The present invention provides both a caged collagen mimetic peptide (CCMP) having the formula: L-S-Zm-[Gly-X-Y]n-LGly-X-Y-[Gly-X-Y]n (SEQ ID NO: 19); wherein L is one or more detectable moieties; S is one or more spacer molecules; Zm is any amino acid where m is an integer of 1 to 10; X is proline or modified proline; Y is proline or modified proline; Gly is glycine; n is an integer from 1 to 20; and LGly is a glycine covalently linked to a cage moiety comprising a labile protecting group, as well as a collagen mimetic peptides lacking the labile protecting group (CMP). The inventions are useful for binding collagen and denatured collagen and/or gelatin both in vitro and in vivo, and are useful for targeting any organ or tissue where collagen is present, and can be used for research and diagnostic imaging (both in vivo and in vitro) and also for in vivo therapeutic applications.