James Duncan Davidson’s last post, Copyright and Metadata, expounded on Lightroom’s ability to painlessly embed the creator (& copyright) information in your photos (both within the master—or sidecar—files and exported copies). I just want to touch upon one other beneficial side-effect of taking the time to embed this information: the ability to partition the photos in your library based on who snapped them.

When out galavanting with a companion that isn’t quite as into photography as you are it often doesn’t make sense to haul around two sets of gear, so passing your camera back and forth is a natural remedy. In the past, the question I often asked myself after dumping the photos onto my computer is “What’s the easiest way to separate the shots I took from the shots that I didn’t take while still storing them in the same place?”

Lightroom’s Metadata Browser allows you to keep the shots in the same catalog and quickly see which photos were taken with your own eye and those that were snapped by your companion(s). Sure, you’re completely free to use a separate catalog (or an entirely separate application) for shots that aren’t your own, but this solution is ideal for me as I prefer to keep all of the shots from a trip together in one place rather than scattered around.