diff --git a/src/app/admin/uploads/[uploadPath]/page.tsx b/src/app/admin/uploads/[uploadPath]/page.tsx
index a2faee67..1092ed7d 100644
--- a/src/app/admin/uploads/[uploadPath]/page.tsx
+++ b/src/app/admin/uploads/[uploadPath]/page.tsx
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ export default async function UploadPage({ params: { uploadPath } }: Params) {
   const {
     blobId,
     photoFormExif,
-  } = await extractExifDataFromBlobPath(uploadPath);
+  } = await extractExifDataFromBlobPath(uploadPath, true);
 
   if (!photoFormExif) { redirect(PATH_ADMIN); }
 
diff --git a/src/components/FieldSetWithStatus.tsx b/src/components/FieldSetWithStatus.tsx
index 3c7bdd7f..6e123e97 100644
--- a/src/components/FieldSetWithStatus.tsx
+++ b/src/components/FieldSetWithStatus.tsx
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ export default function FieldSetWithStatus({
   note,
   error,
   value,
+  isModified,
   onChange,
   selectOptions,
   selectOptionsDefaultLabel,
@@ -31,6 +32,7 @@ export default function FieldSetWithStatus({
   note?: string
   error?: string
   value: string
+  isModified?: boolean
   onChange?: (value: string) => void
   selectOptions?: { value: string, label: string }[]
   selectOptionsDefaultLabel?: string
@@ -57,6 +59,12 @@ export default function FieldSetWithStatus({
           <span className="text-gray-400 dark:text-gray-600">
             ({note})
           </span>}
+        {isModified &&
+          <span className={clsx(
+            'text-main font-medium text-[0.9rem] -ml-1.5 translate-y-[-1px]'
+          )}>
+            *
+          </span>}
         {error &&
           <span className="text-error">
             {error}
diff --git a/src/photo/form/PhotoForm.tsx b/src/photo/form/PhotoForm.tsx
index 54b72d49..b0af5f7b 100644
--- a/src/photo/form/PhotoForm.tsx
+++ b/src/photo/form/PhotoForm.tsx
@@ -1,11 +1,12 @@
 'use client';
 
-import { useCallback, useEffect, useState } from 'react';
+import { useCallback, useEffect, useMemo, useState } from 'react';
 import {
   FORM_METADATA_ENTRIES,
   PhotoFormData,
   convertFormKeysToLabels,
   formHasTextContent,
+  getChangedFormFields,
   getFormErrors,
   isFormValid,
 } from '.';
@@ -16,10 +17,6 @@ import Link from 'next/link';
 import { clsx } from 'clsx/lite';
 import CanvasBlurCapture from '@/components/CanvasBlurCapture';
 import { PATH_ADMIN_PHOTOS, PATH_ADMIN_UPLOADS } from '@/site/paths';
-import {
-  generateLocalNaivePostgresString,
-  generateLocalPostgresString,
-} from '@/utility/date';
 import { toastSuccess, toastWarning } from '@/toast';
 import { getDimensionsFromSize } from '@/utility/size';
 import ImageBlurFallback from '@/components/ImageBlurFallback';
@@ -31,6 +28,7 @@ import AiButton from '../ai/AiButton';
 import Spinner from '@/components/Spinner';
 import { getNextImageUrlForRequest } from '@/services/next-image';
 import useDelay from '@/utility/useDelay';
+import usePreventNavigation from '@/utility/usePreventNavigation';
 
 const THUMBNAIL_SIZE = 300;
 
