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DPChallenge Forums >> Current Challenge >> Do people even read the titles??
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Showing posts 1 - 25 of 71, (reverse)
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 02/19/2005 02:29:36 PM · #1
I guarantee you that only 5 out of 10 people read the titles when they vote. It's real evident from some of these comments I've been getting.
 02/19/2005 02:32:21 PM · #2
Heck, ruler, in MINE they're reading the title and voting it down despite the title LOL. They say so in their comments.

Robt.
 02/19/2005 02:38:26 PM · #3
I think they do read ,but sometimes the connection is not so obvious..
 02/19/2005 02:43:22 PM · #4
I think titles can be important although not all voters read them.

I usually get some comments about the title but ususally mostly negative comments. BTW I think those "title comments" are sometimes the only negative comments I get.
 02/19/2005 02:53:13 PM · #5
I'm not against titles, but I do favor photos that speak for themselves over photos that require a title to make them fit a challenge. A photo that doesn't convey it's point without the help of a title isn't completely succesful in my mind.
 02/19/2005 02:56:11 PM · #6
I wil ltell you directly, i'm judging the picture, not the title. Therefore I don't read it.
 02/19/2005 03:04:32 PM · #7
i put a lot of thought into my titles so i hate hearing that voters don't read them. my titles convey my thoughts and emotions and i believe them to be an integral part of the presentation of an image.
 02/19/2005 03:06:52 PM · #8
Originally posted by sher9204:
i put a lot of thought into my titles so i hate hearing that voters don't read them. my titles convey my thoughts and emotions and i believe them to be an integral part of the presentation of an image.


I agree, I vote only on the pictures merits but I like the title to somehow lead the way to the pic.
 02/19/2005 03:07:51 PM · #9
A photo is worth a thousand words, sure.. but sometimes a photo has more content that what can be seen. There's sometimes a story relating to it, etc. I have many photography books here that have just as much text than photos. Why? because photography can be more than just a "slap-in-your-face" obvious representation of a word. Photos CAN have a deeper meaning than a 5 second viewing can give you. A title will usually push in in the direction the photographer was thinking when taking it, but sometimes even a paragraph might be needed to explain a photo. Is that a bad thing? no. If everything was 100% obvious in a photo, it would be pretty boring IMO. I read the titles because the Photographer took the time to choose and put one. If it doesn't need one, he/she wouldn't have put it and left it blank.
 02/19/2005 04:02:28 PM · #10
Often, it is the title which prompts me to click on a picture for a larger view. There have been several which had fascinating elements in them, that I might not have caught had the title not been there. So, here's a vote to choose a title well. Thanks, Kathy

PS: Take this with a grain of salt. I often think the commercials are more entertaining than the TV show. (Case in point - any football game!)
 02/19/2005 04:08:51 PM · #11
BTW - if your title isn't clever, it doesn't matter. But, good grief, folks - I'm begging you - tell me where the picture was taken!

If you are showing me a beautiful place, won't you give me a chance to see it in the real world?

And.... if not in the title, there is also a comment section.

Thanks, Kathy
 02/19/2005 04:33:30 PM · #12
I havent made to many comments but sometimes i read the title sometimes i dont some pictures you have to read the title in order to know what the picture is since it was uniquely crafted
 02/21/2005 10:03:40 AM · #13
I judge the entry as 2 parts. Photo and Title. Portfolio titles aren't so important but for challenges they are too me. Untitled images lose 25% score immediatley.
 02/21/2005 10:15:17 AM · #14
Originally posted by justinbrook:
I judge the entry as 2 parts. Photo and Title. Portfolio titles aren't so important but for challenges they are too me. Untitled images lose 25% score immediatley.


25%?!? Man that's harsh! From what I recall this is a digital photography site?

Does this mean you might vote an excellent (artisticly) photo that meets the challenge the same as an average photo that only meets the challenge because of the title?
 02/21/2005 10:16:56 AM · #15
I never look at the title..... we are here to judge photos, not titles. I know I like to title mine, but that is for a different purpose.

I don't agree with justinbrook ..... you shouldn't vote someone down just because they didn't come up with a title, or a good title..... the picture should be all that matters! Lets not forget this is a photography site!

