Eels

4.2 Environments

Environment

→ Reef

→ Wreck

→ Cavern

→ Blue Water

→ Seagrass

→ Sand Patch

4.3 Behaviors

Behavior

→ Cleaning Station
→ Schooling
→ Feeding
→ Mating
→ Hiding
→ Hunting

4.4 Dive Sites

Dive Sites

→ Roatan
→→ West End Wall
→→ El Aguila Wreck
→→ Mary’s Place
→ Utila
→→ Black Hills
→ Bonaire
→→ Salt Pier
→ Hawaii
→→ Molokini Crater

4.5 Camera Gear

Camera Gear

→ GoPro
→ Mirrorless
→ DSLR
→ Strobes
→ Lenses
→ Wet Lenses

This structure ensures your keywording remains consistent across catalogs and years.

🎨 Section 5 — Applying Keywords Efficiently

5.1 Keywording During Import

Recommended keywords:

Dive site
Trip location
Broad subject category (reef, schooling fish, macro)

5.2 Batch Keywording

To keyword efficiently:

Select all images from a dive site → apply site keyword
Select all turtle shots → apply species keyword
Select all macro images → apply “macro”
Use Auto Sync for behavior tags
Apply equipment tags as needed

5.3 Synonyms (Lightroom Classic only)

Example:

Keyword: Hawksbill Turtle
Synonyms: turtle, sea turtle, Eretmochelys imbricata

Searching any synonym pulls up the image.

🎨 Section 6 — The Painter Tool: Fast Keywording for Underwater Photographers

Using the Painter Tool (Lightroom Classic Only)

The Painter Tool is one of Classic’s best hidden features. It lets you “spray” metadata onto images in Grid View, making it perfect for large dive trips.

What the Painter Tool Is

A spray can icon in the Library Module → Grid View.
You choose what you want to apply, keywords, ratings, labels, and click thumbnails to “paint” that info onto them.

Why Underwater Photographers Should Use It

Perfect for:

Macro creature sequences
Turtles and sharks where multiple frames are similar
Schooling fish
Wide-angle reef scenes
Grouping dive-site images
Tagging behaviors quickly

It turns a 30-minute keyword task into 5 minutes.

How to Use the Painter Tool

Library Module → Grid View (G)
Turn on the Toolbar (T)
Click the Spray Can
Choose Keywords
Type your keyword(s)
Click thumbnails to apply
Press ESC to exit

Limitations

Classic only
Grid View only
Best for broad tagging

🔎 Section 7 — Lightroom Search Tools: Finding Anything Fast

Once your metadata is in place, finding any image becomes instant.

7.1 Text Search (Filter Bar)

Searches:

Keywords
Filename
Lens
Camera
Metadata fields

Shortcut: Press \ to toggle Filter Bar.

7.2 Metadata Filters

Search by multiple criteria:

Lens
Date
Dive site
ISO
Camera
Keyword
Copyright

7.3 Attribute Filters

Search by:

Star ratings
Flags
Color labels
Virtual copies
Edited/unedited

⚙ Section 8 — Smart Collections for Underwater Photographers

Smart Collections automatically update based on rules.

Useful Smart Collections

1. Best of Year

Rating ≥ 4
Flag = Pick
Year = 2025

2. Hawksbill Turtle Collection

Keyword contains “Hawksbill Turtle”

3. Roatan Trip

Keyword contains “Roatan”
Date range = trip dates

4. Behavior Collection

Keyword contains “Cleaning Station”

5. Camera/Lens Collection

The camera contains “Sony A7R V”
Lens = 90mm macro

🆚 Section 9 — Lightroom Classic vs Cloud: Search Differences

Lightroom Classic

Best metadata control
Best keyword hierarchy
Best for 50k+ image catalogs

Lightroom (Cloud)

AI-powered search (perfect for underwater)
Identifies subjects even without keywords
Great mobile workflow

Lightroom Mobile

Excellent for quick searches
Limited metadata entry
Great immediate post-dive tagging

🎯 Section 10 — Your Complete Metadata + Keyword Workflow

After every dive trip:

Import photos
Apply Copyright Preset
Apply Location / Dive Site Preset
Batch keyword major subjects
Use the Painter Tool for fast tagging
Add species-specific keywords
Add behaviors
Build Smart Collections
Use Metadata Filters to refine
Use Attribute Filters to find favorites

This completes your organizational foundation in the Library Module.

From here, Parts 4D and 4E will build on this foundation using fast culling tools and Smart Collections, so Lightroom can handle more of the organizing work for you.

✔ You’re Now Ready for Part 4D

Back to Basics – Part 4D: Fast Culling & Advanced Library Tools
(Coming next)

This will cover Compare View, Survey View, Stacks, Fast Culling workflows, and more.

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Written by Robert Herb
Empowering underwater photographers to capture and enhance the beauty of our oceans since 1978.
Until next time — dive smart, stay organized, and edit with intention.
Stay tuned for more in-depth insights into underwater photography. Let's dive deeper into the art and craft of capturing the marine world! If you have any comments or suggestions, I'd love to hear them.
Get ready for an exciting underwater photography adventure! For more details on my upcoming online training course, check out my "Training" page at RobertHerb.com or email me at bob@robertherb.com.
I am eagerly anticipating your valuable feedback and suggestions.
Sincerely,
Bob Herb
Robert Herb
Robert Herb Photography
+1 (714) 594-9262‬ | +504 9784-0024 | www.RobertHerb.com
Bob@robertherb.com | Roatán, HN or Aliso Viejo, CA (USA)