I am going to post this and not run ;-) , when I see a title like 'this the corner of my world and this is mine and this is where I live', I want to do a -1 or a -2 to the score. You do not title, IMHO, like you talk to people. Give a title for your picture that you would not be ashemed of if your picture would be published in a book or a magazine. 'Title' is one word 'Description' is an other word The choice of this site, and I like it that way, even when it deserves me like this week (I see this in the comments) is not to display the details/description. It does not mean that people should move the description in the title.
A title should not be an 'advertising' description
Lionel PS : actually I do not run .. but I go back to work.
Exactly my thoughts, lionel! I lean heavily towards 1-3 word titles. If you can't sum it up, then maybe it doesn't meet the challenge as well as you thought it did.
Arent we just picky! That is stupid. Really it is, because there are some of us who for some reason wasn't given your talent. And yes it is hard to come up with a good title. Sometimes I am just clueless. Give people a brake. First its people complaining about their photos and now the titles. Come on, Get off your high horse and stop being so judgemently about every nit picking thing. Yes I am mad. There are to many baby judges in here who just see it their way. Titles do count, well to a point, but just because they didn't put what you would have put doesn't make it a bad title. Sonja I do not judge the photo and the title together, this is a photography contest not a title contest!
My 'Tree n Lilipads' title was pretty lame and I knew it when I submitted it but I just couldn't think of anything else at the time. I thought it was pretty funny when someone told me how lame it was. I knew that, but so what, I hope that person still only judged the photo. The titles that I dislike the most are the ones that try to explain the photo in hopes that the viewer will then 'get it'.
When I talk about Titles, I mean Titles - not sentences to describe. I titled mine this week with the name of the sin it depicts - some get it, some don't, but at least all know what I was trying to accomplish with the all powerful TITLE!
Originally posted by kathleenm: Exactly my thoughts, lionel! I lean heavily towards 1-3 word titles. If you can't sum it up, then maybe it doesn't meet the challenge as well as you thought it did.
Although my last comment was a "huh?". LOL
I find this whole thread a bit silly. But I also find the assumption that every picture should not have any text to support it or its a bad picture' idea pretty stupid too.
I'll throw one of my favourite paintings out as an example of this
7 words do not a bad title make, if they're a title, not a pained description meant to tell the viewer what to think about or how to interpret an image. 'Dali's Christ of St John On the Cross' is a very simple title that does nothing but name the subject. It's not 'Christ on a Cross with One Light so It Meets the Challenge' or 'God's Garbage'.
Sonifo: When in doubt, 'Untitled'. Not everything needs a witty, punchy title.
timj351: 'Tree & Lilly Pads' or 'Tree and Lilly Pads' would be a perfectly respectable title, but note the formality of using proper English. ;)
Originally posted by MarkRob: I titled mine this week with the name of the sin it depicts - some get it, some don't, but at least all know what I was trying to accomplish with the all powerful TITLE!
i think the point is - if you had titled your entry UNTITLED, would everyone still know what you were trying to accomplish? if the answer is no, then you're probably going to be voted down - titles that put the picture into context, even if it's only 1 word, are too descriptive
* This message has been edited by the author on 10/15/2002 5:17:19 PM.
* This message has been edited by the author on 10/15/2002 5:25:19 PM.
Originally posted by spiderman: i think the point is - if you had titled your entry UNTITLED, would everyone still know what you were trying to accomplish? if the answer is no, then you're probably going to be voted down - titles that put the picture into context, even if it's only 1 word, are too descriptive
I've seen this expressed several times and I'm frankly bemused.
Can you explain why it is too descriptive to you ? Why do you feel that a picture cannot be any good if it requires some context to enhance the meaning within it ? I think on a large majority of the images I like and in most cases the titles are part of the art, enhancing the work. Though I think this of the descriptions that are typically provided.
A lot of the most insipid, pretentious modern art appears with 'UNTITLED #1' and the like. Often I feel it just tries to hide the lack of meaning by throwing it back to the viewer to decide.
My 2 cents on titles is that since they are included, they should be considered. Several shots this week made no connection to the challenge but after reading the title, I could see a deep, well thought out connection. I'm inclined to accept that.
I have no problem with long titles (although 3 to 7 syllables seems most appealing to me) but I will vote down anything titled "This meets the challenge because it's of my Uncle Fred and if you knew Uncle Fred you'd know what a sinner he was and he's been dead for 7 years so it's the 7 deadly sins. Get it? Also you should give me a good grade because I'm 9 years old and only have a 1 megapixel camera."