@@ -63,6 +61,21 @@ export default function PhotoForm({
   const [blurError, setBlurError] =
     useState<string>();
   const [hasBlurData, setHasBlurData] = useState(false);
+
+  const changedFormKeys = useMemo(() =>
+    getChangedFormFields(initialPhotoForm, formData),
+  [initialPhotoForm, formData]);
+  const formHasChanged = changedFormKeys.length > 0;
+  const onlyChangedFieldIsBlurData =
+    changedFormKeys.length === 1 &&
+    changedFormKeys[0] === 'blurData';
+
+  usePreventNavigation(formHasChanged && !onlyChangedFieldIsBlurData);
+
+  const canFormBeSubmitted =
+    (type === 'create' || formHasChanged) &&
+    isFormValid(formData) &&
+    !aiContent?.isLoading;
   
   const didLoad1000msAgo = useDelay(1000);
 
@@ -112,22 +125,6 @@ export default function PhotoForm({
     height,
   } = getDimensionsFromSize(THUMBNAIL_SIZE, formData.aspectRatio);
 
-  // Generate local date strings when
-  // none can be extracted from EXIF
-  useEffect(() => {
-    if (!formData.takenAt || !formData.takenAtNaive) {
-      setFormData(data => ({
-        ...data,
-        ...!formData.takenAt && {
-          takenAt: generateLocalPostgresString(),
-        },
-        ...!formData.takenAtNaive && {
-          takenAtNaive: generateLocalNaivePostgresString(),
-        },
-      }));
-    }
-  }, [formData.takenAt, formData.takenAtNaive]);
-
   const url = formData.url ?? '';
 
   const updateBlurData = useCallback((blurData: string) => {
@@ -321,6 +318,7 @@ export default function PhotoForm({
                   note={note}
                   error={formErrors[key]}
                   value={formData[key] ?? ''}
+                  isModified={changedFormKeys.includes(key)}
                   onChange={value => {
                     const formUpdated = { ...formData, [key]: value };
                     setFormData(formUpdated);
@@ -357,10 +355,7 @@ export default function PhotoForm({
         {/* Actions */}
         <div className={clsx(
           'flex gap-3 sticky bottom-0',
-          'pb-4 md:pb-8 pt-10',
-          'bg-gradient-to-t from-60%',
-          'from-white/90',
-          'dark:from-black/95',
+          'pb-4 md:pb-8 mt-12',
         )}>
           <Link
             className="button"
@@ -369,12 +364,19 @@ export default function PhotoForm({
             Cancel
           </Link>
           <SubmitButtonWithStatus
-            disabled={!isFormValid(formData) || aiContent?.isLoading}
+            disabled={!canFormBeSubmitted}
             onFormStatusChange={onFormStatusChange}
             primary
           >
             {type === 'create' ? 'Create' : 'Update'}
           </SubmitButtonWithStatus>
+          <div className={clsx(
+            'absolute -top-16 -left-2 right-0 bottom-0 -z-10',
+            'pointer-events-none',
+            'bg-gradient-to-t',
+            'from-white/90 from-60%',
+            'dark:from-black/90 dark:from-50%',
+          )} />
         </div>
       </form>
     </div>
diff --git a/src/photo/form/index.ts b/src/photo/form/index.ts
index 63ab8698..5c772333 100644
--- a/src/photo/form/index.ts
+++ b/src/photo/form/index.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@ import { Photo, PhotoDbInsert, PhotoExif } from '..';
 import {
   convertTimestampToNaivePostgresString,
   convertTimestampWithOffsetToPostgresString,
+  generateLocalNaivePostgresString,
+  generateLocalPostgresString,
 } from '@/utility/date';
 import { getAspectRatioFromExif, getOffsetFromExif } from '@/utility/exif';
 import { toFixedNumber } from '@/utility/number';
@@ -284,5 +286,25 @@ export const convertFormDataToPhotoDbInsert = (
       ? parseFloat(photoForm.priorityOrder)
       : undefined,
     hidden: photoForm.hidden === 'true',
+    ...generateTakenAtFields(photoForm),
   };
 };
+
+export const getChangedFormFields = (
+  original: Partial<PhotoFormData>,
+  current: Partial<PhotoFormData>,
+) => {
+  return Object
+    .keys(current)
+    .filter(key =>
+      (original[key as keyof PhotoFormData] ?? '') !==
+      (current[key as keyof PhotoFormData] ?? '')
+    ) as (keyof PhotoFormData)[];
+};
+
+export const generateTakenAtFields = (
+  form?: Partial<PhotoFormData>
+): { takenAt: string, takenAtNaive: string } => ({
+  takenAt: form?.takenAt || generateLocalPostgresString(),
+  takenAtNaive: form?.takenAtNaive || generateLocalNaivePostgresString(),
+});
diff --git a/src/photo/server.ts b/src/photo/server.ts
index ce40fe79..3a606a06 100644
--- a/src/photo/server.ts
+++ b/src/photo/server.ts
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ import {
   getExtensionFromStorageUrl,
   getIdFromStorageUrl,
 } from '@/services/storage';
-import { convertExifToFormData } from '@/photo/form';
+import { convertExifToFormData, generateTakenAtFields } from '@/photo/form';
 import {
   getFujifilmSimulationFromMakerNote,
   isExifForFujifilm,
@@ -12,7 +12,8 @@ import { PhotoFormData } from './form';
 import { FilmSimulation } from '@/simulation';
 
