Failing to find any tool on the web that does what I need I set out to write my own.  Put very simply, at this point it copies all the files from one directory to another while moving and renaming the file based on the EXIF metadata timestamp stored within each digital photo.  From My Documents\My Pictures\DSC_1234.JPG to 2009\02\23\2009-02-23_16.28.45.jpg.  The new name and directory structure makes it easier to find “those Hawaii pics I took last summer.”

I developed the program in Python with the aim of keeping the utility platform-independent and later building a front-end GUI for it.

You can currently find the program and source code on Sourceforge (released under GPL3).  I compiled an .exe binary as well for Window users who do not have Python installed.  It currently is in beta stage and supports basic functionality.  For example: renaming based off custom template, simulating the actions, and controlling the verbosity of output.

Planned features include moving the original file, checking for duplicate pictures, and renaming RAW files as well.

Please post any comments or bugs to the Sourceforge discussion forums or bug tracker!

One thing that’s always bugged me is the auto white balance leads to overly “warm” shots in incandescent lighting:

Like-wise, when changing the white balance from auto to cloudy produced a drastic change:

While the left photo resembles the actual scenery, the under the cloudy white balance setting corrects it to reveal the colors under better lighting conditions.

One of the biggest annoyances on my old point-and-shoot was the amount of noise on high ISO shots. While obviously this has been improved since switching to an DSLR and the resulting larger sensor, there’s still a bit of noise in my ISO 16000 shots. This can be solved by fast glass but unfortunately because the Nikon D60 doesn’t have a motor built-in to the body. So instead of the Nikkor 50mm 1.8D lens I would have to shell out $800 more for the AF-S version (albeit 40% faster).  However the Sigma 30mm f1.4 HMS is always a viable alternative.