Titles

Some interesting observations, a friend of a friend of a friend, works in an anti terrorism and anti crime unit, social media division, there are four people in the office and the door is kept closed even to other officers, they spend the the entire shift looking through social media, day in and day out and logging suspicious activity and monitoring suspect behavior.

A location, day , date, title, and caption would be essential to the process of recording day to day observations regarding suspects and there potential criminality,
It may not be a photo as we consider it, it could be screen shot type image, but the amount of logging and filing etc must be huge, as one day, potentially, it may need to be produced as evidence in a court of law and stand up to scrutiny.

There has been a spate of high profile "social media"" crimes recently, so its not "urban legend" that these tasks are being undertaken.

I heard from the friend of a friend of a friend that is incredible how many criminals boast about their crimes on social media and post photos of "the loot" etc.

Allegedly, its a nightmare, you dare not put down a pen on your desk or its gone. :) there are only four of them and its always Mr. Nobody :)
 
Last edited:
Barney said:
I heard from the friend of a friend of a friend that is incredible how many criminals boast about their crimes on social media and post photos of "the loot" etc.
Click to expand...


Digital footprints (the Tech term) have been a vital asset for at least two decades now.

Originally just with phone records and computer browsing history.

But now there is a whole suite of data, from social media interactions (not just posts) to GPS logging data via your car's SatNav at al (let alone ANPR and CCTV).
 
DemiLion said:
Digital footprints (the Tech term) have been a vital asset for at least two decades now.

Originally just with phone records and computer browsing history.

But now there is a whole suite of data, from social media interactions (not just posts) to GPS logging data via your car's SatNav at al (let alone ANPR and CCTV).
Click to expand...
Very true, and the irony is, thank goodness, that the tech is also allegedly used to watch the watchers in the guise of performance monitoring, A different person, through the friend of a friend of a friend laments how he got a radio bollovking for not chasing down a vehicle that went past and flagged as "no insurance" by the ANPR, and who can forget the dreadful newspaper stories and images of the officers laughing, joking and sharing witty photos over victims of murder and other serious incidents. I think that the things we see in headlines are the "tip of the iceberg"

Anyway, enough already, Dipping into Paul Hills "approaching photography" he devotes a section to the very subject of titles the opening phrase of which states

" you should be very aware of the implications of your actions when you put your work into the public domain"

He advocates the use use of titles and captions as essential, in case the viewer makes up their own mind about whats going on, (my italics) I don't feel half as bad now regarding my titles and captions.
 
Barney said:
Very true, and the irony is, thank goodness, that the tech is also allegedly used to watch the watchers in the guise of performance monitoring, A different person, through the friend of a friend of a friend laments how he got a radio bollovking for not chasing down a vehicle that went past and flagged as "no insurance" by the ANPR, and who can forget the dreadful newspaper stories and images of the officers laughing, joking and sharing witty photos over victims of murder and other serious incidents. I think that the things we see in headlines are the "tip of the iceberg"

Anyway, enough already, Dipping into Paul Hills "approaching photography" he devotes a section to the very subject of titles the opening phrase of which states

" you should be very aware of the implications of your actions when you put your work into the public domain"

He advocates the use use of titles and captions as essential, in case the viewer makes up their own mind about whats going on, (my italics) I don't feel half as bad now regarding my titles and captions.
Click to expand...
Which edition of Paul Hill is this?

In my third edition (p59), he doesn't say that titles and captions are "essential", he says something which I consider more sensible, even though it has similarities to the text you have quoted (which I cannot find)

"You might be quite happy for the viewers to make up his or her own mind, but if you want them to get your point, you may wish to give a few signposts"

As Paul started as a freelance photojournalist, I wonder if you are reading an earlier edition, with a narrower scope than the latest one. The "essential" nature of a title (even more so, a caption) seems appropriate for some types of photography (e.g. photojournalism), but not for all photography.


EDIT: I see he later says he refers refers to titles as. "[can be] .... overly descriptive appendages rather than necessities - or an essential component
 
Last edited:
Good Morning Graham,

My edition is the second (2004) pg 56

The direct quotes are in inverted commas, the rest how I interpreted his words, Perhaps I will have a couple more reads to ensure a correct understanding, its so thought provoking its possible I developed my own tangent and subsequently went off on it.
 
Barney said:
Good Morning Graham,

My edition is the second (2004) pg 56

The direct quotes are in inverted commas, the rest how I interpreted his words, Perhaps I will have a couple more reads to ensure a correct understanding, its so thought provoking its possible I developed my own tangent and subsequently went off on it.
Click to expand...
I only have the third edition. I had the first edition at one time, but haven't read the second.

I only checked it, as I felt it unlikely that Paul would have written that titles and captions were essential, except for specific circumstances.
 
vintageman said:
I'm just digitising some of my colour slides from the 1980s.

Sadly without notes of where and when, 90% of their value has been lost
Click to expand...


I used to think I could remember any location that appeared in my photographs but now I realise that's just not true. Sadly.

But to get back to titles, maybe it depends on the subject matter? A waterfall or a sunset need little more than a location, in my opinion. I tend to believe that something more subtle or hidden within an image that is perfectly obvious to me would also be perfectly obvious to the viewer. I'm probably mistaken in that respect so maybe a title could be useful in that case.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top