 export const extractExifDataFromBlobPath = async (
-  blobPath: string
+  blobPath: string,
+  includeInitialPhotoFields?: boolean,
 ): Promise<{
   blobId?: string
   photoFormExif?: Partial<PhotoFormData>
@@ -55,9 +56,14 @@ export const extractExifDataFromBlobPath = async (
     blobId,
     ...exifData && {
       photoFormExif: {
+        ...includeInitialPhotoFields && {
+          ...generateTakenAtFields(),
+          hidden: 'false',
+          favorite: 'false',
+          extension,
+          url,
+        },
         ...convertExifToFormData(exifData, filmSimulation),
-        extension,
-        url,
       },
     },
   };
diff --git a/src/site/globals.css b/src/site/globals.css
index 0c7a0614..f5cb2d5c 100644
--- a/src/site/globals.css
+++ b/src/site/globals.css
@@ -96,7 +96,9 @@
     @apply
       text-invert
       bg-gray-900 dark:bg-gray-100
-      disabled:bg-gray-900 disabled:dark:bg-gray-100
+      disabled:text-gray-300 disabled:dark:text-gray-700
+      disabled:bg-white disabled:dark:bg-black
+      disabled:border-gray-200 disabled:dark:border-gray-700
       border-gray-900 dark:border-gray-100
       active:bg-gray-700 active:border-gray-700
       active:dark:bg-gray-300 active:dark:border-gray-300
diff --git a/src/utility/usePreventNavigation.ts b/src/utility/usePreventNavigation.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..bbf44e97
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/utility/usePreventNavigation.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+import { useEffect } from 'react';
+
+export default function usePreventNavigation(
+  enabled?: boolean,
+  // eslint-disable-next-line max-len
+  confirmation = 'Are you sure you want to leave this page? Any unsaved changes will be lost.',
+  includeButtons?: boolean,
+) {
+  useEffect(() => {
+    const callback = (e: MouseEvent) => {
+      const target = e.target as HTMLElement | undefined;
+      const parent = target?.parentElement as HTMLElement | undefined;
+      const grandParent = parent?.parentElement as HTMLElement | undefined;
+      const targets = [target, parent, grandParent];
+      if (
+        targets.some(target => target?.tagName === 'A') && (
+          !includeButtons ||
+          targets.some(target => target?.tagName === 'BUTTON')
+        )
+      ) {
+        if (enabled && !confirm(confirmation)) {
+          e.stopPropagation();
+          e.preventDefault();
+        }
+      }
+    };
+    document.addEventListener('click', callback, true);
+    return () => document.removeEventListener('click', callback, true);
+  }, [enabled, confirmation, includeButtons]);
+}