How to Caption Stock Photos
The Internet offers many opportunities for freelance photographers to earn a living selling stock photography. Captioning your stock photography properly can be an important part of selling your work. Consumers who purchase your stock photography, whether for personal use or for commercial use, need to know several things about the photo being purchased. To ensure the information in your stock photo captions is correct, you should write a caption for your photograph as soon as possible, providing all the details a consumer might need to know, as succinctly as you can.
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Instructions
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Write down in a notebook a brief description and working title for every photograph you take. Try to keep a notebook handy when you are working so you can put the information in the notebook immediately. Note the date you took the photo and where it was taken. Include anything else you may need to write a descriptive caption and a following summary.
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Load your photos from your digital camera to your computer promptly after shooting. Create general category folders to help keep you better organized. Go through your photographs one at a time and write a one-line description that tells potential customers for the photograph exactly what the subject of the photograph is. Write the caption as a single sentence with proper punctuation. You can also choose to give your photo a title instead, if the title you give the photo is descriptive enough. Look for titles that will catch a potential buyer's attention. Be specific. Wrong: Dog Playing with Ball. Right: German shepherd catching a ball.
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Add a summary of the image beneath the caption, also called a cutline, that further explains the photograph, stating who or what the photo subject is, under what circumstances the photo was taken and a brief anecdote about the circumstances surrounding the taking of the image. A cutline won't be used in every situation, but writing it while the information it's fresh in your mind saves you from trying to remember the details later. Keep cutlines at 50 words or less, especially when the photo and cutline accompany a story.
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Add a date to the caption. This might be important to potential consumers. For instance, a travel writer may want to purchase your photo of an attraction if it is a current photo. A date lets prospective buyers know if the photo is out of date or a good representation of the attractions current appearance. Include a proper copyright notice for the photo, written as © (date) John Doe.
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