how to describe a picture in an essay examples

A Step-by-step Guide to Describing a Picture in English

how to describe a picture in an essay examples

This article covers the following areas –

Sample description of a picture in english, step 1: ask yourself wh questions & answer them, step 2: describe what the picture is about, step 3: describe the setting of the picture, step 4: describe the positions of the subjects in the picture, step 5: describe the objects in the picture, step 6: describe the characters in the picture, step 7: describe what the characters are doing, 7 tips to make picture description more comprehensive, sample conversation: describing a picture in english, final words, faq: describing a picture in english.

Describing a picture, an image, or a photo can be helpful for people with visual impairments to see it through you. Also, in many English exams (FCE, TOEIC, PTE, etc.), you may need to describe pictures in English. Finally, and most importantly, as an ESL learner, describing pictures in English can be a great way to practice and develop your general English skills.

To describe a picture in English, start with a general overview, identifying the main subject. Detail key elements like objects, colors, and people. Describe the mood, atmosphere, and composition. Use specific adjectives and, if relevant, similes or metaphors for vivid imagery.

Let’s try to describe the following picture.

Description: This picture shows a peaceful place that looks like a park. One person sits on a bench on the left side, reading a book. It looks like a quiet spot where someone can enjoy some alone time.

The park has lots of grass, and it’s very green, which makes it look fresh and pretty. It’s probably late in the day because the light is soft and warm like it is before the sun goes down. There are trees with lots of leaves and some without any, which might be around when seasons change, like when spring starts or fall ends.

The person with the book is near us, and we can see what other people are doing in the park. Everyone looks relaxed and happy to be there. Behind them, the park stretches out with different kinds of trees that make the place look like a little green world of its own.

In the back, a small hill goes up gently, and the light makes it look nice and gentle. The hill looks far away, making you think the park is big and open.

The whole picture feels calm, like a quiet break from a noisy day. It makes you think of the sound of the wind in the trees and birds singing somewhere far away. The picture tells us that relaxing in nature can be a lovely way to relax.

Well! Now, we’ll learn how to describe a picture step by step. In the following sections, I’ll provide you with some guidelines, phrases, and tips to make a good picture description. Before that, you may take a look at English Made Easy Volume One: A New ESL Approach: Learning English Through Pictures (Amazon Link) . This book creatively uses pictures and text together to revolutionize English language learning, making it easier to understand and more effective overall.

To describe a picture in English, you may ask yourself a few WH questions and then try to answer them. If you can arrange the answers in a logical structure, the full description will sound like a story. Here are some sample questions.

1. What is this picture about?

This question sets the stage for the description, helping to identify the main subject or theme of the picture. Is it a serene landscape, a bustling city scene, a portrait of an individual, or perhaps a moment captured at a social event?

2. What is the setting of the picture?

Determining the setting involves looking for clues that indicate the location and the time of day or season. It could be indoors or outdoors, day or night, and in any weather or season.

3. What are the positions of the characters or the objects in the picture?

Describing where things are in the picture helps the listener visualize the layout. Use directions like left, right, center, foreground, and background to explain the placement of significant elements.

4. What are the characters doing in the picture?

This involves looking at the characters’ actions or any movement within the picture. It brings the scene to life by explaining what each character or object is doing.

Look at the above picture and observe minutely. Now, Answer the above WH questions, collect all the information, and organize it logically. You may also share your description in the comment box. I’ll surely provide you with feedback.

However, throughout the next part of the post, We’ll learn to describe a picture step by step. To do so, we’ll take the above picture as a sample. To get the full description of the above picture (Sample Picture), read the post till the end.

Imagine you are describing a picture to a person who has visual impairments. How would you start?

The best way to start describing a picture is by giving an idea of what the picture is about. Give a concise general description that you see apparently at a glance. You don’t need to go into details at the beginning of a picture description.

Here are some example sentences that can help you start the description of the picture.

