A picture is worth a thousand words. That does not mean that you shouldn't spend a few words to properly annotate your images.

In my opinion any image worth keeping is worth at least 1 keyword.

Brett's Rules of Keywording

I'd like to start by listing what I'll call 'Brett's Rules of Keywording'

  1. Every image gets at least 1 keyword
  2. Use a single root keyword
  3. Lock your Keywords HUD
  4. Back up your keywords
  5. Keep your Keywords HUD clean
  6. Think hierarchically (RapidWeaver thinks that is spelled correct...)
Why are you annotating?

Why did you take the picture and why are you annotating it? Most people will answer that they are taking pictures of family events and that they are trying to make sure that the pictures still have meaning & context in the future. Others will say that they're doing this so they can sell pictures to stock agencies or direct. Some will be doing both (pro photographers have families, too).

These two purposes will have different annotation requirements. If you are planning on annotating images for sale then you may have annotation requirements. If you're doing it for yourself and posterity then you're all on your own.

As I continue, I want you to do one very important thing: think hierarchically.

I will present some sample keywords from my keywords library complete with their parent keywords.

Keywording philosophy

Ask yourself the essential questions:

  1. Who
  2. What
  3. Where
  4. When
  5. Why
  6. How

With those in mind, we'll build a keyword hierarchy. As you work your way through these questions think precise and then we'll work our way up the hierarchy.

Who
Who is in the picture? Are they a professional doing a job, a family member, a friend, a pet, an athlete, a performer, or what? Who qualifies for their own keyword (I do immediate family and best friends, everyone else gets a family name)? Do people have to be the focus of the picture or just marginally appear in the photo? Decide carefully about that last one because you may be spending days annotating after your cousin's wedding!
Are pets people?
People > Performer > Mariachi
People > Professional > Baker
People > Family > Mom
People > Athlete > Mountain Climber
Pets > Dog > Hera
What
What is this a picture of? Think in exact terms. It's a photo of a bald eagle. What is a bald eagle? It's a bird which is an animal. It is also an example of wildlife (as opposed to a cow which is domesticated).
Animal > Wildlife > Bird > Bald Eagle
Animal > Domesticated > Cow
Building > Hotel > Prince of Wales Hotel
Water > Lake > Lake McDonald
Another thing to ask is what sort of picture is it? Does the picture have a particular theme?
Sunrise-Sunset > Sunset
Theme > Americana
Where
Where was ths picture taken? This info will likely also be in the location metadata fields, but with keywords we have additional levels of hierarchy.
Park > National Park Service > National Park > Yosemite NP > Yosemite Valley
Park > Disney > Epcot > Epcot Canada
United States > Nevada > Las Vegas > Las Vegas Strip
When
When did you shoot this? Think beyond date & time because that's in the EXIF metadata already. Think about whether this is a part of an event of some sort: a wedding, family vacation, a holiday?
Event > Holiday > Thanksgiving > Thanksgiving 2006
Event > Vacation > Yosemite Spring 2006
Event > Wedding > Gina & Brett Gross Wedding
Why
Why is this picture special? Why should someone want to look at or buy it? Is there a rainbow? Is is funny or special to you?
Optical Effects > Rainbow
Special > Funny
Special > Kiss
How
How did you shoot it? Did you use a specific technique?
Technique > Closeup
Technique > Long Exposure
How will you use the picture?
Usage > Photo Book Candidate > 2006 Annual Book
Usage > Desktop Picture
How did you get it?
Source > Scan
Source > Brett Gross Photography