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What's in a Caption? [Worksheet + Discussion]

July 09, 2018 | Middle School, High School
By Kayla Edwards
In a shelter in Vrindavan, known as a "city of widows," Lalita (at right) bears the cropped hair and white wrap of her culture once considered obligatory for widowhood. Shelter manager Ranjana, a much younger widow, is less constrained by traditional customs. Image by Amy Toensing. India, 2013.

In a shelter in Vrindavan, known as a "city of widows," Lalita (at right) bears the cropped hair and white wrap of her culture once considered obligatory for widowhood. Shelter manager Ranjana, a much younger widow, is less constrained by traditional customs. Image by Amy Toensing. India, 2013.

A young boy near the end of his shift at the Fandjora gold mine. After the famines in Burkina Faso forced families off their farms in the 1980s, artisanal or small-scale mining took root. It has now become the nation's third largest export. Although child labor is illegal in the country, leaders and entrepreneurs, eager to tap the vast reserves, often look the other way while young mine workers risk long-term health problems caused by exposure to dust, toxic chemicals, and heavy metals. Image by Larry C. Price. Burkina Faso, 2013.

A young boy near the end of his shift at the Fandjora gold mine. After the famines in Burkina Faso forced families off their farms  in the 1980s, artisanal or small-scale mining took root. It has now become the nation's third largest export. Although child labor is illegal in the country, leaders and entrepreneurs, eager to tap the vast reserves, often look the other way while young mine workers risk long-term health problems caused by exposure to dust, toxic chemicals, and heavy metals.  Image by Larry C. Price. Burkina Faso, 2013.

Sauri (left) and her sister-in-law Birma stand in the spot where Sauri's 17-year-old daughter, Laxmi, recently burned to death while sleeping in a chaupadi shed in an area far from the family's home, near Dhakari village, Achham, Nepal. "I have many daughters," said Sauri, "but she was the one who was always with me." The family has since destroyed the shed. Image by Allison Shelley. Nepal, 2012.

Sauri (left) and her sister-in-law Birma stand in the spot where Sauri's 17-year-old daughter, Laxmi, recently burned to death while sleeping in a chaupadi shed in an area far from the family's home, near Dhakari village, Achham, Nepal. "I have many daughters," said Sauri, "but she was the one who was always with me." The family has since destroyed the shed. Image by Allison Shelley. Nepal, 2012.

A resident of Sihoupo village, about 40 km southwest of downtown Handan, leaps down into his vegetable plot right outside his home to work the fields. The coking plant in the background — a branch of the Hansteel works which dominates Handan city — is less than 100 m from the houses in this village. Day and night, the factory emits steam and smoke in cycles — grey, black or yellow — and constantly beeps like an electrocardiogram machine. Depending on the direction of the winds, the smoke sometimes blows low right across these farm plots where villagers grow corn and vegetables. Image by Sim Chi Yin. China, 2013.

A resident of Sihoupo village, about 40 km southwest of downtown Handan, leaps down into his vegetable plot right outside his home to work the fields. The coking plant in the background — a branch of the Hansteel works which dominates Handan city — is less than 100 m from the houses in this village. Day and night, the factory emits steam and smoke in cycles — grey, black or yellow — and constantly beeps like an electrocardiogram machine. Depending on the direction of the winds, the smoke sometimes blows low right across these farm plots where villagers grow corn and vegetables.  Image by Sim Chi Yin. China, 2013.

A truck crosses the Yalu river on the Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge from Sinuiju, North Korea to Dandong, China. The bridge is one of the few places along the border where vehicles can cross. The United Nations has warned China that it may be "aiding and abetting crimes against humanity" with its policy of forcibly repatriating North Koreans who flee across its borders. Image by Tomas van Houtryve. China, 2013.

A truck crosses the Yalu river on the Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge from Sinuiju, North Korea to Dandong, China. The bridge is one of the few places along the border where vehicles can cross. The United Nations has warned China that it may be "aiding and abetting crimes against humanity" with its policy of forcibly repatriating North Koreans who flee across its borders. Image by Tomas van Houtryve. China, 2013.

A child labor victim from Myanmar closing the door of a shelter in Singapore for migrant workers who have run away from their employers. The address of the shelter is hidden from the public for the safety. Image by Xyza Bacani. Singapore, 2016.

A child labor victim from Myanmar closing the door of a shelter in Singapore for migrant workers who have run away from their employers. The address of the shelter is hidden from the public for the safety. Image by Xyza Bacani. Singapore, 2016.

In Jocotenango, Guatemala, Rosa de Sapeta's family used to avoid her smoke-filled kitchen. But since an aid group helped her replace the open fire with a cleaner burning stove, she says, "I have company while I cook." Image by Lynn Johnson. Guatemala, 2017.

In Jocotenango, Guatemala, Rosa de Sapeta's family used to avoid her smoke-filled kitchen. But since an aid group helped her replace the open fire with a cleaner burning stove, she says, "I have company while I cook." Image by Lynn Johnson. Guatemala, 2017.