The picture shows some people buying clothes from a clothes shop.
In the picture, four people are standing in a clothing store; one is a salesperson, and three are customers.
The picture is about a clothes shop. Some customers are checking different items.
This is a picture of a clothing store with three customers and one salesperson.
The picture tells us it’s a clothing store, and a salesperson is talking to a customer. And some other customers are checking different items.
There are four people in the picture. One of them is a salesperson, and the other three are customers.

Setting refers to the time and place of a picture. However, you may not always understand the time. But it’s pretty obvious that you can have an idea of a place.

To describe the setting of a picture, detail the location, time, and atmosphere. Note the physical environment, architectural elements, natural landscapes, lighting, weather conditions, and any cultural or historical contexts that define and give character to the picture’s background.

While describing a place, you first give a general idea and then point out every minute detail. Let’s describe the setting of the sample picture above. Generally, you can say this is a clothing store.

But you can also give some specific information about the store by using descriptive adjectives to give someone a clear idea. For example, you can say “a small clothing store” or “a well-decorated boutique.”

To describe the setting, especially the place, you should try to draw the same picture with words so that one can clearly see the picture through your eyes with the help of your comments.

By using vivid visual imagery , your description of the place in the picture can be recognized or understood even if someone has never seen it before.

To describe the positions of subjects in a picture, specify their orientation, arrangement, and interaction. Detail whether they are central, peripheral, foreground, or background, their posture, the direction they face, and their relation to other subjects or elements in the composition.

Use specific words/phrases, such as left, right, up, down, top left, top right, bottom left, bottom right, center/middle, etc., to give a precise, detailed position of something in the picture. Remember! There are uses of prepositions before those words. The following photo shows how to use correct prepositions while giving details about a picture.

Now, let’s see some example sentences using the preposition.

In the center of the picture is a counter where a salesperson is talking to a customer.
At the top , there are some scarves on the hangers.
On the left is a collection of dresses, and a customer is checking them.
On the right is a collection of dresses, and a lady thinks about what she can pick.

While describing a picture, there can be so many objects. You are expected to describe just the most important things. You don’t need to go for detailed descriptions for every object you see.

To describe objects in a picture, detail their shape, size, color, and texture. Mention their location, relation to other elements, and any symbolic significance. Focus on prominent features that contribute to the overall theme or narrative of the image.

Suppose in the sample picture there is a collection of dresses. Instead of discussing every dress, you can say that dresses are kept on hangers on the left.

Yet, you can talk about the category of the dresses as a whole, but it’s not necessary to talk about the color and type of each dress.

To describe characters in a picture, focus on their appearance, expressions, posture, and attire. Note their positions and interactions with each other or the setting. Highlight any distinctive features or attributes that contribute to the overall narrative or theme of the image.

Characters can be of different types: a person or other animals. To describe a person in the picture, you may talk about their sex and appearance.

While discussing their appearance , mention the dresses and some notable physical features like height, overall build, hair, etc. You can also talk about their age.

Now, look at the sample picture. What can you see about the characters? Here are some example sentences.

One of the customers is a blonde. She is wearing white pants and a blue top.
The salesperson is wearing glasses.
The other customer is wearing a T-shirt.

To describe what characters are doing in a picture, observe their actions, gestures, and expressions. Detail their interactions with each other or their environment, and note any significant movements or activities that contribute to the scene’s narrative or emotional tone.

It would be best to discuss what is happening in the picture and what the characters are doing in it. All these must be in the present continuous tense.

Let’s see some examples.

In the picture, a salesperson is talking to a customer.
The other customer is probably looking for a suitable dress.
A customer is probably trying to negotiate the price.

Describing a picture well means you help someone “see” it without looking. It’s like telling a story that paints the picture with words. You want to capture everything: the big stuff, the tiny details, and the feelings it stirs up. Let’s walk through some tips to make your descriptions stand out.

