FYI - Zenfolio started stripping Exposure and lens EXIF data from images

Cross post from https://www.lightroomqueen.com/community/threads/metadata-question.54501/

This thread evolved from a user who noticed that their LrC images posted to their Zenfolio pages no longer included the Exposure or Lens EXIF data when you click the “i” button on his ZF website.  There was some discussion about his workflow (converting to TIFF, passing it through Photo shop) but it turned out to be a change made at Zenfolio which has rubbed a lot of folks the wrong way.  

See the above thread for further information and a workaround using Jfriedl’s ZF Publish Service plug in or his Metadata Wrangler Plug in.

If you are a Zenfolio user who is angry that ZF deliberatly started stripping EXPOSURE, FOCAL LENGTH and LENS SPEED from uploaded images please voice your complaint to Zenfolio. To do so you can use the "Contact Us" button on your Zenfolio dashboard/control web site panel or send an email to: Zenfolio Support <support@zenfolio.com>   I complained to Zenfolio and here is what I got back.

RESPONSE I GOT FROM ZENFOLIO

Hi Dan,

Thank you for your reply!

I've checked with our tech team on your inquiry, and found that older images uploaded on our Classic platform will still show the full set of metadata that we used to read, store, and display. In the meantime, we've had a change to our media engine which did reduce some of the EXIF data that is shown.

The IPTC fields that Zenfolio currently recognizes and can display are:

• Headline (*)
• Object Name (*)
• Caption (**)
• Keywords
• Copyright notice

You can see more information about his here in our support guide that covers Reading IPTC Metadata: https://support.zenfolio.com/hc/en-us/articles/7432707189779-Reading-IPTC-Metadata

Best,
Stephanie | Customer Experience

MY REPLY TO ZENFOLIO

I am quite upset about the response to the EXIF metadata issue. Zenfolio positioned itself in the market place as a website tool developed by and for serious photographers as a place to showcase their images. It is absolutely absurd that an platform purportedly designed by and for photographers would choose to eliminate some of the most important data about images (exposure and lens info). Why in the world would you do that? The first thing that photographers want to know about an image is the shutter speed, aperture and ISO and right on the heels of that is what focal length was used.

This is really not acceptable. If anything, you should show MORE of the EXIF data, not less of it.

I also don’t understand what you say about a change of media engine? Right now, some of my images show the EXIF data and some don’t. In addition, if I download the original image from my ZF gallery it contains the EXIF data regardless of whether it is being shown in ZF or not. This implies that the ‘media engine’ you are referring to operates during upload and the output of the engine is what you store in your database for use (as well as storing the original image I uploaded).

Is it possible for you to take all my photos that were passed through the new media engine and run them through the old one instead. Also can my account be configured such that all new uploads get passed through the old media engine (or fix the new media engine to include the same – or more – of the metadata as the old engine did)? As it stands now it is really a bad situation – even if the vender of the new media engine under bid the vender of the old media engine.

Thanks -- Dan