By following the “complete caption” rule, editor or caption writer decides how much of your complete caption gets into the publication. The editor tries to produce just the right length caption to complement the photographs. This length is determined by whether there is a story to accompany the photo or not.
No Story Caption. The no story caption stands alone. Without an accompanying story the caption below the photograph is the story part of the message. The over line or tag line of a no story caption serves the same purpose as a headline on a story. It attracts attention, sums up the effect of the caption and generally ties the text of the caption to the photograph.
With-Story Caption. The Story Caption is more flexible than the no story. It gives the editor or caption writer a chance to be a bit more creative. Because there is an accompanying story, the photograph needs less of a caption-often, only a name line or a quote.
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