Where was this photo taken again?
Returning from fieldwork with a camera full of photos but no clear way to place them on your map? You're not alone. Many field teams capture valuable visual documentation only to lose track of exactly where each image was taken.
Without location data, photos become disconnected from their spatial context. Matching images to coordinates manually is tedious, and mistakes creep in quickly when you're working with hundreds of files. What should be useful evidence becomes a disorganised folder of unnamed JPEGs.
Geotagging solves this problem by embedding GPS coordinates directly into your photos. In this guide, we will look at how to import geotagged photos into QGIS to create a map where every image is linked to its exact location. The result? A richer, more complete picture of your fieldwork that you can analyse, share and build upon.
What you'll need
Before getting started, make sure you have the following:
- A device with GPS capabilities (smartphone or GPS-enabled camera)
- Photos with embedded EXIF location data
- QGIS installed (version 3.x or later)
- Optionally, Mergin Maps mobile app for streamlined field collection
If you're using a dedicated camera without GPS, you can record a GPX track separately and sync it with your photos afterwards using a photo geotagging software.
Step 1: How to capture geotagged photos in the field
The easiest way to geotag photos is to capture them on a device that records location automatically. Most smartphones do this by default, but it's worth checking your settings.
On your phone, open your camera app settings and ensure location tagging is enabled. On iPhone, this falls under Settings → Privacy → Location Services → Camera. On Android, head to your camera settings and look for something like "Location tags", "Save location" or "Geo tags", the wording varies by device.
Step 2: Verify your photos have GPS coordinates
Before importing, it's wise to confirm your photos actually contain location data. This saves frustration later if something went wrong during capture.
On Windows: Right-click your photo, select Properties, then click the Details tab. Scroll down to the GPS section and look for Latitude and Longitude values.
On macOS: Open the photo in Preview, then go to Tools → Show Inspector. Click the GPS tab to view coordinate information.
If the GPS fields are empty, your photos weren't geotagged. You'll need to tag them manually or sync them with a GPX track before proceeding.
Step 3: Import geotagged photos into QGIS
With verified geotagged photos in hand, you're ready to bring them into QGIS. The built-in "Import geotagged photos" tool makes this straightforward.
- Open QGIS and load your project (or create a new one).
- Go to Processing → Toolbox to open the Processing panel.
- Search for "Import geotagged photos" and double-click to open the tool.
- In the dialog, set the Input folder to the directory containing your photos.
- Choose an output location for the resulting point layer, or leave it as a temporary layer.
- Click Run.
💡 Tip for Mergin Maps users: Save your output layer as a GeoPackage (.gpkg) in your project's main folder. This ensures your photo layer syncs correctly across devices.
QGIS automatically scans your photos, reads the GPS information stored in their EXIF data and creates a point layer showing where each image was taken.
The attribute table stores the file path, coordinates, and additional metadata such as timestamp and altitude. The layer form is automatically configured to show image previews with a single click.
Step 4: Set up map tips for photo previews on hover
Want to preview photos without having to click on each one? Map Tips let you see images simply by hovering over points, which is perfect for quickly scanning multiple locations.
- Right-click your photo layer and select Properties.
- Navigate to the Display tab.
- In the Map Tip box, enter the HTML expression below (where "photo" is your photo field):
<img src="file:///[% "photo" %]" width="300"> .
💡 Want to use this with Mergin Maps layers? Your layer photo field likely stores relative paths rather than absolute ones. Replace the expression with <img src="file:///[% @project_folder %]/[% "photo" %]" width="300"> .
- Click OK to save.
- Enable Map Tips by going to View → Show Map Tips (or press the Map Tips button in the toolbar).
Select your photo layer in the Layers panel, then hover over any point on the map to preview the image.
Streamline your workflow with Mergin Maps
The manual process above works well, but if you're collecting field data regularly, there's a simpler way. Mergin Maps lets you capture geotagged photos directly within your survey workflow, with no extra steps required.
When you attach a photo to a feature in the Mergin Maps mobile app, GPS coordinates are recorded automatically. Your photos sync seamlessly to your QGIS project through Mergin Maps’ plugin, appearing exactly where they were taken. No importing, no folder management, no EXIF checking.
Wrapping up
Geotagged photos transform scattered images into meaningful spatial data. By embedding coordinates at capture and importing them into QGIS, you create a visual record that's tied directly to your map. Whether you're documenting infrastructure, environmental conditions or survey sites, this workflow keeps everything connected.
Ready to simplify your fieldwork? Try Mergin Maps for free and see how easy photo collection can be.
Related resources:
- Mergin Maps documentation: Capturing photos in the field
- QGIS documentation: Import geotagged photos tool