The Most Overlooked macOS Tool for Organizing Travel Photos

When I’m traveling for photography, I treat file organization as part of the trip—not something I “deal with later.” After long days shooting, unfamiliar locations, and multiple memory cards, the last thing I want when I get home is a pile of files named P1234567.ORF that all blur together.

One of the simplest tools I use to prevent that chaos is already built into macOS: Finder’s Rename Format feature. It’s fast, visual, and surprisingly powerful—and it’s become a core part of how I organize travel photos before I get home.

Start with backups—Every Night

No workflow matters if the photos aren’t safe.

When I’m traveling, I back up my images every night to two external SSDs. Those drives go into separate carry-on bags, never checked luggage. Memory cards fail, bags get lost, and flights get delayed. Redundancy buys peace of mind.

Once the images are secured on the first backup drive, that’s when I use Finder Rename.

Why I rename photos while traveling

I don’t rename files for perfection. I rename them for context.

When you wait until after a trip, details fade. Locations blur together. Was that shot from the morning or the evening photo shoot? Which camera did I use? What day was that?

Renaming while traveling locks that information into the filename while it’s still fresh.

Avoiding Duplicates When Shooting With Multiple Cameras

When you shoot with multiple camera bodies from the same manufacturer—duplicate filenames can occur across different memory cards. This can cause conflicts if you are organizing your files into folders by location or date.

I often shoot with multiple bodies for photo shoots like safaris where I have cameras set up with different focal lengths, or if I’m shooting both in infrared and standard color.

Using a consistent Rename Format in Finder lets you clearly differentiate files by camera or purpose, eliminating duplicates and making it immediately obvious which body created each image.

Distinguishing Similar Shoots and High-volume Bursts

When photographing fast-moving subjects like birds, wildlife, or sports over multiple days and locations, it’s easy to end up with shots without any context to the location if you don’t have GPS built into your camera.

Adding simple indicators like AM / PM, or a short location tag, helps separate shoots that might otherwise feel identical. That small bit of context can be the difference between instantly finding an image and scrolling endlessly.

Location Context Matters More Than You Think

On travel days where I shoot in multiple locations, filenames that include where the photo was taken make organization far easier later. When I get home, I’m not trying to remember which town this was, what overlook that was, or what hiking trail I was on.

That information is included in the filename.

Faster Imports When I get Home

Another benefit is speed. Because my files are already renamed and organized on my external SSDs, I don’t need to import card by card into Lightroom when I return. I can simply copy the folders from my drive and import them directly.

It’s faster, cleaner, and avoids rehandling memory cards long after the trip is over.

Using Finder’s Rename Format Feature for Effective File Naming

Finder’s Rename feature lets you batch rename hundreds (or thousands) of files in seconds, with a live preview before you commit anything. I use it to add meaningful structure to my files—without opening any photo software.

My filenames usually include:

Location
Date
Camera
am or pm
Sequence number which is automatically set by the Finder Rename Format feature

For example:

Plitvice_Lakes_20251015_Infrared_am_###
Kenya_Safari_20250711_am_OM1_II_###

The exact format isn’t important, naming consistency is.

How to Use Finder’s Rename Format (Step-by-Step)

Here’s how I rename an entire shoot in seconds directly in macOS Finder.

Step 1 — Select Your Files

Open the folder containing your photos on your external SSD.

Select the images you want to rename (⌘ + A selects all).

Step 2 — Open the Rename Tool

Right-click on any selected file and choose:

Rename…

A dialog box will appear with renaming options and a live preview.

Step 3 — Choose “Format”

At the top of the dialog, set:

Rename Finder Items: → Format

This is important — this option creates structured filenames rather than just replacing text.

Step 4 — Set Your Naming Structure

You’ll see three key settings:

Name Format: Name and Counter. Name and Index will also work. Name and index uses the finder’s internal file index, not necessarily the order you see in the window.
Custom Format: Enter your filename structure

Example: White_Sands_20251213_OM1_am_

Start numbers at: 1

Finder automatically adds the sequence number to the end.

Step 5 — Preview Before Committing

The window shows exactly what your filenames will look like before changes are made. This prevents mistakes.

Step 6 — Click Rename

All selected files are renamed instantly.

Organization That Pays Off Later

Good file naming isn’t just about today—it’s also about the future. This means that months or years later, your archive still makes sense and searching for photos is faster. And best of all, you spend less time managing files—and more time editing the photographs themselves. This also keeps your image descriptions separate from your photo management software in case you ever want to switch.

A small habit with a big payoff

Finder Rename isn’t flashy. It’s not new. And it’s not marketed to photographers.

But it’s one of those quiet tools that, once you start using it, becomes hard to imagine working without—especially when traveling.

My photo organization starts before I get home. A few minutes each night in Finder saves hours later and keeps my travel workflow clear and predictable.

Written by Martin Belan

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