#1 Use “Might” and “Could” When You’re Not Sure

When a part of the picture isn’t clear, it’s okay to use words like “might” and “could” to guess what it is without being too sure. It’s like saying, “This could be a cat, but it’s a bit fuzzy, so I’m not 100% sure.” This way, you’re honest about what you see and leave some room for the imagination.

#2 Use Words That Show How Sure You Are

Sometimes, you know what’s in the picture, but not completely. Words like “probably” or “maybe” help here. They let you guess a little, like saying, “This probably is a birthday party,” when you see balloons and a cake. It’s like making an educated guess.

#3 Stick to What You See

Keep it real by just talking about what’s actually in the picture. Try not to let your likes or dislikes change what you’re saying. If a big red ball is in the middle, say that. It’s like being a news reporter for the picture—just the facts.

#4 Connect It to Your Life

If something in the picture reminds you of a story from your own life, share that. It makes the description more personal and interesting. Like, “This garden scene takes me back to my grandma’s backyard where I played as a kid.” It gives a personal touch to the picture.

#5 Compare to Something Familiar

If there’s something in the picture you don’t know how to describe, think of something it reminds you of. It could be as simple as saying, “This weird fruit looks like a mix between a pineapple and a melon.” It’s like using a shortcut to help explain what you’re seeing.

#6 Point Out the Differences

If there are two things to compare in the picture, go ahead and show how they’re different. It can be simple, like, “The first dog is huge and fluffy, but the second one is small and has short hair.” It’s like playing Spot the Difference, which can be really fun.

#7 Guess the Story

It’s cool to tell a story about what’s happening in the picture. If you see a boat on a river, you can imagine it’s on a long adventure. It’s a bit like writing a story based on just one scene, and it makes everything more exciting and alive.

So, when you use these tips, you’re not just listing stuff that’s in the picture. You’re making it pop out of the page with words that turn the picture into a vivid scene in the reader’s mind. Keep it playful, honest, and creative; your picture descriptions will be special.

Situation: Jake and Zoe are sitting in a café, and Jake is showing Zoe a photograph he took during his recent trip to the mountains.

Jake: Zoe, check out this picture I took during my trip to the Himalayas!

Zoe: Wow, Jake! This is breathtaking . The snow-capped mountains in the background create such a majestic view. And the crystal-clear blue sky contrasts beautifully with them.

Jake: Thanks! I was lucky to capture the golden rays of the sunrise hitting the peaks. It gives the whole scene an ethereal glow .

Zoe: I can see that! And the meadow in the foreground with those wildflowers adds so much vibrancy to the composition. It’s like nature’s own palette of colors.

Jake: I’m glad you noticed! And there’s a small wooden cabin to the right. Can you see it?

Zoe: Oh yes, it looks so quaint and cozy . It must be amazing to wake up to such a spectacular view every day. Your picture truly captures the essence of the place.

describing a picture in English is a skill that combines observation with expression. By asking the right ‘WH’ questions, we start to unlock the story and the details within an image. We begin to understand not just what the picture is about but also the setting, the positions of subjects and objects, and the actions taking place. It is a methodical approach that ensures we cover all aspects of the picture, allowing us to share a comprehensive and vivid description.

As we refine this skill, we learn to add depth to our descriptions with comparisons, speculations, and personal associations. We become adept at painting a picture with words, even when our knowledge is incomplete, using modal verbs and adverbials to express possibilities and probabilities. This approach to describing images is not just about relaying what we see; it’s about bringing a static image to life for the listener or reader.

Every picture has a story, whether it’s a snapshot of a busy street, a serene landscape, or a moment of human interaction. By applying these steps and tips, we can narrate that story effectively. This guide is not just about the mechanical process of description; it’s about developing an eye for detail and a way with words that can transport others into the world captured by the lens. In doing so, we enhance our linguistic skills and deepen our appreciation for the moments, big and small, that photographs immortalize.

