1. 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

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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).

7. 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.

8. The essence of the “story” caption
In the state finals, John Smith (11) scores the winning two-point shot, defeating the Bonanza Bengals 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.

9. 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 “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.

10. 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 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.