How you title a photo depends on its use. For example, the title of an image for an art exhibition will be different from that of a photo you intend to publish on the Internet. Choose titles carefully, as it may be difficult to rename images after sharing them publicly.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Title the Artistic Photos
Step 1. Use this method if you need to print a title on material to be exhibited or included in a publication
There are various styles that you can use, but all of them will communicate your message to the viewer.
Step 2. Title the photo using the geographic location
It is the best way to name a photo taken in a particular historical place and moment. It's best to use the exact address, city, state and country, and then add the exact date it was taken.
Step 3. To name your photos, use the camera information
Start with the model the camera belongs to to move on to the type of film, lens, filter and any other information a photographer might appreciate.
Step 4. Write a caption
Some photographers prefer to write a sentence instead of the title. If you don't want the photo to be explicit, process a sentence no longer than 150 characters.
Step 5. Choose two words and join them using "and" or "with"
Many photographers use this method to title images. For example, "Lights and Shadows" or "Woman with Dog".
Step 6. Do not title it
Use the phrase "Untitled". Consider adding a date to give the image some time context.
Step 7. Use an artistic title
Photographers use song titles, reflections or various sources of inspiration to name their works. For example, "Existentialism in concert" could be a title that stimulates or confuses the mind of the viewer.
Step 8. Include your name in the title if you wish to increase your notoriety in the art world
The more people see your name, the more likely they are to search for your other works.
Step 9. Develop your own strategy
While you can adopt a rather common style, on the other you have the possibility to choose a series of words or concepts that can evolve as you enrich your photo collection, finding other headings. To title your images, use a simple or complex style according to your preferences.
Method 2 of 3: Title the Photos Published on the Internet to Ensure a Better Positioning on the Net
Step 1. Start with medium resolution photos
Search engines do not rank larger photos, because they are more difficult to process. However, you need to find a file size that shows the image clearly, without being too large.
Step 2. Name the file based on the theme of the photo
Use a few words, with hyphens to separate them. For example, try writing harbor-blue-sunset-j.webp
Never use underscore (underscore) in place of dashes. Google and other search engines read hyphens as spaces, while underscore is seen as a symbol that unites words
Step 3. Add image information
If you add more information, the photo will be more popular in search engine results. It must contain more information than just a name to go viral, or even popular.
Step 4. Start with an alt-tag
This is where the importance of knowing keywords comes in. Edit the alt-tag so that the description of the photo results in searches that people might make when they need to find an image.
- For example, the port-blue-sunset photo might use an alt-tag that contains sunset-ocean or sunset-blue-ocean, as people often search for ocean sunset photos using these terms.
- Do not exceed 150 characters in the alt-tag, including dashes.
- Use hyphens, not underscore, to separate keywords.
- For better results, do some keyword research before naming your photos to make sure you are using particular, but also common, search terms.
Step 5. Write the photo caption
In case no other methods are available to describe the photo, this kind of information will also be available in search engines. Write a sentence, or a few words, that explain the image.
Step 6. Include a custom URL
By linking the image to a URL, you will guide the person who finds your photo in the image search to the website of your choice. It is essential if you would like the person to purchase a print of the photograph or see other work you have made.
Method 3 of 3: Title Photos for Your Archive
Step 1. Download the photos to your computer using the camera where they were saved
If you used film, make sure the first term in the title is the name of the device used to take the photo.
Archiving of images is an important job for historians. It is a question of systematically naming the photos so that they can be used to tell the story of a person, a place or an event from a chronological point of view
Step 2. Use the default setting for the easiest way to archive
Usually, a camera starts downloading images with the same prefix, for example IMG or DSC. In fact, it is an advantage for those who archive, as it gives the possibility to find a title to the images at a later time and, possibly, to attribute it to the model of the camera.
Step 3. Think about changing the default settings
If the camera allows you to choose, use a predefined name from the camera of three to five letters to encode all files downloaded from the camera.
Step 4. Leave the serial numbers intact when you download
Based on how many photos you take, the camera will add new dates or new numbers. This aspect is also an advantage because it keeps the photos in chronological order.
Step 5. Do not delete the photos from the machine after downloading
You will leave gaps in your collection that are difficult to put together later.
Step 6. Do not rename the photos in the collection
Instead of renaming an image based on its properties or theme, copy it. This way, you can rename and delete the second copy if necessary.
Step 7. Keep the same image titling rules until you have a new camera
If you can, use a similar method, first using a letter as a code to indicate the model of the camera.
