Ready to tell your story? Why captions matter

Captions for photographs are the stories we add to give meaning to our photos. Even though photographs alone convey a lot of information, well-written captions are what really makes photographs come to life!

It is the combination of the photograph and caption that makes an impact on the person viewing them. With this in mind, it is important to write captions that

• tell a story,
• describe a situation,
• evoke emotion,
• are memorable, and
• call for an action you want to see in your community.

Let’s look at an example.

Take a look at this photo and reflect on the message it portrays to you.

Let’s consider elements that are essential for powerful captions

The SHOWED process is useful for writing captions for your photographs. Using one of your photos, consider your answers to the SHOWED questions:

• What is the main idea you are trying to communicate in the picture?
• Can you write one sentence that sums up or captures that idea?

Once you identify the main theme of a photograph, you are ready to write a caption that grabs the viewer’s attention.

Explore the photo gallery below to learn more about writing captions.

Now you try it!

Now take a look at an example from a previous photovoice project.

Examine the picture then click on the most powerful caption.