“A photograph is worth a thousand words.” Which means we could potentially see a thousand different messages. This is problematic because we might get the wrong message. It is important to write strong photo captions. Effective captions help us see the intended message.
The job of captions is to yank readers from whatever they’re thinking about and gets them to specifically read what we want them to read. Without captions, we may take a look at the image and come to their own conclusion, which may be erroneous, or worst, counterproductive to our intention. The only way we can control the situation is by sliding in the captions. It’s like a fog has lifted the moment we put in details, there would be no confusion, conjectures.
We’re used to seeing pictures and quickly scroll by. But with captions, we’re compelled to read the content under the picture. Captions are like a handbrake, to make sure readers pay attention, and gets them more tempted in investigating deeper.
Photo credit: by woodleywonderworks via Visual hunt/ CC BY-ND
Photo credit: by Blair Fraser via Visual hunt/CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication
Photo credit: by Austin Smart via VisualHunt / CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication
Without reading the captions, the three pictures shown above have no connections to each other, therefore, viewers may misunderstand the message. Let’s take a look at the first photo: a stack of stones. Stones that should be wobbling seems so static and still; with its blue-gray background color, they send out a sense of calmness. The caption wrote: “Stone by Stone – Patience” It takes an immense amount of time to stack up those smooth stones. One needs to have self-restraint, patience in order to succeed. The image and added-captions are pretty similar, in fact, it actually guides us into understanding the meaning behind the caption. However, the second photo may be a little confusing without caption’s support.
A plane crash. What are the things we will first connect to? Danger. Death. Feeling of melancholy. Deceased loved ones would be forever gone. The caption said – Endure agony. Yes, it relates to what we first thought, but actually, carries a more positive message. In order to become successful, we may encounter many mistakes, pain, agony. But we have to overcome it in order reach our destination. We have to be able to accept our failures, knowing there will be bigger consequences, and simply move on. No matter how much torment we have to suffer, the key thing is to “endure the agony”.
Making mistakes always comes with a price, but as the second picture has demonstrated, sometimes on our journey in reaching our goals, more or less, there will be pain and agony to overcome. The essential idea is: Always “Stay on Track”, as the third caption mentioned. See, the third image portraits a train track that seems to go on forever. Infinite. It’s like we can’t grasp where our destination will be, where we can finally release our breath and earn the ultimate prize we’ve been seeking for all along – success. However, following your goals will always be the right thing no matter under what circumstances. Don’t be thinking of taking shortcuts or feeding ourselves excuses to give up. Because there will at least be some possibility to, one day, accomplish it. There are always risks in every decision we make. But the moment we decide to give up, the possibility will be – zero.
As the demonstration above, with just two or three words for captions, can create a whole new meaning. Somes stones, a broken plane, and a lonely train track leading to nowhere; boring. However, with the help of words, we now know all three images our connect, illustrating a story of how to become successful.
In previous blog post, we’ve discussed types of academic honesty and its repercussions. Well, same also apply to image usage. To ensure we won’t violate the rules, there are specific formats to follow: [title] by/from [author/account] via [liscense/website] First of all, we can’t use images without permission or proper credits. Visual Hunt is a suitable website to use; supplies users photos’ embed code and its attractions in correct format. Moreover, Creative Commons (CC) ensures photos can be “legally” used. If users want to use google images, remember to turn on “label for reuse”. (click on tools → usage rights → labeled for reuse)