Things You'll Need:
- The photos for which you are writing captions
- A pen and paper or a word processing program
- Information about the photo
- A creative mind
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Step 1
Good captions (also called cutlines) usually are two sentences long. In the first sentence, describe the photo's action in present tense and address the who, what, when and where. Example: John Doe tosses a football with his son, Scott, Tuesday evening at the city park.
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Step 2
In the second sentence, provide background information about the photo in the appropriate tense. This could include any information of interest that increases a reader's understanding of the photo's content. Example: The Doe family took advantage of the 70-degree weather Tuesday, which was the first day of sunshine after more than two weeks of cold, wet weather.
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Step 3
Reread your caption and look for useless words or phrases that you can eliminate. Efficiency is important when writing captions.
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Step 4
Reread your caption and look for errors in grammar, spelling and punctuation.
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Step 5
Be sure to include a photo credit somewhere with the published photograph. Some publishers include the photo credit within the caption. Example: John Smith tosses a football with his son, Scott, Tuesday evening at the city park. The Smith family took advantage of the 70-degree weather Tuesday, which was the first day of sunshine after more than two weeks of cold, wet weather. (Photo by Jane Doe)















