Adapted from sources

A good caption educates the readers about what they are seeing in the photograph and it should inspire them to learn more about the subject by reading the story. Captions should be written as mini news stories.

 

According to the Associated Press stylebook:

“The art of writing captions…can be elusive to many journalists simply because, for the most part, so little time is spent at it.. But it is no mystery. Adherence to a few basic rules, the mastery of simple mechanical preparations, and a touch of writing flair will result in readable, widely published captions. The caption’s job is to:

1)      describe and explain the picture to the reader,

2)      the challenge is to do it interestingly, accurately, always in good taste.

3)      A further challenge is to write the caption, whenever appropriate, in a sprightly, lively vein.”

 

USE THE 5 W’s And H

WHO? Who is in the picture? Names, ages, occupation of anyone that is identifiable in the photograph must be stated. If they represent an organization, get the name of their organization and their title. Check the spelling with the individual, don’t assume they spell their name a certain way, ask them.  ID people from left to right. If you have a crowd, it is not necessary (or possible) to get the names of every individual. For close up shots with up to 5 people you must get everyone’s name. If it is a crowd shot you still need to identify who the people in the group are such as football fans, abortion rights protesters, etc. Double-check spellings.

 

WHAT? What is happening in the picture? Be specific. Don’t assume the reader can tell. This is usually going to be an action verb.

 

WHEN? When did this happen? Use the day and date, including the year. Time of day is only necessary if it is relevant to the story.

 

WHERE? Where did it happen? Give a specific location, a city and state.

 

WHY? Include any further information that will explain why something is happening. For example, don’t just state that people are marching or protesting, why are they protesting. This can also be included as a second sentence giving “one more interesting fact.”

 

HOW? This could be how much (costs, damages, profits, etc.) or how many (attendance, injuries, etc.) or how something came about.

 

Put your photo credit (your name) at the end of the caption.

 

Other things to consider:

•           The more information the better. Copy editors can shorten a caption if needed.

•           Point out small details in a photo that the casual reader may overlook.

•           When possible, use a quote from a subject.

•           Don’t editorialize. Stick to facts. Don’t make assumptions about what the subject is thinking or feeling.

•           You may want to explain if you used an unusual or special camera technique.

•           Caption style may vary slightly for different publications.