Writing photo captions (also called cutlines)
Photos can’t give us everything; need captions for more detail. Words and photos work together to give us a complete picture.
Caption should engage reader. Pulls reader into story.
Captions get higher readership than body copy.
Short and easy to read; two to three lines
Good captions have two parts:
1) Describes the action; written in present tense
2) Something extra past the action; gives context, develop idea, extra information; usually written in past tense
Should answer the questions that the photo brings up for the viewer. Should provide information that is not visible in the photograph.
Think about Who What When Where Why How
Be careful about inferring emotions or moods; be careful about making assumptions (say what happened; don’t infer emotions, feelings or mood).
Be cautious about the truth of the image. Try to avoid stating the obvious. Explain what we don’t know.