WRITING GOOD CAPTIONS
Captions are in addition to the story summary. Don’t just repeat information in the summary — help people further understand the story.
Every caption should be one sentence:
That sentence needs, at a minimum, the building blocks of good journalism: who, what, where, when.
The sentence should help readers understand what they’re seeing. But DO NOT describe what’s in the photo.
If you have a quote or additional information that adds color or context that helps us understand the picture or further the story, add a second sentence. DO NOT just add fluff.
Captions should be written in present tense
Verbs should be active verbs, not passive
MPW Captions
Your Story Summary will provide background context; captions should introduce new information to provide context for the image and its place in the story.
What should you write for your MPW captions? Here are some examples:
Tina Whitmore, 41, smokes a cigarette while running errands in Smithville, Mo., a town near Excelsior Springs on Sept. 21, 2022. Whitmore, who is a month and a half sober from her meth addiction, has been struggling to rebuild her life.
Dr. Douglas Kiburz, second from right, dressing in personal protective equipment before performing a double knee transplant on a patient at Bothwell Regional Health Center on Sept. 27, 2023, in Sedalia, Mo..
Dawn Summers, left, records her daughter, Natalee, 14, as Natalee explains the benefit of Goldenrod in a honeybee ecosystem for her YouTube channel on Sept. 21, 2022, in Excelsior Springs, Mo.
Irvin Kahle, 78, helps his brother, Carl, 87, back to the house where they were both born near Holland, Ind. on May 10, 1995. As Carl ages, Irvin not tends to his brother’s needs and takes on his brother’s farm chores in hopes that his brother can live out his days on the farm. “When we were young, he took care of me. Now that we’re old, I take care of him,” Irvin said.
Liz Pierson, 71, and Torsten Kjellstrand, 19, instruct the Missouri Photo Workshop photographers on best practices for writing captions on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2026, at the Northwest Missouri State University Agricultural Learning Center in Maryville, Mo. Their presentation takes place on the final night of the workshop.