Naming your photos?

I often find flouncy title takes something away from the image... "Like the orca, she whistles" or "Every moment is a shadow" make me stop appreciating the photo and then try and work out why this title is anything to do with a photograph of an apple, or that they didn't quite convey their idea via the photo so you need a prompt.
 
I do often give my images a meaningful title, mostly because I enter some of them in club competitions and it's a requirement of entry. We regularly get around 80 or more images in these comps and to have 80 images called "untitled" would lead to chaos. Having said that, titles are either descriptive or are intended to add something to the image, suggest a mood for the setting or help the judge understand what I was trying to put across. I agree that many images entered do end up with very pretentious titles, many just get called a descriptive (Derbyshire Landscape, Black Headed Gull, etc etc) but generally, the title does help put across the story of the image.

Take this one as an example. It's called "Forgotten Corner" but I could have called it "The orangery at Kedleston Hall" (which is what it is) ... I think my title helps to add something to the way people view the image ... but then, maybe I'm just being pretentious!!!!

Orangery1 by NittyNattyNora, on Flickr
 
Carl Hall said:
Isn't that how an online photo community such as this works?

I assume people want to see my photos. If I didn't think that then I wouldn't share them. I'm not saying people will think they're any good, but I'm pretty certain that one of the main reasons people come on this forum is to see photos
Click to expand...

That's not the reason I post on here, I post on here because my photos are crap to average and I want to learn. You are quite correct that I do want to see photos from others as inspiration and to read the C&C so that I can learn from that as well. For me the best threads on here are the ones that explain how the shots were taken and PP'd and that are followed up by constructive crit.

But all that is miles off topic, I'm glad this thread came up because it has given me some ideas as I have come to realise that my naming "system" is hopeless.
 
Gremlin said:
Nope, I store them on a separate hard drive in folders named with the location and date
Click to expand...

That's about all I do. I might give one or two specific names if there's any particular reason to, like sending them to someone who might not know the people/places in them.

I can see the point of tagging with keywords if you use a catalogue system with a search facility, and finding images quickly is important to you. Fortunately it's not an issue for me. I'm far too disorganised to maintain something like this!
 
BillN_33 said:
"Is it important? - it depends, to some people yes ....... it is important as it is informative ..............to others no, and they may see what they see or want to see if the image was upside down, sideway on with no text or border"

I would probably ask, is that a rook or a crow? .......... it's a rook
Click to expand...

Your text doesn't clarify whether it is a rook or a crow though, so it's not really informative.
 
So I guess... if you like titles, use titles. If you don't like them, don't use them. And if you only want to use them on certain photos, that's OK too.
 
I named a few when i started uploading to flickr but it was just so I could find them more easily when doing the actual upload

Now I just use lightroom to upload so I leave all the names as DSCxxxxx.

As a few have said above I've named collections and series but for me it's just a way of organising my (limited) creativity for a neat library.
 
TheBigYin said:
you can tell he's new here ;)
Click to expand...

I've always had this bizarre notion that people can have differeing opinions without anyone necessarily having to be 'right' or 'wrong'. From the very entertaining threads I've read so far it seems like I might be in a minority. But I'm sure it won't take too long for me to end up embroiled in a venomous row with someone!
 
FinePrintDandy said:
...I'm sure it won't take too long for me to end up embroiled in a venomous row with someone!
Click to expand...

there'll be plenty of scope for that, we've our fair share of zealots and bigots on pretty much every subject :lol:

All it generally takes is threatening to give away pictures for a name-credit or asking if you'd be okay shooting a wedding using you're iPhone and you'll be booked in for the full 30 minute argument :lol:
 
TheBigYin said:
there'll be plenty of scope for that, we've our fair share of zealots and bigots on pretty much every subject :LOL:

All it generally takes is threatening to give away pictures for a name-credit or asking if you'd be okay shooting a wedding using you're iPhone and you'll be booked in for the full 30 minute argument :LOL:
Click to expand...

Only 30 minutes?
 
TheBigYin said:
Thats as long as I can stand to be in one of those threads before my banhammer hand starts to twitch...
Click to expand...

Your better than me, mine twitches at the sight of argument/raised tones
 
MWHCVT said:
Your better than me, mine twitches at the sight of argument/raised tones
Click to expand...

that'll be my calm and tolerant nature (and 20+ years longer on this earth than you dealing with numpties, so i've got hardened to it these days) Matt. ;)
 
TheBigYin said:
that'll be my calm and tolerant nature (and 20+ years longer on this earth than you dealing with numpties, so i've got hardened to it these days) Matt. ;)
Click to expand...

I did do a couple of years in a customer service where I couldn't tell customers what I really thought of them, I think this has broken me a little as now I have little tolerance to numpties...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top