What is a ‘Caption’?

What is a Caption? A caption is a title, short explanation, or description accompanying an illustration or a photograph.

Step 1 Good captions (also called cutlines) usually are a few sentences long. In the first sentence, describe the photo's action in present tense and address the who, what, when and where. Example: John Doe tosses a football with his son, Scott, Tuesday evening at the city park.

Step 2 The next few sentences, provide background information about the photo in the appropriate tense. This could include any information of interest that increases a reader's understanding of the photo's content. Example: The Doe family took advantage of the 70-degree weather Tuesday, which was the first day of sunshine after more than two weeks of cold, wet weather.

Step 3 Reread your caption and look for useless words or phrases that you can eliminate. Efficiency is important when writing captions.

Step 4 Reread your caption and look for errors in grammar, spelling and punctuation. Here are some examples?

Is this a caption? Picture of segregated water fountains in North Carolina taken by Elliott Erwitt.

At the Summer Olympics in Beijing, U. S At the Summer Olympics in Beijing, U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps held the spotlight, as he pursued a record for gold medals at the Games. On Day 8, he hit the water in search of his seventh win, in the 100M Butterfly. Trailing Serbian Milorad Cavic for most of the race, Phelps (left) caught up with him in the last few meters, miraculously beating him to the wall by .01 second. (Heinz Kluetmeier / Sports Illustrated)

Earthquakes in China's Sichuan Province claimed the lives of more than 87,000 people. For several days, emergency workers labored to find survivors in the rubble. This team of rescuers carried a wounded man out of a collapsed building in Mianyang.(Color China Photos / Sipa)

U.S. soldiers shield a wounded comrade from debris kicked up by a rescue helicopter during fighting in Qubah, Iraq, in March.

Iowa was ravaged by floods in June Iowa was ravaged by floods in June. The rising waters carried these boat houses downstream until they collided with a railroad bridge in Cedar Rapids. (Brian Ray / Cedar Rapids Gazette / Rapport Press)

Harry Potter fans ride a steam train from Sydney, Australia, to a secret location for the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows on July 21.