Here is something based on `FilterRules` and using your post of Exif metadata format. **FilterRules** FilterRules["Exif" /. (MetaInformation /. Options[i, MetaInformation]), "XResolution"] >{"XResolution" -> 300} There may be more elegant ways to extract the rules which form part of `MetaInformation`, I await them with interest. This unpacks nested sets of rules: FilterRules[ Options[i, MetaInformation] //. {_ -> z_} -> z, "XResolution"] >{"XResolution" -> 300} **OptionValue** Here is an interesting alternative which does require some knowledge of the structure of the `MetaInformation` but is otherwise nicely concise. OptionValue[Options[i, MetaInformation], MetaInformation -> "Exif" -> "XResolution"] >300