1. How should I start when describing a picture?

Begin with a broad overview of the image. State the main focus, whether it’s a landscape, a busy street scene, or a portrait. Set the scene by mentioning the dominant elements or subjects immediately catch the eye. This provides a foundation for a more detailed exploration.

2. What elements should I focus on when describing a picture?

When describing a picture, prioritize the most striking aspects. This includes the foreground and background, which give depth; the variety of colors and their intensity; prominent objects and their significance; people, including their actions and expressions; and any notable emotions or atmosphere the picture conveys.

3. How can I describe the colors in a picture?

Be specific when talking about colors. Use terms like ‘vibrant’ for bright, eye-catching hues, ‘muted’ for soft, subdued shades, or ‘contrasting’ for striking differences. Relate the colors to the mood of the picture – for instance, bright colors might suggest joy, while darker tones could imply melancholy.

4. What if there are people in the picture?

Observe their actions, expressions, attire, and interactions with others or their surroundings. Describe how these elements contribute to the overall narrative or theme of the picture. Are they the main focus, or do they play a supporting role in the scene?

5. How can I describe the mood or atmosphere of a picture?

Use descriptive terms that capture the essence of the picture’s atmosphere. Words like ‘tranquil’ might describe a peaceful landscape, while ‘chaotic’ could fit a bustling city scene. The mood is often reflected in the picture’s composition, colors, and expressions.

6. How should I describe the composition of the picture?

Talk about how the picture is structured. Describe the arrangement of objects and subjects, the symmetry or asymmetry, and where the viewer’s eye is naturally drawn. Is the composition balanced, or does it create a sense of movement or tension?

7. Can I use similes and metaphors when describing a picture?

These can greatly enhance your description, making it more engaging and relatable. Compare elements of the picture to well-known objects or concepts to evoke a stronger image in the viewer’s mind.

8. How can I describe the lighting in a picture?

Note whether the lighting is natural or artificial, the direction from which it comes, and the kinds of shadows and highlights it creates. Lighting can dramatically alter the mood and focus of a picture.

9. How should I conclude my description?

Summarize your overall impression of the picture and the emotions it evokes. This could be a reflection on the theme, the effectiveness of the composition, or the story you think the picture tells.

10. Is it essential to describe every detail in a picture?

While some pictures warrant a detailed analysis of every element, often, it’s more effective to focus on the aspects that contribute most to the overall impact of the image. Consider what the artist might want the viewer to focus on and how the elements work together to create a cohesive scene.

If you have further questions or suggestions about anything specific related to this topic or anything else related to learning English as a second language, feel free to ask me in the comment box. You may also help the ESLA community by putting your valuable suggestions here to help every member improve their English language skills.

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Niaj A A Khan

Niaj A A Khan is an ESL Instructor with over 8 years of experience in teaching & developing resources at different universities and institutes. Mr. Khan is also a passionate writer working on his first book, "Learn English at Ease."

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How to Describe a Picture … in 4 Easy Steps

On Holiday in Cortona, Italy. April 2014

How would you describe the above picture?

Imagine that you want to describe it to someone who cannot see it; where would you start?

WRITING A DESCRIPTION

♠ Step #1 : What do you want to say? Not sure? Try asking ‘Wh … ‘ questions:

Who … ? Where … ? What … ? When … ? Why … ? Which … ? How … ?

N.B ‘How’ can be used in addition to the ‘Wh…’ questions.

The answers to the ‘ Wh … ?’ questions will provide you with a description:

As you can see, some questions are more important than others but this is a good start and you have enough information for a description.

♠ Step #2 : Write some sentences:

The picture is of a stunning girl in her twenties and a smartly-dressed waiter.

They are in a delightful restaurant.

The restaurant is in Cortona, Italy.

She is smiling at the camera.

He is clearing dishes.

It is a warm day. She is on holiday .