A man walks over rocks near to a glacial lake that has formed at the base of the Dagu Glacier on the southeast edge of the Tibetan Plateau. The glacier has been reducing in size in recent years as a result of rising temperatures in the region. Image by Sean Gallagher. China, 2012.

A man walks over rocks near to a glacial lake that has formed at the base of the Dagu Glacier on the southeast edge of the Tibetan Plateau. The glacier has been reducing in size in recent years as a result of rising temperatures in the region. Image by Sean Gallagher. China, 2012.

A local villager near Niambli told Merrill about an attack in his hometown. "It seemed like there were thousands of them -- Gbagbo's militia, all dressed in black. They didn't have machetes or the kinds of guns you normally see with farmers in this area. They had Kalashnikovs. And by the end of the day the whole village was flattened. There wasn't a single house left." Above, a man sees his destroyed home for the first time since fleeing a year earlier in a village near Blolequin, Ivory Coast on March 11, 2012. He had been living in a refugee camp in Liberia. Image by Peter DiCampo. Ivory Coast, 2012.

"It seemed like there were thousands of them -- Gbagbo's militia, all dressed in black. They didn't have machetes or the kinds of guns you normally see with farmers in this area. They had Kalashnikovs. And by the end of the day the whole village was flattened. There wasn't a single house left." Above, a man sees his destroyed home for the first time since fleeing a year earlier in a village near Blolequin, Ivory Coast on March 11, 2012. He had been living in a refugee camp in Liberia. Image by Peter DiCampo. Ivory Coast, 2012.

Dynamic Captions Worksheet Page 1

Dynamic Captions Worksheet PDF included in the lesson below.

Dynamic Captions Worksheet Page 2

Dynamic Captions Worksheet PDF included in the lesson below.

Objective:

Students will be able to:

  • Identify the primary parts of a photo caption by completing an attached worksheet
  • Compare captions that a photojournalist would use in a project to captions that an individual might use on social media
  • Identify how photo captions can assist viewers in understanding a photojournalism project and increase accessibility

Warm-up:

Captions convey important information about a photograph, but often we may quickly scroll past a caption and miss important information that a photographer wants the viewer to know.

1. Follow the "see, think, wonder" pattern to evaluate the photograph below without reading its caption:

  • What do you see in this photo?
  • Where could this photo have been taken?
  • Why do you think the journalist chose to capture this scene or moment?
A young protester wears a sign that reads 'Venezuelan Student' in the center of San Cristóbal, the city on the border of Colombia where massive protests first began in 2014. The 'student' label is a response to allegations by Nicolás Maduro's government that protesters are not students at all but paid imperialist infiltrators being used to destabilize the country. Image by Natalie Keyssar. Venezuela, 2016.

First, analyze this photo without its caption. 

2. Check your predictions:

Caption: A young protester wears a sign that reads 'Venezuelan Student' in the center of San Cristóbal, the city on the border of Colombia where massive protests first began in 2014. The 'student' label is a response to allegations by Nicolás Maduro's government that protesters are not students at all but paid imperialist infiltrators being used to destabilize the country. Image by Natalie Keyssar. Venezuela, 2016.
 
3. Now, discuss the following:
 
  • Were any of your predictions correct?
  • What information did you gain by reading the caption?
  • What false assumptions might you make without reading the caption?

Introducing the Activity:

Photographers and publishers generally include several important pieces of information in a photo caption, such as:

  1. A description of the physical objects or people in the photograph
  2. Information that gives context to the moment captured in the photograph
  3. The name of the photographer
  4. The country or location in which the photo was taken
  5. The year that the photo was taken 

In the following activity, students will match captions to photos from Pulitzer Center photography projects. Students should identify the parts of a caption (listed above) in each example on the worksheet.

Downloadable worksheet: 

Instructions: Match the captions to the corresponding photographs.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Why is it important to describe what is physically in a photograph when writing a caption? How might your caption help people with different physical or mental abilities engage with a photograph?
  2. Why is it helpful to include context in a caption used in a newspaper, magazine, or online news source? Why might excluding context be dangerous?
  3. How do captions for photojournalism projects or news publications differ from captions on personal social media accounts? What do you normally include in your personal photo captions?

Extension Activities:

Option 1. Follow the @pulitzercenter Instagram, where journalists frequently post photographs from their reporting projects. Choose three photographs. Without reading the captions, write a caption for each photo that you would share on your personal instagram. Afterwards, compare your caption to the one the journalist wrote.

Option 2. Complete a photojournalism project at home or school by taking three photos of events that many people would not notice on an average day. Write two captions for each photo: one caption that you would use on your personal instagram that you would share with your friends and one that you would use as a photojournalist sharing this moment with strangers.

Educator Notes: 

Worksheet: 

PDF icon Dynamic Captions Worksheet

Worksheet Key: 1. A 2. E 3. C 4. F 5. D 6. B 7. H 8. G 9. I

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