Writing Great Photo Captions The Power of Stories Academy www.powerofstories.academy
Jul 15, 2015
• Imagine these are your great-grandmothers, who you never met.
• There’s no other information available about them.
• What do you know from this photo?
Wouldn’t it be better to have more information?
• Think about a photo album you have• Imagine paging through it with a grandchild• You bring the photos to life with your stories• You don’t have to be “a writer”
Copyright 2012 – Art Gallery of Ontario
Character – names and relationships
Setting – date and place
Occasion – what was the reason for the photo
The Armstrong girls and Shaw cousins(Aunt Jan and Uncle Bobby’s sons)
Visit to Grandma Hirchert’sfor her 70th birthday.
Chadron, Nebraska, 1975Back row:
Ken Shaw, Karen Armstrong, Doris Hirchert , Pat ShawFront row: Kristi Armstrong, Rob Shaw, Kathie Armstrong
Access memories
“Brain dump”
Create list Short simple phrases
Free flowing/uncensored
Remember what you thought you forgot
Essential to creation of Photo Stories
Imagine you are a stranger Seeing photo for first time What would YOU want to know? Take note of:
Body language and facial expression Why people came together What was happening before/after photo Look at background of photo Notice dress, shoes, pets, yard, cars, neighborhoods Who is missing and why? What emotions does photo inspire? What memories does it conjure?
Cover photo with a piece of paper
Slide paper slowly top to bottom or left to right
Notice anything you missed?
Remember anything else NOT in photo?
Some memories cannot be photographed
Close your eyes/turn photos over
Just remember – events, time, people, place
Jot down words/phrases
More memories = Great Caption
Something beyond just the facts
Adds context
Enhances photo with info not directly pictured
Reread your caption
Watch for these pitfalls: Meaningless prose
“Sunset was beautiful” vs. “Sunset made me feel alive”
Trite predictable phrases/clichés “Say Cheese” or “World’s Best Grandma”
Repeated information “Kids at Disneyland” for picture in front of sign
Jokes May get stale, not very personal
Copyright 2015 by Beyond the Trees, LLC
Writing Photo Stories
If you’d like to take your photo storytelling to the next level, try: