diff --git a/app/utils/pdf_export.py b/app/utils/pdf_export.py
index 01e09c2..e0624cc 100644
--- a/app/utils/pdf_export.py
+++ b/app/utils/pdf_export.py
@@ -121,8 +121,12 @@ def _compress_image(src_path: str) -> io.BytesIO | None:
     if not _PIL_AVAILABLE:
         return None
     try:
+        from PIL import ImageOps
         img = PILImage.open(src_path)
 
+        # Apply EXIF orientation tag so rotated phone photos appear upright.
+        img = ImageOps.exif_transpose(img)
+
         # Strip transparency — JPEG does not support alpha channels.
         # Convert palette / RGBA / LA → RGB before saving.
         if img.mode in ('RGBA', 'LA', 'P'):