How to Create Great Photo Captions
Imagination and creativity are all you need to create great photo captions
Everyone loves great photo captions. They take a scrapbook or picture book beyond the mundane, add a personal touch, and liven up your photos. But for some people, the process of coming up with photo captions is absolutely excruciating. They're terrified that they'll write something dumb, or they just can't figure out what to say so they end up writing nothing at all.
Fortunately, when you're working online you can fiddle around with your captions without worrying you'll be stuck with one you don't like. With systems like Flickr and iPhoto, you can practice with a variety of captions without committing to them.-- and you can edit your captions anytime. Here are some tips to get you started on your great photo captions
1. Go for the personal touch
This is especially useful if you're creating a scrapbook for someone else. Personal messages and notes, even if they're only loosely related to the photo, will always touch hearts. Other ideas? Shared memories, inside jokes, or a simple, heartfelt message like "Best Friends" create a warm caption.
2. Aim for humor
Everyone seems to agree that great photo captions make you smile, so why not find a humorous edge to your pictures? Not every photo cries out for a punch line, but then again, you don't have to caption every photo. Find something unique about the picture, the theme, or how they work together.
A perfect example is this Valentine's Day card with a surly rabbit on the cover, ludicrously surrounded by hearts. The simple caption "love bites" links the two together in a way they didn't fit before.
3. Get your friends to help
Things are always easier with a partner. Find a friend who loves photos as much as you do and caption each other's pictures. Or brainstorm ideas together. Two heads are better than one, and you might find yourself laughing like crazy over what you come up with. Sure, maybe no one else will get it. So what?
4. Let your imagination wander
If you're really having trouble coming up with great photo captions, why not try a list of random associations? For example, a photo of a beach vacation could have a simple list of your vacation memories underneath -- things like "holiday, sun, sand, laughter, stars, beach, friends, fun." It's a free form way to add some text to your photo without having to really caption it.
There's really nothing to it. With a bit of creativity, you'll come up with great photo captions in no time.
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