Black
Photographer.
I've enjoyed looking through the images on the street forum over the last few days. Some really nice stuff. Whilst doing so, however, noticing the titles with some of the images, I have wondered "Did this image need this title?".
I'm always drawn in by the content first, perhaps the composition second (this is fluff, you understand - doesn't really matter what order something draws you in by, so long as you are drawn in), but the title is usually an after thought.
I used to spend a while thinking of clever little titles for my tiny portfolio, then I kind of regressed to basic, descriptive titles (as you might apply to stock images) but mostly now, they are simply numeric and sequential.
My thinking is that, when I post an images that I like, for whatever reason, but there's in nothing overly complex or remarkable about it (and this happens quite often in my case!) but there may be an element that I connect with - be it geometry or a certain texture etc, in creating a title, am I attempting to make the actual image into something that it is not?
Take for example, this shot:
1024) {this.width=1024;this.alt='Click here to see a large version';}" onmouseover="if(this.alt) this.style.cursor='pointer';" onclick="if(this.alt) window.open('https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3836/14668850922_98e32941dc_c.jpg');" border="0">
Its a guy, walking down the street with his hood up, at night. Its really kind of generic, but I left it in my stream simply because the shadow that hides the upper half of his face. The image is "untitled", but would it have more impact if I had chosen a title implying something sinister?
And this:
1024) {this.width=1024;this.alt='Click here to see a large version';}" onmouseover="if(this.alt) this.style.cursor='pointer';" onclick="if(this.alt) window.open('https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7380/11115228053_76f2d4a63b_c.jpg');" border="0">
Certainly not the most popular of my images. I shoe horned in the title "Sometimes My Legs Bend Backwards". But does that title make it any more or less effective?
What do you think?
I'm always drawn in by the content first, perhaps the composition second (this is fluff, you understand - doesn't really matter what order something draws you in by, so long as you are drawn in), but the title is usually an after thought.
I used to spend a while thinking of clever little titles for my tiny portfolio, then I kind of regressed to basic, descriptive titles (as you might apply to stock images) but mostly now, they are simply numeric and sequential.
My thinking is that, when I post an images that I like, for whatever reason, but there's in nothing overly complex or remarkable about it (and this happens quite often in my case!) but there may be an element that I connect with - be it geometry or a certain texture etc, in creating a title, am I attempting to make the actual image into something that it is not?
Take for example, this shot:
1024) {this.width=1024;this.alt='Click here to see a large version';}" onmouseover="if(this.alt) this.style.cursor='pointer';" onclick="if(this.alt) window.open('https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3836/14668850922_98e32941dc_c.jpg');" border="0">Its a guy, walking down the street with his hood up, at night. Its really kind of generic, but I left it in my stream simply because the shadow that hides the upper half of his face. The image is "untitled", but would it have more impact if I had chosen a title implying something sinister?
And this:
1024) {this.width=1024;this.alt='Click here to see a large version';}" onmouseover="if(this.alt) this.style.cursor='pointer';" onclick="if(this.alt) window.open('https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7380/11115228053_76f2d4a63b_c.jpg');" border="0">Certainly not the most popular of my images. I shoe horned in the title "Sometimes My Legs Bend Backwards". But does that title make it any more or less effective?
What do you think?
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