You attach to your photograph should supply the editor with all information needed to publish the photo. A complete caption answers the five W,s of journalism. The complete caption is a full information guide to the editor who has to write the published caption. This complete caption is attached to the print in such a way that it can be read while the editor is viewing the photograph. It includes all information necessary for understanding the photo, including the full names of people. Their addresses, ages and occupations; the location and the time of event and a direct quote from the subject. It should also follow the stylebook for abbreviations, spelling and punctuation: contain the photojournalist’s name and the date five spaces below the caption, centered and typed in capital letters. It functions as a headline to connect the photo with the caption text.
The guidelines for complete caption are as follows
Over line (or tag line): sums up the caption/photo message.
Full name of the subject: accurately identifies him or her.
Address of the subject: locates him or her in the circulation area of the publication and allows the editor to contact the subject later for additional information.
Getting the subject’s age: is probably questioned more than any other part of the caption material.
The occupation of the subject can also add to a story. There are many unusual occupations and each person has a story to tell about his or her work.
A quotation is a natural part of a reporter’s work. The strongest stories are often the ones told by quotations from the subject.
Location or time are both optional, but on news stories such information is often a great help to the editor.
Gathering caption material is an integral part of being a photojournalist.
A caption should never underestimate the intelligence of the client editor nor overestimate his information. The first sentence in a caption should describe exactly what is occurring in the photo. The second sentence of the caption can add general information about the particular story if needed.
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