Message edited by author 2005-02-21 10:17:37.
 02/21/2005 10:20:45 AM · #16
i always look at the title but most of the time the photo is obvious.
 02/21/2005 10:24:12 AM · #17
Originally posted by kearock:
I'm not against titles, but I do favor photos that speak for themselves over photos that require a title to make them fit a challenge. A photo that doesn't convey it's point without the help of a title isn't completely succesful in my mind.


I totally agree with that, I saw a photo in separation that pretty much explains the whole situation of the photo..i would have rather them taken a picture of something else
 02/21/2005 10:25:34 AM · #18
I first look at the photo and see how it grabs me, whether it speaks to me. I then read the title and see if maybe I have missed something, sometimes I have. Often the title is an attempt to shoehorn a weak photo into the challenge topic. In general the photo should be able to stand on its own. What really does not work, at least for me, are titles that are almost a full paragraph describing the photograph.
 02/21/2005 10:30:05 AM · #19
I also think that that the photo should speak for itself, like most art.. but like most art the titles should be thoughtful to give the viewer more insight into the 'art'..

We all have around 400 entries to comment on and not a lot of time to do so, so i think in this case, even though we're being judged on the photo that the title should be thoughtful and people should read them, afterall, why are they there?

My current entry isn't so obvious and does kind of rely on the title a bit, but i dare say the photo can speak for itself within the theme, the titles just there to get the viewer to see the point of the photo a lot quicker!
 02/21/2005 10:40:31 AM · #20
image should speak for itself...no question
 02/21/2005 10:40:52 AM · #21
It's apparent in this challenge through some comments on the photo that the title was completly ignored. In the title, I made reference to a the purposefully strong element, and in the comments, I've been (construcivly) critized for not adjusting my photo to elimate the stregnth of it (it's an element that would under normal circumstances be corrented if in extreme, but I intended to highlight it in my photo, and let so be known in my title).

I think that, no, the title should not be a part of the judging rubrics, but I do think that it should be read in order to kinda get the gist of where the photographer was going with the shot. A photo should be pretty generally understood as is, but a title may help point out subtle elements that add to the integrity, or, in my case, explain the purpose of extremes. Often with macros of parts of larger whole objects, it puts a name to a very interesting thing I'm looking at but can't quite figure out. Once knowing the part, I not only find the picture interesting, but am assured of it's relevance. I find all of the above to often be the case when I look at others' pictures. Yes, a picture in itself ought to say a thousand words, but the title can certianly provide an explanation for those thousand words, which is sometimes necessary to circumstance, even with the greatest pictures.

Does the need for a title demote or promote the goodness of a picture? No, but I think it goes a long way in giving intent and explaining the importance of the picture the way it is.
 02/21/2005 10:54:19 AM · #22
Forget the fact that my pic needs work. I can understand that. But then to have someone post comments like these just irks me:

"title doesnt make sense." "I don't understand relevance."

BRIDGE - A structure spanning and providing passage over a gap or barrier, such as a river or roadway.

Also:
The upper bony ridge of the human nose.
The part of a pair of eyeglasses that rests against this ridge.

You have to think outside the box sometimes. :)
 02/21/2005 10:57:26 AM · #23
wait... what's this thread about again? [/sarcasm]
 02/21/2005 11:02:02 AM · #24
I´m used to read the titles, but I don´t score the pic about the title, just score the pic as a pic, no as pic and title.
02/21/2005 11:02:59 AM · #25
A great piece of music should be able to stand alone without lyrics but the two can work together to make something special. Peter and the Wolf would be a perfect example music and words working together and in this case the music could easily stand alone.

In general, a photo should make a statment on it's own but a title can add a new dimension to the shot...kick it off into a completely new direction which is perfectly fine. People need to be a bit less myopic.

I don't always read the title but if I'm about to vote a photo down I will read the title to see if there was something I missed to give the artist...perhaps a second chance.

My soon to be entered 70's photo will clearly be a 70's shot but the title might add some humor and clarity to it as I assume most entries will be of artifacts and such. Images that pop into my head when I think of the 70's might not seem common or straightforward, so a title might coax things along. Does that make sense???
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