♠ Step #3 : Improve the sentences. To do this, link the information in the above sentences. If all the sentences are simple, the writing sounds childish. Read the above sentences aloud and you will see what I mean. This does not mean that you should link every sentence. Sometimes, simple sentences are perfect. However, you need to help the reader understand the connections between your ideas. Good English should be a combination of simple and complex language. You can, for example, link the sentences with Co-ordinating Conjunctions and /or Subordinating Conjunctions . There is more than one way to connect the information. Here is one example:

The picture is of a stunning girl in her twenties who is in a charming restaurant ( which is) in Cortona, Italy.

It’s a warm Spring day and she is on holiday.

While a smartly-dressed waiter clears the table, she smiles sweetly at the camera.

Here is another example:

In the picture, a gorgeous girl in her twenties is dining in a quaint restaurant in Cortona, Italy. (This is a simple sentence. There is only one subject and one verb.)

She is on holiday, it’s a warm day in April, and she is smiling happily at the camera while a smartly-dressed waiter clears the table.

♠ Step #4 : Combine the sentences into a paragraph:

The picture is of a stunning girl in her twenties who is in a charming restaurant in Cortona, Italy. It’s a warm Spring day and she is on holiday. While a smartly-dressed waiter clears the table, she smiles sweetly at the camera.

In the picture, a gorgeous girl in her twenties is dining at a quaint restaurant in Cortona, Italy. She is on holiday, it’s a warm Spring day, and she is smiling happily at the camera while a smartly-dressed waiter clears the table.

Now, it’s your turn! Try writing a description of a picture with a two or three sentence paragraph. Follow my four steps. Happy writing!

Click here for How to Write a Sentence .
Click here for How to Describe an Experience … in 4 Easy Steps

♠ ♠ ♠ ♠ ♠ ♠ ♠ ♠ ♠ ♠ ♠ ♠ ♠ ♠ ♠ ♠ ♠ ♠ ♠ ♠ ♠ ♠

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How to Describe a Picture in English

How to describe a picture in English?

You could be asked to talk about a picture in the IELTS test. Or in any other test.

You may also need to talk about a picture as part of a presentation or in conversation.

It’s a useful skill to have in English. It helps you to describe things you can see very clearly to others.

So, let’s take a look at how to do it.

Table of Contents

Introducing The Main Picture

When talking about the picture or photograph, the first thing you want to say is a general description of it.

You do not need to go into detail immediately. Just introduce what the picture is of — or who it is of — and say one or two sentences about it.

So, if you were talking about the picture above, you might say:

This is a picture of a man. He is jumping in the air and it looks like he is on a beach somewhere.

That is a perfect introduction to the picture. Even if we cannot see the picture, we have a very clear idea of what the picture is in our mind.

You could also say:

This picture shows a man in a pair of shorts. He is on the beach and he is jumping up very high.

If you are introducing a photograph that you took yourself, then you can say this:

I took this picture when I was on vacation with my friend in Greece. He was feeling very happy that day, laughing and jumping around on the beach. So I took a picture of him just as he jumped in the air.

You don’t need to think of details or make it too complex.

Just give a brief introduction of what the picture is, who the person is, what they are doing and where they are.

That is all you need to say at this stage.

The Main Subject

Now you can talk about the main subject of the picture in detail.

The main subject of the picture could be a person or an object. It could be an animal too.

Usually, a picture has a subject. That is the next thing you talk about.

If the Subject is a Person or People

If the subject is a person or people, you need to describe them.

Talk about:

what the people are doing
what they look like
the appearance on their face
the clothes they are wearing

If you know the person in the picture — or you took the photograph — you need to add more information.

who the person is
when the picture was taken
where you were
what you were doing

So, if we use the first picture as an example we could say the following:

He is a young black man. He is jumping up high. He looks very happy because he is smiling and has a cheerful expression on his face. He is just wearing a pair of shorts and it looks like he is on a beach somewhere.

Now if you took the picture, you could say this:

This is a picture of my friend Alex. We were on holiday in Greece last summer and we went to the beach. We were walking on the beach and Alex started jumping around on the sand. As he jumped into the air, I took a picture of him.

