Decide where the photo will appear and what it does there
When taking a photograph from your diary to share elsewhere, write one sentence about its role in that post. Introducing a desk where you work calls for different information from describing an object’s condition. Reread the surrounding text even when reusing a familiar photograph.
Alt text conveys an image’s information when someone cannot see it. W3C’s Images Tutorial and decision tree consider the image’s information, function and context together. Listing everything visible does not necessarily communicate what the image contributes to this particular page.
Give the personal caption and alt text their own jobs
A personal caption can preserve a thought or something outside the frame. “I finished the letter here today” adds a memory, but it does not explain where the cup and notebook are. For alt text, select information you can verify in the photograph that matters to the current post.
Describe confirmed details such as color, position or condition instead of inferring a happy mood from the cup. Avoid automatically repeating what the surrounding text already says. If the image acts as a link or button, its function or destination also matters; a description of appearance alone may not serve that purpose.
Four steps to read the photo in its publishing context
Read the text and identify the image’s role where it will appear. Ask what information the reader would miss without the picture.
Inspect the photograph for important objects, positions, actions and visible words. Leave out guessed details that you cannot see or confirm.
Write a brief description containing the information the purpose requires. Check for repetition, distracting details and anything essential you left out.
Enter the description in the publishing service’s actual alt-text field. After saving, use that service’s checking method to confirm it applies to the intended image.
Two rough descriptions of the same fictional mug photo
This scene is an original written example from the editorial team. A blue mug stands to the right of an open notebook, with a visible break at the bottom of its handle. No actual sample image is supplied. The drafts below practice describing that imagined photograph.
Workspace introduction, rough draft: “There is a blue cup, a notebook and a desk.” The list leaves the relationship between the notebook and cup unclear. If the post introduces the workspace, revise it so the arrangement is understandable.
Cup-condition post, rough draft: “An old cup I love.” That expresses a personal memory without conveying the damage. This post needs the location and appearance of the condition you can verify in the image.
Revise each draft into alt text for its purpose
Completed alt text for the workspace introduction: “A blue mug to the right of an open notebook.” The arrangement is central here, so a long account of the damage is not automatically necessary.
Completed alt text for the cup-condition post: “A blue mug with a visible break at the bottom of its handle.” Here the location and damage matter more than the notebook, so put them first.
The two descriptions select different information from the same imagined picture. A visible break does not establish whether the cup is safe to use, and this description is not an inspection. If your actual photograph differs from the draft, rewrite the description to match what it shows.
Check visible words, repetition and decorative images
If words in an image are essential to understanding it and are absent from the surrounding text, convey those words too. You might include a notebook’s readable heading when it is central to the post. Check the actual writing instead of filling obscured words from imagination.
On the web, an empty alt can be appropriate when surrounding text already conveys the image’s information or the image is purely decorative. Whether leaving a service’s input blank correctly sets an empty alternative depends on that service. Complex images such as charts may need a fuller explanation in the body as well as brief alt text.
Keep a Pogaem draft separate from the published setting
You can keep the photo with a manual draft in Pogaem to revisit before sharing. A short body example is “Workspace: Blue mug to the right of an open notebook. Condition: Blue mug with a visible break at the bottom of its handle. Check the actual photo and post before publishing.” This fits within the 500-character body limit.
Writing an ordinary Pogaem note does not attach accessibility attributes to a photo elsewhere. Apply the description in the destination service’s alt-text setting and check the saved result there. This article does not document a dedicated Pogaem alt-text field or verified screen-reader behavior.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to describe every color and object?
Select information that helps someone understand the current post’s purpose. Include a color or object when it matters and reduce decorative details that add no meaning. There is no single correct character count for every photograph and service.
Can the same photograph need different descriptions in different places?
Yes. A workspace introduction may need the arrangement of a notebook and cup, while a condition report needs the location of damage. Review the surrounding words and the image’s role whenever you reuse a photograph.
Does a Pogaem note set accessibility alt text for the photo?
No. A manual Pogaem note can hold a draft. You still need to apply it in the accessibility field of the service where you publish; the note alone does not establish an alt-text setting or screen-reader behavior.
Sources
- W3C WAI: Images Tutorial · Accessed: 2026-11-08
- W3C WAI: an alt decision tree · Accessed: 2026-11-08