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Tuesday
Oct162012

Captioned or Not?

Some street photographers don't like to caption their shots.  They think the interpretation is to be left to the viewer of the picture.  Alternatively, I choose to caption every shot (even to the point where if I'm stumped, I will caption is as "uncaptioned").  I think the photographer's state of mind adds a clue or interpretation that might be missed by a casual viewer.    

Sometimes the caption can create a story where there was none.  The story can be true, or completely imaginary.  For instance.... I spotted a construction worker with knee-height rubber boots talking on the cell phone.  The texture of his boots seemed interesting to me.  So, I took a few shots of his boots.  He crossed the street and approached a dress shop.  I took a picture of him before he passed the window, and the one below right after he passed.   Both pictures were good and showed a nice contrast of the man and the mannequins but the second suggested a story to me.  I entitled it, "A Cry for Attention".    

A Cry for Attention

Some photographers go way beyond the title and write the story out in detail.  I usually don't do that, but I found that my title led to multiple interpretations.  Here is what my thinking is:  

The girls were attracted to the boot guy and were all seeking a response.  He obviously doesn't care and has other things on his mind. The girl in the red, made a particular fool of herself (by posing differently and dressing in red).  The other girls are all glaring at her "cry for attention" (from him) for trying to upstage them.  

So, even with the caption, you could have come up with something yourself.  Or maybe you wouldn't.  But, the truth of the story is that a construction worker walked past a dress store and that's not much of a story.  

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