diff --git a/kahuna/public/js/components/gr-image-metadata/gr-image-metadata.html b/kahuna/public/js/components/gr-image-metadata/gr-image-metadata.html
index 4f06497075..5a3be944cc 100644
--- a/kahuna/public/js/components/gr-image-metadata/gr-image-metadata.html
+++ b/kahuna/public/js/components/gr-image-metadata/gr-image-metadata.html
@@ -375,7 +375,7 @@
                     </span>
                 </button>
                 <span ng-class="{'image-info--multiple': ctrl.selectedImages.size > 0}"
-                      editable-text="ctrl.metadata.peopleInImage"
+                      editable-text="ctrl.newPeopleInImage"
                       ng-hide="peopleInImageEditForm.$visible"
                       onbeforesave="ctrl.updateMetadataField('peopleInImage', $data)"
                       e:form="peopleInImageEditForm"
diff --git a/kahuna/public/js/components/gr-image-metadata/gr-image-metadata.js b/kahuna/public/js/components/gr-image-metadata/gr-image-metadata.js
index 4494754ba2..bd1053cd96 100644
--- a/kahuna/public/js/components/gr-image-metadata/gr-image-metadata.js
+++ b/kahuna/public/js/components/gr-image-metadata/gr-image-metadata.js
@@ -60,6 +60,7 @@ module.controller('grImageMetadataCtrl', [
       inject$($scope, Rx.Observable.fromPromise(selectedUsageCategory(ctrl.usageRights)), ctrl, 'usageCategory');
       ctrl.rawMetadata = rawMetadata();
       ctrl.metadata = displayMetadata();
+      ctrl.newPeopleInImage = "";
       ctrl.extraInfo = extraInfo();
       if (ctrl.singleImage) {
         updateSingleImage();