A lot of the most insipid, pretentious modern art appears with 'UNTITLED #1' and the like. Often I feel it just tries to hide the lack of meaning by throwing it back to the viewer to decide.
agreed. funny example. i also agree that a title shouldn't save a picture, but a nice relevant title is the icing on the cake.
Originally posted by Gordon: Can you explain why it is too descriptive to you ? Why do you feel that a picture cannot be any good if it requires some context to enhance the meaning within it ?
if the point of the challenge was to portray one of the 7 sins, and even though i know what the challenge is, i still can't distinguish what is being depicted without an assist from the title --- that is too descriptive
i never said that a picture can't be any good if it requires some context-orienting title - i just said that for the purposes of these challenges, too-descriptive titles are frowned upon for the reason stated above
Often I feel it just tries to hide the lack of meaning by throwing it back to the viewer to decide.
if the point of the art is to provoke thought, why give the viewer a head-start?
on the other hand, if there is a well-defined point to the art, why is a title needed at all?
if the point of the challenge was to portray one of the 7 sins, and even though i know what the challenge is, i still can't distinguish what is being depicted without an assist from the title --- that is too descriptive
Actually, the point of the challenge was to use *one or more* of the 7 Deadly Sins as a working theme for your photograph, nowhere do I see 'portray' or 'one and one alone'.
Originally posted by Gordon: A lot of the most insipid, pretentious modern art appears with 'UNTITLED #1' and the like. Often I feel it just tries to hide the lack of meaning by throwing it back to the viewer to decide.
Originally posted by Alecia: agreed. funny example. i also agree that a title shouldn't save a picture, but a nice relevant title is the icing on the cake.
Alecia that's a GREAT link - I do like some modern art but I also agree with some of his points very much!
I don't, and never will, believe that Tracy Emin's unmade bed, or her box of soiled underwear are works of modern art.
But I do really like many highly abstract paintings and sculptures.
* This message has been edited by the author on 10/15/2002 5:45:36 PM.
This is a silly thread, so I think I jump in. Some shots really need a title, as part of the story, while other photos stand very well with the story in the shot. Not everyone can be a literary master and shouldn't have to be. These are photographs and we are photographers, nobody has asked us to be "title wizards". Some of us do have a nack for turning the cute phrase, but not all do. Personally, most photos I see NEED a title, to fill out the rough details, to get to the point. I prefer titles that are short and sweet, but I've seen a couple of plus 10 word titles that I really liked. MarkRob has a valid point, but probably could have written more to justify his point. Example - I have a picture of a racoon at my desk, right? Submit it for a crime challenge as "untitled" and many will miss the point. That is their choice. Title the same photo as "Masked Forest Dweller" for the same challenge would certainly help many. To the extreme, titled as "Racoon - Forest Thief wearing a mask over it's eyes" might be considered too much, so some restraint really can be called for.
My humble suggestion - start by LOOKING at the photo, ignore the title entirely. If you get it, wonderful, this is a photo challenge, you can ignore the title. If you don't get it, please, please, please, read the title, then RELOOK at the photo. Does it make sense now? Good, score it appropriately. If you are insulted by the title, tell the photographer so, but SCORE the picture on it's merits. I would ask all of you...Are you looking for a reason to trash the photo, then trash the photo, not the person's tastes in wording.
Final point - Youngsters and Non-English speaking people participate at this site, too. Please don't let the narrow minds win here. Offer kindness, it's easier on the soul. Take care.
Originally posted by Gordon: Originally posted by kathleenm: [i]Exactly my thoughts, lionel! I lean heavily towards 1-3 word titles. If you can't sum it up, then maybe it doesn't meet the challenge as well as you thought it did.
Although my last comment was a "huh?". LOL
I find this whole thread a bit silly. But I also find the assumption that every picture should not have any text to support it or its a bad picture' idea pretty stupid too.
I'll throw one of my favourite paintings out as an example of this
Originally posted by Zeissman: I love Dali's work. I have a poster of this one.
I used to live about 5 minutes walk from the gallery that picture hangs in - seen it many many times. It is positioned at the end of a long gallery / walkway and has a huge impact.
Originally posted by Mousie: ... use *one or more* of the 7 Deadly Sins as a working theme for your photograph, nowhere do I see 'portray' or 'one and one alone'.
okay, i'll grant you that
does that mean a picture of a postage stamp, titled GOVERNMENT GREED, would have equal footing with a silhoette of an unclad female titled FANTASY?
within the context as stated in the challenge, one entry obviously requires the additional context of the title - that entry, however well intentioned and however well presented, IMO, falls on the short side of the voting scale
