Does date of image taken matter when client is searching for content?

[Tawna Brown]

Date of image taken- does it matter if I upload images that are from previous years? Will clients be able to search through the metadata of images and search only for recent images? I have been sitting on my images for years and I finally have a sabbatical, so I intend to start focusing on uploading images… but I am afraid they may be disregarded because they weren't taken very recently (but are still very strong visuals).   Is there a benefit to upload images soon after taking them as opposed to uploading content from past years?

 

Thank you again;) 

[NYCat]

I'd say just upload your best work.

 

Paulette

[Richard Tadman]

A large proportion of my images are from the world of nature, animals, birds and landscapes and I regularly upload images up to 10 years old.  A bird on a branch for example is not time relevant. I'm not aware of these images having any less prominence in searches than more recent uploads and many older images still sell.
However if you are submitting scenes of towns, roads or railways then the older images will presumably be apparent due to models of cars etc.
I guess it depends on your portfolio and target market.

[John Morrison]

11 hours ago, Tawna Brown said:

Will clients be able to search through the metadata of images and search only for recent images?

Any search can bring the most recent pix to the top with a press of a button...

[MDM]

Buyers can use Date Taken (DT) as a search criterion. Also I heard that there will be a general weighting towards newer images for certain types of images where date taken is important (e.g. travel). I have no idea if this has been implemented but I guess not yet.  I think it would have to be done as part of a general categorisation of images which has presumably been set back due to the pandemic. That said, older images definitely do sell and the more unique they are the more likely that would be. 

[meanderingemu]

Also if the date, time period, era, is important, you should likely include it in your KW and or caption.

 

For example in last month there is over 100 searches using "2012" (picked randomly as in past, but not too far).  Most are people specific- reminder for anyone with named people- but a few are location.  

 

 

 

note:  poster now plans to go through some of his images to make sure he has this covered....🤣

Edited January 12, 2021 by meanderingemu

[Richard Tadman]

On 12/01/2021 at 11:48, John Morrison said:

Any search can bring the most recent pix to the top with a press of a button...

Quite true. My point was that a potential client looking for a picture of a specific bird for example, is unlikely to be unduly influenced by the date it was taken and more so by the quality or suitability of the image for their purposes. I guess that the subject matter will determine how critical the 'date taken' is.

[Michael Ventura]

That brings up a good question. Does the "New" button bring up the newest uploads or most recent taken based on metadata?

 

Ah. just found the answer to my question.  When you mouse over the "New" button, it says that images are sorted by date taken.

[wiskerke]

Just now, Michael Ventura said:

That brings up a good question. Does the "New" button bring up the newest uploads or most recent taken based on metadata?

 

Ah. just found the answer to my question.  When you mouse over the "New" button, it says that images are sorted by date taken.

 

Yes that was a very recent change somewhere around mid October 2020.

Previously it was date uploaded.

 

wim

[Avpics]

On 12/01/2021 at 00:17, Tawna Brown said:

I have been sitting on my images for years and I finally have a sabbatical, so I intend to start focusing on uploading images…

A large proportion of my portfolio was created by doing just that, and many sell. I think you need to look at them individually and consider whether the same image could (and perhaps has) easily be taken today by somebody else with more modern higher spec equipment, or is it a captured moment in time or rarer subject that would be reasonably unique amongst Alamy's database. I'd avoid subjects that are already over subscribed unless yours have particular positive features.

[Tawna Brown]

On 12/01/2021 at 06:53, meanderingemu said:

Also if the date, time period, era, is important, you should likely include it in your KW and or caption.

 

For example in last month there is over 100 searches using "2012" (picked randomly as in past, but not too far).  Most are people specific- reminder for anyone with named people- but a few are location.  

 

 

 

note:  poster now plans to go through some of his images to make sure he has this covered....🤣

hmmmm, after the many many hours I spent keywording and captioning my images, I haven't included dates in almost all of them.... as I assumed this would show in the date of the image when the potential client is viewing the metadata?    For all of my pics that i've uploaded, I see where the year would have been useful to include in some, but I think I'll be ok without.

 

[meanderingemu]

54 minutes ago, Tawna Brown said:

hmmmm, after the many many hours I spent keywording and captioning my images, I haven't included dates in almost all of them.... as I assumed this would show in the date of the image when the potential client is viewing the metadata?    For all of my pics that i've uploaded, I see where the year would have been useful to include in some, but I think I'll be ok without.

 

 

 

yeah i don't have many, but for things that were so obvious 2019  (ie People, no masks, crowds) i went and added it as a KW just in case.  🙂