FileFortress for Photographers
Organize and search your photo library with EXIF metadata
Why FileFortress for Photography?
FileFortress is designed to help photographers manage large photo libraries across multiple cloud storage providers. Unlike traditional photo management software, FileFortress:
Works with files in cloud storage (no local copies needed)
Searches by EXIF metadata (camera, lens, settings, GPS)
Supports multiple cloud providers simultaneously
Finds duplicates across all storage locations
Preserves original file organization
Initial Setup for Photographers
Step 1: Initialize FileFortress
filefortress init
Step 2: Connect Your Photo Storage
Add cloud storage where your photos are stored:
# Google Drive
filefortress remotes add gdrive
# OneDrive
filefortress remotes add onedrive
# Amazon S3
filefortress remotes add s3
# Backblaze B2
filefortress remotes add b2
Step 3: Scan Your Photo Library
filefortress remotes scan --all
This indexes all files and extracts EXIF metadata from photos.
Finding Photos by Camera and Lens
By Camera Brand
All Canon photos:
filefortress search "" --media-type image --meta "exif.cameraMake=Canon"
Multiple brands (Canon, Nikon, Sony):
filefortress search "" --media-type image --meta "exif.cameraMake in Canon|Nikon|Sony"
By Camera Model
Specific camera model:
filefortress search "" --meta "exif.cameraModel=EOS R5"
All R-series Canon cameras:
filefortress search "" --meta "exif.cameraModel~=EOS R"
By Lens
Specific lens:
filefortress search "" --meta "exif.lens~=70-200"
All prime lenses (contains "mm" but not "-"):
filefortress search "" --meta "exif.lens~=mm" --meta "exif.lens!~=-"
Finding Photos by Settings
By Aperture
Wide aperture photos (shallow depth of field):
filefortress search "" --meta "exif.aperture<=2.8"
Perfect for finding portraits, product shots, and bokeh images.
By ISO
High ISO photos (low light):
filefortress search "" --meta "exif.iso>=3200"
Useful for reviewing noise performance or finding night photography.
By Focal Length
Wide angle (≤35mm):
filefortress search "" --meta "exif.focalLength<=35"
Telephoto (≥200mm):
filefortress search "" --meta "exif.focalLength>=200"
Standard range (35-70mm):
filefortress search "" --meta "exif.focalLength>=35" --meta "exif.focalLength<=70"
Combined Settings
Portrait settings (telephoto + wide aperture):
filefortress search "" --meta "exif.focalLength>=85" --meta "exif.aperture<=2.8"
Date-Based Searches
By Capture Date (Not File Date)
Photos from 2024:
filefortress search "" --meta "exif.takenAt>=2024-01-01" --meta "exif.takenAt<=2024-12-31"
Photos from specific event (e.g., wedding on June 15, 2024):
filefortress search "wedding" --meta "exif.takenAt>=2024-06-15" --meta "exif.takenAt<=2024-06-15"
Photos from last 30 days:
filefortress search "" --modified-after "30 days"
Location-Based Searches
By GPS Coordinates
Photos with GPS data:
filefortress search "" --meta "exif.gpsLatitude exists"
Photos without GPS data:
filefortress search "" --media-type image --meta "exif.gpsLatitude exists" --meta "exif.gpsLatitude="
Image Dimensions and Format
By Resolution
High resolution (4K+):
filefortress search "" --meta "image.width>=3840"
Portrait orientation:
filefortress search "" --meta "image.height>image.width"
Landscape orientation:
filefortress search "" --meta "image.width>image.height"
By File Format
RAW files:
filefortress search "" --extension cr2,cr3,nef,arw,dng
JPEG files:
filefortress search "" --extension jpg,jpeg
RAW + JPEG Pair Management
Finding Pairs
Find all RAW files with matching JPEG:
# First find RAW files
filefortress search "" --extension cr2,cr3,nef,arw,dng
# Then search for matching JPEG by filename
filefortress search "IMG_1234" --extension jpg
Finding Orphaned Files
RAW files without JPEG:
Search for RAW files, then manually verify JPEG exists. Consider creating a script to automate this.
Duplicate Detection
Find Duplicate Photos
FileFortress can find exact duplicates using file hashes:
# First, enrich files to calculate hashes
filefortress remotes enrich --all
# Then find duplicates
filefortress find duplicates
This finds files with identical content, even if filenames differ.
Save Duplicate Query
filefortress find duplicates --save-query "photo-duplicates"
Backup Strategies
Multi-Cloud Backup
Strategy: Store photos in multiple cloud providers for redundancy
Primary: Google Drive (unlimited with Google Workspace)
Backup: Backblaze B2 (low cost, high reliability)
Archive: Amazon S3 Glacier (long-term storage)
Verify Backups
Check if file exists in multiple locations:
# Search across all remotes
filefortress search "IMG_1234.CR2"
# Verify it appears in multiple locations
# Should show results from Google Drive, Backblaze, etc.
Common Photography Workflows
Workflow 1: Find Portfolio-Quality Images
# High-res, wide aperture, from professional camera
filefortress search "" \
--meta "exif.cameraMake=Canon" \
--meta "exif.aperture<=2.8" \
--meta "image.width>=4000" \
--save-query "portfolio-quality"
Workflow 2: Find Event Photos
# Wedding photos from specific date
filefortress search "wedding" \
--meta "exif.takenAt>=2024-06-15" \
--meta "exif.takenAt<=2024-06-15" \
--save-query "wedding-2024-06-15"
Workflow 3: Find Photos for Social Media
# Recent, high-quality JPEGs
filefortress search "" \
--extension jpg \
--meta "image.width>=2000" \
--modified-after "7 days"
Workflow 4: Camera Comparison
# Compare high ISO performance between cameras
filefortress search "" --meta "exif.cameraMake=Canon" --meta "exif.iso>=3200"
filefortress search "" --meta "exif.cameraMake=Nikon" --meta "exif.iso>=3200"
Integration with Photo Software
Lightroom
Use FileFortress to find photos, then import to Lightroom:
- Search in FileFortress to find photos
- Note file paths from search results
- Download from cloud storage
- Import to Lightroom catalog
Capture One
Similar workflow to Lightroom - use FileFortress for discovery, then import to Capture One.
Automated Scanning for Photographers
Daily Scan Script
PowerShell (Windows):
# Scan photo storage daily at 2 AM
$action = New-ScheduledTaskAction -Execute "filefortress" -Argument "remotes scan --all --non-interactive"
$trigger = New-ScheduledTaskTrigger -Daily -At 2am
Register-ScheduledTask -TaskName "FileFortress Photo Scan" -Action $action -Trigger $trigger
Best Practices for Photographers
Scan regularly to keep index up-to-date
Use saved queries for recurring searches
Enable enrichment for duplicate detection
Organize by EXIF metadata, not folder structure
Verify backups across multiple cloud providers
Use descriptive remote names (e.g., "Photos-GoogleDrive", "Photos-Backup-B2")
Related Resources
Metadata Filtering
Complete EXIF filtering guide
Search Syntax
Master search operators
Automation
Automate scanning and backups