Researching A CaptionLet's face it; yearbooks are largely pictorial records of the year. That makes caption writing extremely important. To expand coverage in your yearbook, include captions that are 3-4 sentences long. Try to answer as many of the following journalism questions as possible:
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Anatomy Of A Caption
1. Begin with the essential information in the first sentence. In PRESENT tense, using ACTION VERBS, identify who and what is occurring in the photograph itself, as well as any information available concerning the date and time of the event.
2. Add a second sentence, in PAST TENSE, that identifies either where the event occurred, if that is significant, what the nature of the event was, or other information that can be provided about the participants.
3. The third sentence, still in PAST TENSE, should explain either what happened before the action in the photo that precipitated the event OR what happened as a result of the event pictured.
4. The last sentence, in PAST TENSE, should fill in any additional information from the research concerning who, what, when, where, and why. This sentence should complete the story of the photograph much like the conclusion of a paragraph.
5. Add a catchy caption lead-in that both sets the tone of the photo and the caption and helps to catch the reader's attention.
6. NEVER guess or draw your own conclusions in captions. Do the research, stick to the facts, and at all costs avoid using judgments, biased labels, or fictional information.
7. Use story captions to round out the information provided in the story or to serve as mini sidebar stories.
2. Add a second sentence, in PAST TENSE, that identifies either where the event occurred, if that is significant, what the nature of the event was, or other information that can be provided about the participants.
3. The third sentence, still in PAST TENSE, should explain either what happened before the action in the photo that precipitated the event OR what happened as a result of the event pictured.
4. The last sentence, in PAST TENSE, should fill in any additional information from the research concerning who, what, when, where, and why. This sentence should complete the story of the photograph much like the conclusion of a paragraph.
5. Add a catchy caption lead-in that both sets the tone of the photo and the caption and helps to catch the reader's attention.
6. NEVER guess or draw your own conclusions in captions. Do the research, stick to the facts, and at all costs avoid using judgments, biased labels, or fictional information.
7. Use story captions to round out the information provided in the story or to serve as mini sidebar stories.
Let's Practice
Ask me for a copy of this worksheet to practice caption writing. Turn it in when you are done and I'll check over it. Let's make this year's book great, and with information we can remember years down the road.
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