IPTC-fields for naming animals/plants

[lindi]

Hi,
after reading the DAMBook I´m going to "reorganize" my images. I´m NOT a professional and my favorite motives are in nature. I want to name the animals/plants with German/English name and also with the latin names.

For example: 

Title:            Amur Tiger
Instructions:  Panthera tigris altaica


Actually I´m using therefore the fields "title" and "instructions", because I had no other usage for this fields. But now I´m unsure, if there would be a better option.
Up to now (and I think in future too) I need it only for personal use. So I think, I could use every field I like. But probably somebody has good arguments, not to do so.
Is there any idea, wich fields I should use for naming ?

Thanks Tobias

[johnbeardy]

Tobias

I don't generally believe in misusing fields. There are a few better choices.

One is custom fields which you could name "Common name" and "Latin name". But custom fields are single entry.

Another idea would be to put them in catalog sets, so then you could have a hierarchical structure, collecting all cats, bears etc.

Thirdly, consider putting the info into keywords. You could use a Vocabulary Editor keywords list with comma separated entries (I helped a plant photographer set up such a system). So on one line you would have "Amur Tiger, Panthera tigris altaica, Tigers, Cats, Katzen". With such a list, you enter Amur Tiger and iView will fill in the rest. Maybe somewhere someone has a list of species - it wouldn't take long to insert the commas (I'd use Excel). Keywords have the advantage that you may have a tiger and an elephant in the same shot, and so one image needs lots of keywords.

John

[lindi]

John,

thanks for your ideas. My argument for the IPTC-fields when I started was, that so I have a nice opportunity, for making HTML-galleries and I can take the names automatically from this IPTC-fields.

Parallel to this naming I´m using a catalog-set in IView, where I list all animals and plants sorted to the species, so for finding them in my catalog its very nice with IViews catalog-set.

The tip with the custom fileds sounds very good for me, cause then I could use this fields for creating a HTML-gallery and I dont´misuse fields. 

On the other hand I have sometimes the problem to have two animals in the same shot, so keywords with your strategy of using a list sounds also not bad.

Perhaps I will use a parallel strategy:
further using my catalog set, so I can find the animals easy and custom fields for the naming.

I think, I know, what I have to do the next weeks. With your teaching in scripting in the IView-Forum it would be really easy for me 

Thanks a lot

Tobias

[Carlo A. Balistrieri]

John, et al,

This old discussion of key-wording for the entry of plant/animal names is an issue I'm dealing with now. It's critical in my work that correct botanical names be used--and common ones if available. Putting them in the key words field was my first thought, but all the discussion of controlled vocabulary has me wondering. Nothing could be more UN-controlled than the entry of thousands of unique names. I'd be very interested in an explanation of the system you mentioned that was put together for a "plant" photographer.

(I am a free-lance garden photographer/writer and do mostly garden and nature photography; LOTS of scientific names).

Carlo

[peterkrogh]

Carlo,
Do you need the information mostly for internal use in your collection (IOW, so that you can browse by the genus/species info) or is the primary use to make it discoverable by other people searching image files without your assistance.

If the primary use is internal, then I would do it in Catalog Sets, and that information can be traded by people who want to do part of the work creating the hierarchy, and combine it with work done with others.
Peter

[Carlo A. Balistrieri]

Peter,

The primary use would be internal, but I would like the names to be available for captions to be used when submitting work.

[peterkrogh]

Carlo,
How many times a year do you think you would need to extract this information to make a caption?  20?  200? 2000?  20,000?
That answer will determine whether it's worth tracking down automation tools, or whether it's just better to do it manually.
Peter

[Carlo A. Balistrieri]

Hi Peter,

Back on this issue...

I anticipate that as the business grows, so will the demand for accurately captioned material. I don't send anything out without the most detailed ID I can provide.

Didn't John B.mention a system to deal with this very issue that he helped create some messages ago? John, where are you?

Carlo

[Dierk]

If it is for internal use and extraction of keywords for galleries or printing, in MediaPro I'd set up two or three custom fields [depending on any more languages to support; German-English-Linnaean in my case]. You can also use simple keywords [compatible with any IPTC-aware application].

Headline and Title are actually the correct fields to use. their purpose is to identify and clarify a stories/images contents.

[johnbeardy]

Carlo

Have you tried any of those methods? IMO the most successful approach in iView is to use comma separated entries in a vocabulary editor file.

Code:

Coot, Fulica atra, Waterfowl, Birds
Moorhen, Gallinula chloropus, Waterfowl, Birds
Golden eagle, Aquila chrysaetos, Eagle, Birds of prey, Birds
White-tailed eagle, Haliaeetus albicilla, Eagle, Birds of prey, Birds

So every time you enter "Golden eagle", iView adds the other keywords. This isn't "live", so you'll have to update the individual records if you later decide to add "adler" and "aquila" as synonyms. On the other hand, people with such needs often use already-prepared lists of species and it's pretty easy to take them from Excel and into a vocabulary editor file (either save as a comma separated file or build up a formula with ampersands).

Update : I've posted an example Excel file on my iView tools page.

Lightroom handles such synonyms really well, so for each keyword you can define multiple synonyms (right click in Keywords panel and choose Edit) and can build up species hierarchies. A few things currently need ironing out (like importing exporting bulk lists) but there is already a very promising way forward.

John

[havezet]

I would recommend that you use XMP for this purpose instead of mis-using some IPTC fields. XMP allows you to describe your images with different languages (alternative languages). That way you will be able to add a title in each language without messing up other fields that are intended for other purposes.

You say that you're using iView and I believe iView supports XMP. So I guess there should be an option to enter alternative languages for the title. I'm not sure though, but I'm sure the "heavy" iView users here can point you in the direction.

Hert