Today's digital cameras generally all support EXIF Data. Standing for Exchangeable Image File this allows the exchange of camera settings between the camera and image manipulation software. The data is stored within the image and can thus be shared with other supporting applications such as Flickr.

Details of the shutter speed, date and time the image was recorded, the focal length, metering pattern and such like are all recorded. To view and add additional info in photoshop you can right click the images header box and select FILE INFO. Here you can add a copyright notice, a caption and address details. The actual EXIF data is viewable via the bottom menu option. You can't modify this. (Using Photoshop  7 here - it may vary slightly on other versions).

It took me ages to work out how to save this data with an image. For some reason Photoshop strips out the EXIF data if you save an image under SAVE FOR WEB. Using SAVE AS, and selecting JPEG, preserves it. Not as easy as SAVE FOR WEB but at least the info is preserved. You can save regularily entered info as a file and append the data to each new image.

After uploading an image to flickr you can view the data via the MORE PROPERTIES link under ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. I got in a right funk over entering all the data only to have it not recorded and thus viewable on Flickr - before discovering the SAVE AS option.  

All this EXIF data is required if, for example, you wish to put a picture forward for our Picture of The Day.... you won't be considered without it... normally!