Alt Text Challenge | Series 2, Episode 3
Thank you for your creative responses to yesterday’s challenge. I hope you enjoyed it.
Describing these pictures is hard! It would be so much easier to describe a battle scene, say – or the shadow of a man dragging his dog on a lead.
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The winners
Picture 1
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“Criss-crossing grooves between raised diamonds and triangles of dull orange, dusky pink and mauve terracotta, have collected pieces of natural litter: moss, tiny stones, fine straw, and minute green plants.” – M.S.
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I like the forensic, crisp precision of this one-sentence description. M.S. is a photographer, and has a fine eye. Everyone else: be warned!
Credit too to H.C.H., twice a close runner-up, for noticing that “sunlight highlights the red tones” in picture 1.
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Picture 2
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“Stark photo of black metal railings with vertical bars and repeat floral pattern section between sturdy horizontals. Or possibly a weird bedstead! All on cement path or a grey rug.” – C.S.
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I like that C.S. makes clear that the picture is a photo. After all, the unsighted person you are describing this for might otherwise think it’s a drawing, or calligraphy.
(Doesn’t mean that every entry needs to begin that way, but it might be worth bearing in mind.)
And I like the un-forensic, very human ‘possibly a weird bedstead!’, because the picture is quite odd, and ideally alt text conveys the feeling of the picture, as well as the content.
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(Nobody seems to have noticed the tip of my schnauzer Peanut's ear, entering at the bottom of the frame.)
Today's Challenge
Describe either (or both) of the pictures on this page, in approx 30 words (each), to make them “visible” to somebody who can’t see them.
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Tip: Give a sense of what is shown, and the “feel” of the picture: today’s pair were taken from different positions, relative to the ground; the one on the left has warm tones, the one on the right is cool. How does that affect the feel?
As ever, remember that you are only trying to deliver a textual alternative to the picture. See Series 2 Episode 1 for an example.
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Here is the page with today's pictures:
https://flintoff.org/ATC2-s-2-ep-3.
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