How to Title Your Photography Work
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Loading... - Nolan Doyle
- 17 Jan 2023
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Titling a photograph or body of photographic work can be a daunting and often draining task. In many instances, a title will represent the work before someone has even seen the front cover, or leading image of a series, which means a punchy title can make all the difference in catching someone’s attention or losing it. There are many ways you can go about assigning a label to your work that not only identifies it but also can enhance and frame an entire experience for your audience.
The easiest title is usually one which contains some obvious and directly relevant information about the work; usually one of the five W’s of storytelling: the Who, What, When, Where, and Why. These titles can tell you exactly what to expect overall, or exactly what the specific image contains.
Examples of this would include:
- “Country Doctor” by W. Eugene Smith
- “Harlem Gang Leader” by Gordon Parks
- “The Americans” by Robert Frank
- “Invasion 68:Prague” by Josef Koudelka
Even without seeing any images, you can know what to expect from these works; a rural medical practitioner, fringes of urban life, some Americans, and Prague being invaded in 1968 – and seeing the images fills in the rest of the specifics.
Less straightforward would be a title containing a more abstract message, something that conveys some feeling or personal connection the creator may have with the work. Read More…
