Have you ever met a keywording goddess? Joann is responsible for iofoto’s keyword process. Not only that but she’s awesome with color-correction and retouching as well.
Read more to find if a picture is really worth a thousand (key) words and Joann’s secret passion.
Photo by Gray Mitchell.
How did you get interested in art & photography?
io:
Joann: I always liked to draw when I was young, and when I started showing an interest in photography when I was 15 my dad bought me my first real camera. It was a Minolta X370 (I still have it!). I started in college as an English major, but continued photographing and exploring other creative mediums. Eventually I realized that I wanted to make photography my field of study. It works out well that now I get to utilize my interest in both photography and English!
As iofoto’s keywording goddess, can you explain what makes a good set of keywords?
io:
Joann: I like to start out with a base of words that describe all the important physical elements. From there I will add on more descriptive words, such as mood or things that are happening in the image. My final step is considering concepts the image might convey. It’s important to be thorough, but also to keep the words relevant. You don’t want to overreach.
Why are keywords important?
io:
Joann: No matter how great your image is, it’s worthless if no one can find it! Keywording is the single most important thing that connects your image to the client.
What are the toughest images to keyword?
io:
Joann: Every image has it’s own challenges. The toughest for me can be conceptual images. It can be quite difficult to put a concept into words! Every now and then you get stumped. That’s when I’m thankful to be part of such a great team. Sometimes all you need is a little brainstorming or a new set of eyes to get over a hump.
Is a picture really worth a thousand words?
io:
Joann: And then some! Luckily we don’t have to give every picture a thousand keywords!
How much time does it take to accurately keyword an image?
io:
Joann: We save some time by keywording in batches. Basically, we will keyword all images from an individual shoot at the same time. This allows us to assign the same words to multiple images. Then we go in and assign keywords to each image. The time varies from shoot to shoot. Images with people typically take longer than images without people.
If you could do anything in the world (not related to photography) what would you do?
io:
Joann: Two things that come to mind are environmental conservation and animal rights. Those are the things I would like to put more energy towards.
Do you have any secret passions you want to share?
io:
Joann: Hmmmm… I guess I have to admit I like big trucks and martial arts movies. I also have a menagerie of rescued dogs and cats. And I collect Pez dispensers. My favorite is Gonzo.
