Recently I read some ‘how to’ books on travel photography. Most of the info was basic on the photography side and would be considered Dick-n-Dora stuff by pros. Nevertheless, I hoped the books would go into depth, specifically on the writing side as I need all the help I can get in this department. It goes without saying that photographs are enriched by captions, especially if they can answer the classic five ‘W’s’ and a ‘H’ (when, where, why, what, how and who) of journalism.
Admittedly I was not a good caption writer when I worked at newspapers as I left this work to the sub editors to scribble up. At the time; writing was not my forte, as I was more into making pretty pixels.
But I was wrong not to prioritize caption writing.
For words, along with an accompanied photograph form the basic unit of photojournalism and for a photojournalist, I believe there should be no demarcation between photography and writing, each should be considered of equal weight. Although I think (bias here) a picture is still; as the old saying goes: worth a thousand words.
As I evolve as a photographer I hope to make amends for my pass sins and develop caption writing.
Besides, I find this to be an enriching endeavor to try master both words and pictures.
With a mangrove article in mind, once again I returned to the mangrove forest. Here the sandflies in league with the mozzies drove me insane. And yes, I should’ve known better than to venture into a swamp without insect repellent. As these little buggers delight (understandably) at the sight of my bare legs; tis a real turn-on for them. My photos belie the torment I suffered; for the moment you stand still you become fresh meat for these vampires.
Photography location point: Latitude - Longitude: -16.88615,145.764517 looking east along the Jack Barnes Mangrove Boardwalk. This is located near the Cairns airport. I especially like this location as it is a point of demarcation where the real mangrove forest begins to tower of you. It’s interesting to see the different mangrove species that mark the tidal influence. But without people the mangroves at this point don’t convey the true sense of scale I was looking to convey, so I returned in the hope of snapping people walking the boardwalk.
Fortunately, a family came along and gave me the OK in passing to photograph them and I set up, ready to snap them upon their return.
However, because the tormenting sand-flies were so distracting, I failed to get their names. It is a journalistic sin not to acquire names for caption writing, for which I must do penance. There’s no excuse when armed with a notebook and pencil not to get names. But the sand-flies were hell.
One of the most valuable pieces of equipment (apart from mozzie repellent) for a photojournalist and perhaps the most underrated is his notebook.
Wherein all sorts of caption info can be recorded; not least are the names of people pictured, juicy quotes, and location details. And in some circumstances a photographer’s notebook can even take on the elevated role of a legal document.
Beyond the caption lies the article wherein the real work begins, and research is required. I believe the Mangrove ecosystem offers a vast treasure trove of potential stories that I hope will make it to this blog.
