Step 1 Investigate each picture that will be used. Find out who is doing what in the picture Find out what was going on before and after the picture was taken Find out when and where the event took place and be able to explain why that might be important to the story of the year Find out why this event was taking place and how it represents all the other events of the year or why this event was special To make sure captions are accurate, you need to confirm the information given by photographer or reporter with the actual person in the picture Not just the who and doing what, but the why and how as well as the when and where

Step 2 Set aside time (5-10 minutes is good) to talk to the people in the photograph. DO NOT ask for a quote!!! DO NOT tell them you want to interview them. DO NOT expect them to give you the best story ever if you give them less than 10 seconds to think about it. Kids and adults alike will give you much better material if you make them feel comfortable- tell them you just want to talk to them for a few minutes. Then remember that it’s okay if they don’t respond immediately, or if they don’t give you complete sentences or thoughts. Keep asking questions until they give you enough material to write the picture’s entire story.

Step 4 Assemble the caption’s 4 parts: Present tense sentence Past tense sentence Quote Additional information –past tense These four parts can be moved around, switched, changed, lengthened or shortened according to the book’s style and the caption’s physical space and location on the spread.

Present Tense Sentence Provides quick and easy to read information about who is doing what in the picture. Each of these sentences should open differently Sentences should open with subject, prep phrase, adjective phrase, infinitive phrase, noun clause, adverb phrase, etc.

Past tense sentence Adds more information about the circumstances surrounding the picture’s event. Provides the when, where, why, or how of the photo or the event.

Quote This can be either from a person in the photo or a person related to the action of the photo. This should add information that isn’t already in the other two sentences. This should be something nobody else could say about the event. You need to already have talked to people before you get to the caption writing process. Those interviews’ materials will be the stuff you choose from when you are writing the quote part of the caption. If you can’t talk to to the person in the photo, talk to someone related to the action of the photo (talk to the teacher if the kid isn’t available).

How to get more specific… John Smith (11) Junior John Smith Team captain John Smith (11) Leading scorer John Smith (11), team captain This can be any combination of identifying material you have room for in your spread.

The essence of the “story” caption In the state finals, John Smith (11) scores the winning two-point shot, defeating the Bonanza Bengals 102-100 at the Lawlor Events Center Feb. 11. This gives a brief overview of the events that occurred before and after the picture was taken- kind of like a time capsule.

Expanded Caption Making the final basket of the season against the Bonanza Bengals, junior John Smith seals the fate of the team at the Lawlor Events Center Feb. 11. Smith sunk the winning shot as the buzzer sounded, ending the game 102-100. “It was like time stood still. I didn’t think it was really like that in real life; the shot felt like it was in slow motion- like in the movies,” said Smith. Smith and his teammates went to the conference finals, but were swept by Mercy High. This is a fully expanded caption. You should use this format for competitions and competition-style yearbooks. It provides the most information possible and gives information to the reader that cannot be gleaned from reading the story.

Quote- requires a real interview “Making that shot was amazing. Who would have thought the state game would be so close? When I made that basket, it was like time stood still. I didn’t think it was really like that in real life; the shot felt like it was in slow motion- like in the movies,” said team captain John Smith (11) after the 102-100 win Feb. 11. Sometimes what the person says is just so perfect there is no reason to muck it up by adding the reporter’s words. In such cases, a quote-only caption is perfectly accedptable.