As photographers, it goes against our grain to think that a photo would need assistance from words. The photo should stand on it’s own.
However, there are times when photos need the assistance of words, when the image by itself is not enough. At least, not enough to ensure complete comprehension. (Listen to LensWork Podcast LW0326 Internet Photography Docent - Where Art Though? for another view)
As an example, check out this wonderful photo taken by Rafa, a member of the FoalPower community, and published on his blog Why Yet Another Photo Place.
Photo by Rafa
This photo, by itself, is a wonderful image of an individual silhouetted in a window opening in some type of wall. However, when Rafa adds a more detailed description of the story behind the image, you realize that this image is of an Israeli solder in Jerusalem and the window is from an ancient bell tower within the city. This small set of additional details adds so much more to a viewer’s appreciation, understanding, and enjoyment of the image. (one of the things I enjoy about Rafa’s blog is the background details he gives with each one of his photos).
But, why has photo sharing on the Internet not evolved to include a more elegant and less intrusive method of including text along with one’s images to help tell the story? Yes, there are times when the image should be able to stand alone, but what about the images that could benefit from it?
Perhaps Bill Jay said it best:
If you cannot think of anything to say that is useful or enlightening about your images, then don’t say anything. There are plenty of other people who would love to put words in your mouth.
I think we all should be able to think of something useful and enlightening to say when it is needed. Now the question is how and with how much effort?
Why Photos Are Sometimes Not Enough…
There are times when photos need the assistance of words, when the image by itself is not enough. Why is this so hard?…
[...] From the New York Times - The Election. When I first saw this image, what made me stop and look at it was my photographer’s eye…”wow, what bad resolution on the photo of President Bush”.? Then I noticed that it was a photo of the President on a jumbo-tron and noticed the figure at the bottom.? Once I read the caption, I appreciated the impact that this photo has even more.? It just goes to show that at times text adds to a photo. [...]