Start with the photo’s metadata. The Exif standard, which almost all digital cameras support, has a field for the date and time the picture was taken, and you can read it with a free metadata inspector. Treat that date as a clue, not a fact. It is whatever the device recorded, it can be edited, and it can be missing. Check other clues too, such as the original file, the device, and where and when the photo first appeared. For your own photos, TimeBinder® gives you a record that is easier to check. A TimeBind records the file’s fingerprint on the Bitcoin blockchain, showing the photo existed no later than the recorded time and still matches its fingerprint. It does not show when or where the photo was taken, or who took it.
Table of Contents
Ways to verify when a photo was taken, and their limits
There are three kinds of evidence to look at. Each has limits:
- The date inside the file (Exif). This is the closest thing to a “date taken”. It can be edited or missing.
- The file’s own dates. Created and modified dates belong to the copy you have, not to the moment of capture.
- Outside clues. These are the original file, the device, and where the photo first appeared. They help you judge, but rarely settle it alone.
For definitions of each date field, see date created vs date modified vs date taken. This page is about checking them.
The Exif “date taken” and how to read it
Exif (Exchangeable image file format) is a standard for metadata in digital still camera files. The Library of Congress notes that JEITA and CIPA (the Camera and Imaging Products Association) have managed it jointly since 2009, and that it is supported by almost all digital cameras. In a JPEG, the Exif data sits inside the file itself.
The standard (CIPA DC-008, Exif version 2.3) defines three date fields that matter here:
- DateTimeOriginal: “the date and time when the original image data was generated”. For a digital camera, that is the date and time the picture was taken. This is the field closest to a “date taken”.
- DateTimeDigitized: the date and time the image was stored as digital data. The standard says that if a camera captured the image and recorded the file at the same time, the two hold the same value.
- DateTime: in the standard, “the date and time the file was changed”. It is not the capture time.
Each is written as “YYYY:MM:DD HH:MM:SS” in 24-hour time.
To read them, open the photo in the file date metadata inspector. It reads the dates stored inside the file, along with its SHA-256 fingerprint, in your own browser. Nothing is uploaded. On an iPhone, Apple’s Photos app also shows the date and time a photo or video was taken, and which device captured it, when you swipe up on the photo.
Why metadata can be wrong, edited or missing
It is whatever the device recorded. DateTimeOriginal holds the date and time the camera or phone wrote when it captured the image. The standard defines the field. It doesn’t check it against anything outside the device.
It can be edited. Apple’s iPhone help says you can change certain stored data in Photos, such as the date, time and location, and revert it later. Other photo apps and metadata editors may also change it. So a date taken that looks right is still only a claim made by the file.
It can be missing. In the Exif standard, DateTimeOriginal is an optional field, and when it is left blank it is treated as unknown. A photo with no date taken isn’t necessarily suspicious, but you can’t read a capture time from it either.
Copies get new file dates. Copying, zipping or downloading a photo gives the new copy new file-system dates, as TimeBinder’s guide to what happens to file dates when you copy, zip or download shows. The date taken, if it is there, is stored inside the file and travels with it. That is why a photo’s created date can be years later than its date taken.
Other clues
When the metadata is all you have, it’s worth looking further:
- Ask for the original file. A copy that has been exported or re-saved may carry different metadata from the original. Compare the two if you can.
- Look at the device. Check that the camera or phone named in the metadata fits the person and the time.
- Compare with other photos. Photos from the same device and the same day should have dates that fit together.
- Check where it first appeared. If the photo was posted online, the date of the earliest post you can find gives you a “no later than” date for that image.
- Look at the picture itself. Weather, seasons, signs, events and buildings in the frame can rule a date in or out.
None of these settles it on its own. Together they give you a reasonable view.
For your own photos going forward: timestamp them
If you take photos for a living, someone may one day question when you took one, or claim it was AI-generated. A date inside the file is easy to change, so it doesn’t carry much weight in that conversation. A record kept outside the file helps more.
A TimeBind fingerprints each file on your own device and records only the fingerprint on the Bitcoin blockchain. The file itself is never uploaded. Any file type works, including RAW files, and you can add up to 10 files to one TimeBind. You get a Proof of Time Certificate. Later, you or someone you share it with can drop the same file into the verifier and see that it still matches the fingerprint and existed no later than the recorded time.
Timestamp the original files, such as the RAW file and the first export, as soon as you can after a shoot, and keep those exact files. For RAW files in particular, see dating a RAW photo. If someone says a photo is AI-generated, read about answering doubts that a photo is AI-generated, and for a wider view, see dated records for photos and videos.
What a TimeBind does not show
- It doesn’t show when or where the photo was taken, only that the file existed no later than the recorded time.
- It doesn’t show who took the photo, that what it shows is true, or whether AI was used.
- It doesn’t show how a court, client or platform will treat it.
- It doesn’t check or correct the file’s Exif dates.
When TimeBinder isn’t the right tool
- You need to date someone else’s photo. A TimeBind records files you have. It can’t tell you when another person’s photo was taken. Use the metadata and other clues above.
- The photo was taken long ago and never recorded. A TimeBind made now records the time it is made, not the earlier date.
- You need to know whether a photo is real or AI-generated. That needs other checks. A timestamp doesn’t answer it.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Where is the date a photo was taken stored?
In a photo that carries Exif data, it is stored inside the file, in the Exif DateTimeOriginal field. The file system also keeps its own created and modified dates, but those belong to the copy, not to the moment of capture.
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Can EXIF dates be changed?
Yes. Apple’s iPhone help, for example, says you can change a photo’s stored date, time and location in Photos. Other apps and editors may change it too, so treat the date taken as a clue.
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Why does the date change when I share a photo?
When you download or save a shared photo, you get a new copy, and copying or downloading gives a copy new file-system dates. The date taken is stored inside the file. Check it with a metadata inspector rather than the created date.
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Can a TimeBind show when a photo was taken?
No. It shows that the exact file existed no later than the recorded time and still matches its fingerprint. It doesn’t show when, where or by whom the photo was taken, or whether AI was used.
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How do I keep a dated record of my own photos?
Timestamp the original files, such as RAW files and first exports, soon after a shoot, and keep those exact files with the Proof of Time Certificate. Only the fingerprint is recorded, so the photos stay with you.
Keep a dated record of your photos
Start by timestamping the originals from your latest shoot. See plans and pricing
