naming photos!

[Christina]

Thòught this would be an interesting question : do you name your photos when you take them & why? Where do you get the name from if you decide to name them?

 

[Hertz van Rental]

I name my computers but never my pictures. They don't come when I call them so I can't see the point

 

[Joxby]

I name my cameras, not the photos they capture
If I'm Jpegging, I try to leave the same id number on the jpeg as the RAW it came from.
Later on, after processing #1, if you have a pile of similar RAW's...it gets irritating trying to associate a processed jpeg with its dadda.

 

[Christina]

I meant really for display.

 

[Joxby]

oh....err no
I dont make up any fantasmagorical titles like "dusky moonlight shimmer" or anything, strictly fuctional, dogs bum A.....dogs bum B....ect

its a cliche trap

 

[Christina]

I wish objects would come to me when i call them too lol

 

[Hertz van Rental]

As I have said elsewhere, giving your pictures names stops them having their own life and they become merely illustrations of the titles - such is the power of the word.
I once took part in an exhibition (of the gallery kind) where the organisers insisted I title my pictures. I had a long argument with them but in the end we compromised. I called them I, II, III, IV and so on.
If I have to give pictures titles now it is either something whimsical (when it doesn't matter) or just the date it was taken, for example 15/VII/05.

 

[ann]

sometimes, i give an image a working title, but never use it when hanging in a show, etc.

 

[Christina]

i see, everyone makes good points, i especially like the thought of the title taking away from your photo.

 

[dpolston]

I only name photos for my blog. That's only because I want people to think I am more "artistic" and "well read" than I really am.

 

[dpolston]

Oh... and the one I use for my photo for this forum (ppssttt, it's the black and white on the left side of the screen here) is called "Visionary". It is a self portrait and I have a matted 20x30 (framed 24x36) on my office wall. The only reason (and it's not vanity that I have it hanging) is I wanted to try a photo processors quality on larger prints. It is the only print I have ever printed with a title on it.

Okay... maybe it is a little vain, I do like the print.

 

[JC1220]

“Title” would be a more appropriate word. Titles break down barriers for the viewer, but should not limit that experience. Typically a title naming the objects in a photograph says that is all the photograph is about. The viewer is directed not to see anything more than that. The use of “untitled” gets in the way of a viewer’s experience of the work, they may wonder where the photograph was made stopping them from getting further involved. Usually, by titling with a place name, like “Hernandez, New Mexico,” a barrier is removed.

Titles reveal the intentions of the photographer. Had Walker Evans entitled his photograph of a church in Alabama, “Church in Nonesuch, Alabama,” vs. the actual title, “Alabama,” the later implies the photograph is more about a whole culture, not just the thing itself, and expands the viewers experience.

The worst titles are the cutsie ones, like sunset. They direct the viewers experience rather than giving them credit they could see something more in the photograph that is more than an obvious subject or object, even seeing something more than the artist intended.

All photographs that are works of art are about something more than what they are of. For the viewer, the art of seeing, or receiving, is a participation in the creative process no less essential and direct than the artist’s. Do not limit the experience with poorly chosen titles.

 

[craig]

I title all my top picks in post processing. I could never have a keeper that is titled DSC_0072. I usually go for a basic title like Skulls 23 or CarBank. I find that this helps me remember the shoot years later. Comes down to the way you want to archive your photos. Consider that years from now you will be sifting through tons of files. The key is too make that search as easy and relevant as possible.

Also be sure to add captions, keywords and copyright info.


Love & Bass

 

[_SnapShot_]

photo001, photo001, photo003.

I save photos with their original name that came out of the camera. It's easier to find them again and date them. Working versions have names just so I can find them. When they are finished, any name is only for myself.

I do not title photos.

I do name my cars.