Grandpa’s Hand
As a photographer, you put a little of yourself into each photo you take. But without memorable titles and captions, your photos may not achieve the maximum impact you’d like. It is especially important to use creative titles if you are entering your photos in competition. The photo above was selected for third place in a world wide photo journalist competition. The name could have been Cutie Pie, Pull My Finger or the Childs name – Allie. Selecting “Grandpa’s Hand” told the best story of this photograph. It allows the viewer to see the love of family, and I believe it helped this photo take a winning place.
Follow these nine tips for creating photo captions and headlines that make an impression on the printed page, on the web, on social media, in competitions and elsewhere.
Mother Earth
Set the right tone
Before writing your headline and caption, determine the appropriate tone. Is your photo sad, funny, inspiring or whimsical? Make sure your word choice matches the mood of your photo.
Use action verbs
In school, you learned to create sentences using the traditional formula: subject, verb, object. That structure works great with headlines and captions, where action verbs create the most impact.
Can You Hear Me Now?
Use present tense
Write photo titles and captions in present tense in almost all cases, since viewers are seeing the action now.
Your Majesty
Write with sharing in mind
When you create your headlines and captions, consider social media and what you would be most likely to share as a user. Consider the most compelling aspect of your photo, and make that prominent.
Capture the heart of your shot
You only have a few words to grab your reader, so focus on the overall subject of your shot rather than on extraneous details.
Camel Love
Use humor
When appropriate, humor is one of the best devices for grabbing viewers. Socially shared content often makes people laugh.
Smugness
Keep it brief
Captions and titles in printed pieces almost always are short. Online and in social media, photographers have the option to become more verbose. Resist the temptation.
Don’t repeat information
Even if you don’t think there’s much to say about your photo, try to use unique information — or at least unique language — in your titles and captions.
Capitalize appropriately
Capitalize the first word in your title, along with proper nouns. Other words should be left lowercase. Known as “up-and-down” style, it’s considered easier to read and is used by many newspapers.
A well-written photo title serves as the marquis to your image. On Instagram, Twitter and elsewhere online, your headline may be the only means of persuading a viewer to take a closer look. Ensure that your titles and captions enhance the impact of your images by setting the right tone, conserving words and writing with sharing in mind.
To the Moon
Grandpa’s Hand – Copyright Robyn Porteen
Mother Earth – Copyright Robyn Porteen
Can You Hear Me Now? – Copyright Robyn Porteen
Your Majesty – Anna Yakimova
Camel Love – Copyright Robyn Porteen
Smugness – Copyright Robyn Porteen
To the Moon – Copyright Robyn Porteen