Many times an otherwise excellent photo becomes outrightly ruined by carelessly added title or descriptive text.
Seems like some people (mostly newbie photographers) are in an unbelievable hurry, and upload as if their lives depended upon it – which is, as we all know, never the case. So why is that?
Why quickly instead of correctly? There is always time enough to check the whole of an intended upload before it becomes public. Admittedly, there might be possible to edit the posted-up work and correct an unintentional typo or mistake, but isn’t it better and simpler to have everything correct before upload?
Mistakes, typos, errors, glitches… those happen to all of us, and especially when we write in a language that might not be native to us, the occurrence is more likely to happen. And on the Internet we most often translate to English from another language that has its own specific phraseology, choice of words for various objects, and many times an almost untranslatably intricate grammar.
Once the uploaded work becomes public (e.g. visible), the whole impression of some possibly excellent picture suffers greatly from any uncorrected mistakes! It does not matter whether those are typos or serious, language-related errors. The wrong remains wrong until made right. However, many just type what they think that fits their pics, and never look back.
Remember that what we make public actually reflects our view of our World! As photographers and observers, what we present is our special visual comments, our ability to think, conclude, and to present it properly in the Language Of Light.
Photography (as any other artistic presentation), speaks mosty about their authors, and thematic contents really become of secondary importance. We choose the part of what is seen, enclose it within the image frame, and thus pronounce it special, worthy of seeing, thinking about, and presentation. The way we do it reflects our unique way of existence more than anything else.
Considering all that, why should our carefully chosen visual expression be then marred by illiteracy, careless typing, or wrong translation? We should strive to transfer our work to our viewers in the most complete and correct way – and this only requires a bit more of our attention and time!
Once more a warning about automated translations: these are not perfect, and will not be for some time! True, most translators may be 99% correct in translating a single word from one language to another, but any complex translation of structured expression (such as a sentence) is so much more than mere word substitution! A proper translation means as complete a transfer of meaning as possible. Many languages contain widely differring concepts about the same things, the set of associative bases are different, and phrases in one language may mean something else, or even nothing, in another. Bearing this in mind will help one avoid expressing something senseless.
There is more, but let it suffice to say that the best way to title a picture is to use one single word, which relates to that first impulse we remember from the moment of taking the photo; it was our reason for action, and usually best shows our comment upon our theme. Using an automatic translator, take care to pick the proper word from all suggested synonyms.
So before posting up your work, please remember to additionally proof-read whatever you have added to it, with at least the same amount of concentration that you have invested in the post processing of your image! It will help you leave the impression of seriousness with regard to your photographic activity, and will also present you, the author, in the best possible light.
And that’s what you wanted the viewers to see in the first place, wasn’t it?
Merry or marry? Christmas or Chris's Mats? Or is it just that „speed kills“ (all effort)?