What Difference Does a Title Make?

As I go through the task of editing out and choosing the pictures  I’ll add to my library of available material, I give each one a title. But what difference does a title make to potential purchasers? Do they buy based on the merits of the image alone? Or can they be swayed one way or the other by an artist’s interpretation of his own image? So then, if we feel a title is necessary, should it actually describe the image we’ve created or should it be much more abstract than that? The majority of my pictures have a one or two word title. My intention is to try to open the door to something the client may not have seen about it as yet; to gently point towards an interpretation they may have missed, while hopefully encouraging them to see the work in a totally new light. This would also give them a way of explaining it to one of their friends or business acquaintances when showing it off.

The downside of the artist’s title is that it could conceivably turn a potential client off, thereby forefeiting a sale. Maybe this is why one so often sees pictures labeled ‘Unnamed’. I have to admit I’ve even done it myself, but it does feel like a bit of a cop out. Almost as if the artist couldn’t be bothered or perhaps created the image while giving it no thought. That said, I did actually change the title of one of my pictures at a gallery owner’s request. I had originally christened it ‘Denizens of the Deep,’ but she felt very strongly that a title that dark might put people off, so I duly renamed it ‘Phosphorescence.’ The picture still hasn’t sold despite being much admired, so to this day I’m not entirely sure it made any difference!

There is however another purpose to titling pictures, and that is to manipulate the way the image is interpreted. This is often a fascinating experience for both artist and viewer.  For instance, I recently published a traditional photograph on Facebook titled ‘The Heavens Opened;’  I added the subtext: “There I was, staring out over the menacing sea, when all of a sudden the heavens opened.”  It actually caused quite  a stir.

The post got tons of people guessing what it might have been, which was great fun.  What you’re actually looking at are  cracks in very thick ice on a pond just after it rained. Those cracks were so dynamic I decided to compose the shot so it could be inverted and still look believable as something completely different. That required finding an artificial horizon. The deeper portion of the pond had darker ice that worked perfectly. Luckily in this case I even found an area with a few white ‘clouds’ hanging above it. The whole makes for a very dramatic and extremely deceptive shot.

So what do you think about the naming of photos or paintings? I’m sure everyone has a story to tell.  Please leave your comments for all to share.