Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/04/01
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]At 07:54 AM 4/1/99 +0200, you wrote: >The >caption is that text, made out of complete sentences, that explains to the >viewer what is on the picture. The picture then illustrates the text. Alan, First of all, there is no need to lecture me on what a caption is. I've been writing them for 12 years. This word-herder attitude is what's wrong with the publishing industry. All of a sudden, words become more important than the photograph because they need each other? I don't think so. The words could as well be said to "contextualize" the photo. It doesn't denigrate the photo, and it doesn't denigrate the words. And it has the benefit of being more accurate. Without the photo, the words are a waste. Otherwise, write a story that needs no photo. There are lots of situations where I wish they would think that way at my newspaper. There are lots of stories that don't need photos. But too often photos are treated as design elements, and thus waste our time taking unnecessary photos when we could be spending time on more important ones. And I, and most of the publishing industry, agree that a photo without a caption is never going to be as valuable to a reader as one that has one. As for HCB's photos, you can bet when he worked for Holiday magazine, or Epoca, or whatever, that there were captions on his photos. When they are treated as Art, as in most of his books, captions are irrelevant. You don't put a caption on the Mona Lisa, either, as it hangs in the Louvre. Eric Welch St. Joseph, MO http://www.ponyexpress.net/~ewelch My computer's sick. I think my modem is a carrier.