diff --git a/src/components/cmdk/CommandKClient.tsx b/src/components/cmdk/CommandKClient.tsx
index 4e1e21c2..4f409c1f 100644
--- a/src/components/cmdk/CommandKClient.tsx
+++ b/src/components/cmdk/CommandKClient.tsx
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ import { useTheme } from 'next-themes';
 import { BiDesktop, BiMoon, BiSun } from 'react-icons/bi';
 import { IoInvertModeSharp } from 'react-icons/io5';
 import { useAppState } from '@/state/AppState';
-import { queryPhotosByTitleAction } from '@/photo/actions';
+import { searchPhotosAction } from '@/photo/actions';
 import { RiToolsFill } from 'react-icons/ri';
 import { BiLockAlt, BiSolidUser } from 'react-icons/bi';
 import { HiDocumentText } from 'react-icons/hi';
@@ -151,27 +151,33 @@ export default function CommandKClient({
   useEffect(() => {
     if (queryDebounced.length >= MINIMUM_QUERY_LENGTH && !isPending) {
       setIsLoading(true);
-      queryPhotosByTitleAction(queryDebounced).then(photos => {
-        if (isOpenRef.current) {
-          setQueriedSections(photos.length > 0
-            ? [{
-              heading: 'Photos',
-              accessory: <TbPhoto size={14} />,
-              items: photos.map(photo => ({
-                label: titleForPhoto(photo),
-                keywords: getKeywordsForPhoto(photo),
-                annotation: <PhotoDate {...{ photo }} />,
-                accessory: <PhotoSmall photo={photo} />,
-                path: pathForPhoto({ photo }),
-              })),
-            }]
-            : []);
-        } else {
-          // Ignore stale requests that come in after dialog is closed
+      searchPhotosAction(queryDebounced)
+        .then(photos => {
+          if (isOpenRef.current) {
+            setQueriedSections(photos.length > 0
+              ? [{
+                heading: 'Photos',
+                accessory: <TbPhoto size={14} />,
+                items: photos.map(photo => ({
+                  label: titleForPhoto(photo),
+                  keywords: getKeywordsForPhoto(photo),
+                  annotation: <PhotoDate {...{ photo }} />,
+                  accessory: <PhotoSmall photo={photo} />,
+                  path: pathForPhoto({ photo }),
+                })),
+              }]
+              : []);
+          } else {
+            // Ignore stale requests that come in after dialog is closed
+            setQueriedSections([]);
+          }
+          setIsLoading(false);
+        })
+        .catch(e => {
+          console.error(e);
           setQueriedSections([]);
-        }
-        setIsLoading(false);
-      });
+          setIsLoading(false);
+        });
     }
   }, [queryDebounced, isPending]);
 
diff --git a/src/photo/PhotoHeader.tsx b/src/photo/PhotoHeader.tsx
index d798eedf..f66508df 100644
--- a/src/photo/PhotoHeader.tsx
+++ b/src/photo/PhotoHeader.tsx
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import {
   PhotoDateRange,
   PhotoSetAttributes,
   dateRangeForPhotos,
+  titleForPhoto,
 } from '.';
 import ShareButton from '@/components/ShareButton';
 import AnimateItems from '@/components/AnimateItems';
@@ -13,7 +14,6 @@ import { ReactNode } from 'react';
 import DivDebugBaselineGrid from '@/components/DivDebugBaselineGrid';
 import PhotoPrevNext from './PhotoPrevNext';
 import PhotoLink from './PhotoLink';
-import { formatDate } from '@/utility/date';
 import ResponsiveText from '@/components/primitives/ResponsiveText';
 import { useAppState } from '@/state/AppState';
 
@@ -83,10 +83,7 @@ export default function PhotoHeader({
         photo={selectedPhoto}
         className="uppercase font-bold text-ellipsis truncate"
       >
-        {
-          selectedPhoto.title ||
-          formatDate(selectedPhoto.takenAt, 'tiny')
-        }
+        {titleForPhoto(selectedPhoto, true)}
       </PhotoLink>);
 
   return (
diff --git a/src/photo/actions.ts b/src/photo/actions.ts
index 734208c0..3d3244a6 100644
--- a/src/photo/actions.ts
+++ b/src/photo/actions.ts
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ import {
 } from '@/site/paths';
 import { blurImageFromUrl, extractImageDataFromBlobPath } from './server';
 import { TAG_FAVS, isTagFavs } from '@/tag';
-import { convertPhotoToPhotoDbInsert } from '.';
+import { convertPhotoToPhotoDbInsert, Photo } from '.';
 import { runAuthenticatedAdminServerAction } from '@/auth';
 import { AI_IMAGE_QUERIES, AiImageQuery } from './ai';
 import { streamOpenAiImageQuery } from '@/services/openai';
@@ -412,6 +412,9 @@ export const getPhotosCachedAction = async (options: GetPhotosOptions) =>
 
 // Public actions
 
-export const queryPhotosByTitleAction = async (query: string) =>
-  (await getPhotos({ query, limit: 10 }))
-    .filter(({ title }) => Boolean(title));
+export const searchPhotosAction = async (query: string) =>
+  getPhotos({ query, limit: 10 })
+    .catch(e => {
+      console.error('Could not query photos', e);
+      return [] as Photo[];
+    });
diff --git a/src/photo/index.ts b/src/photo/index.ts
index bf3feab3..e3890a20 100644
--- a/src/photo/index.ts
+++ b/src/photo/index.ts
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ import { getNextImageUrlForRequest } from '@/services/next-image';
 import { FilmSimulation } from '@/simulation';
 import { HIGH_DENSITY_GRID, SHOW_EXIF_DATA } from '@/site/config';
 import { ABSOLUTE_PATH_FOR_HOME_IMAGE } from '@/site/paths';
-import { formatDateFromPostgresString } from '@/utility/date';
+import { formatDate, formatDateFromPostgresString } from '@/utility/date';
 import {
   formatAperture,
   formatIso,
@@ -198,8 +198,18 @@ const PHOTO_ID_FORWARDING_TABLE: Record<string, string> = JSON.parse(
 export const translatePhotoId = (id: string) =>
   PHOTO_ID_FORWARDING_TABLE[id] || id;
 
-export const titleForPhoto = (photo: Photo) =>
-  photo.title || 'Untitled';
+export const titleForPhoto = (
+  photo: Photo,
+  preferDateOverUntitled?: boolean,
+) => {
+  if (photo.title) {
+    return photo.title;
+  } else if (preferDateOverUntitled && (photo.takenAt || photo.createdAt)) {
+    return formatDate(photo.takenAt || photo.createdAt, 'tiny');
+  } else {
+    return 'Untitled';
+  }
+};
 
 export const altTextForPhoto = (photo: Photo) =>
   photo.semanticDescription || titleForPhoto(photo);