Unit 10: The CaptionUnit 10: The Caption

Getting information Every picture in the yearbook should have a

caption or photo identification. Include the 5Ws and H. Include first and last names of the people

pictured, except for large informal groups.

Photographer Card should Photographer Card should include:include:

Subject’s first and last names

Grades

Date

Location

Activity

Film Frame

Writing the captionWriting the caption

Photograph preserves action and emotion.

Written in present tense, gives the photograph immediacy forever.

Present tense verbs make the difference between simple explanations and colorful descriptions.

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Should provide more information than is obvious from looking at the photo.

Use past tense when writing any information that goes beyond describing the action in the photograph.

Don’t be afraid to include the names of people not pictured if they had something to do with the event.

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Sample

It’s a long haul from the parking lot on icy sidewalks for Kristen Kelley and Jennifer Rogers. A freak ice storm hit Smithville on March 3, lingered for three days and melted when 60-degree temperatures hit.

Appropriate captionsAppropriate captions

Intended to provide facts and enhance photographs.

Gags, inside jokes, “talking” to the subject don’t belong in the yearbook.

Inappropriate humor is often hurtful to individuals. Could lead to lawsuits.

Order of IdentificationOrder of Identification

People read from left to right and the eye normally travels in the same direction on a photograph.

For candid photos with several people, identify the people in the foreground, then the background, or identify them in a clockwise direction, starting with the person on the left.

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For variety, identify the person the action is centered around followed by the other people involved.

Rely on the reader’s common sense when leading them around the photography. Don’t over identify. Sample

Sometimes, picking the best of the best is the hard part. Mr. Robert Longfeld, left, goes over a photo contract sheet with Cindy Phillips, right, to choose one of the 2,143 pictures in this yearbook.

Designing the CaptionDesigning the Caption

Should be printed adjacent to the photographs they describe.

Lead-ins and special Lead-ins and special graphicsgraphics

Add visual variety to captions.

Only one kind should be used within a section. Bold-italic Lead-in

Behind the makeup, Rene Washington concentrates on finishing her face before the …..

Lead-ins and special Lead-ins and special graphics continued…graphics continued…

Top-line Initial Lead-in

It’s all for a good cause Jen Carroll tries to

remember, as her blood pressure is taken before she donates to the annual blood drive….

Lead-ins and special Lead-ins and special graphics continued…graphics continued…

Boldface Overline

Finishing the Red TapeRegistration for elective classes began August 15

and seniors got first choice. Penny Franklin….

Lead-ins and special Lead-ins and special graphics continued…graphics continued…

Boldface Hanging Indention

Seniors were bound for the

Broadwalk on Senior Playday,

May 15. Mike Myers, Shea Clark,

Tommy Johnson, Steve Byrd….