But It Could Be A Picture Of An Object

If it’s an object you need to think about the following things:

what object can you see?
can you name the object?
can you describe the object?
what about the surroundings of the object?

Take a look at the picture above of the house below.

How to talk about this?

We could say:

This is a picture of a red house. It looks like it is in the middle of a field, probably the countryside. The house is red and the windows are painted white. The house looks kind of small and it also looks empty. I don’t think anyone lives in this house.

In this description, I mention the red house — so we know what it is and what colour it is.

I mention the surroundings — a field and maybe the countryside.

Then I give more description of the house — the colour, the windows and the size.

I also say that I think the house is empty. It doesn’t matter if the house is empty or not — this is just my opinion.

But if I took the picture, I could add more detail.

I could say:

where I took the picture
when I took the picture
why I took the picture

In short, add a little story to the description.

It could sound something like this:

I was walking near my parents’ house. They live in a small town and as I walked across these fields, I saw this house in the middle of nowhere. It was in the summer, and I just looked at this strange house and had a strong desire to take a picture of it.

But What If The Picture Is Of An Animal?

If the picture is of an animal, you can use similar ways you use to describe a person.

what the animal is doing
what it looks like
the appearance on the animal’s face

Now take a look at the picture of the dog below.

We could talk about it like this:

This is a picture of a dog. I don’t know what kind of dog it is, but it has very short hair and has a light brown colour. It looks like someone has caught the attention of the dog and it’s raising its paw at the person. Its ears are raised too, like the dog is excited or listening to something.

In this description, I say what the animal is — a dog.

Then a give a brief description of the dog — its hair and colour.

Then I talk about what the dog is doing and why. I also mention the dog’s ears.

If you took the picture yourself, you need to add some elements of story.

what relationship do you have with the animal? (People often take pictures of their own pets)
where you were at the time of the picture
when you took it

It might look something like this:

This is my dog, Bingo. Me and my brother were playing with him in my backyard a few weeks ago and I took this picture just as he raised his paw. My brother was about to throw a ball for Bingo.

Now we have more of a story attached to the picture of the dog.

We know the dog’s name and we know he is male.

Plus, we have some more detail of where it happened and who was there.

Talking About The Background

Once you have described the main subject — the person, the object or the animal — then you have to describe the background.

You can give a general description of the background — just as you do with the main subject of the picture — then you can go into detail.

So if we look at the man jumping on the beach again, what can we see in the background?

You can describe the background generally like this:

In the background, there is a beach and a large part of the picture is the blue sky. There are some clouds in the sky. And if we look at the beach, we can see some people in the far distance.

That is all you need to say. You mention the main things you can see in the background:

some clouds
people on the beach

No need to talk about anything else at this stage.

Let’s look at the picture of the red house again.

Now this picture is a little different. Because we need to talk about the background and the foreground.

The foreground is the part of the picture that is at the front.

In this picture of the house, we need to talk about that too.

So we could say:

In the background, it is mostly sky. The sky looks overcast and grey. And the house is standing on a field. We can see green fields all around the house and in the foreground too. And at the very front of the picture — out of focus — there are some flowers.

And finally, let’s look at the picture of the dog. There is not much to see, but we still have to describe what is there.

In the background, it looks like a wooden fence and a gate behind the dog. And the dog is sitting on a section of concrete. Maybe it is a backyard of someone’s house. There are some cracks in parts of the concrete.

That is all we need to say for each of the three pictures. When you first start to describe the background, just give a brief introduction to what you can see. It is enough.

The next thing we can do is talk about it in detail.

How To Talk About The Details

Once you give your introduction to the background, you can talk about it in more detail.

Let’s look at the man on the beach again.

To talk about the sky might be a little difficult. But we can say what we think or feel about it.

And we can add some more detail when talking about the people on the beach. And if we look clearly, we can see the sea and maybe two or three boats on the sea.

So we could say this:

The sky is very blue, and there are very few clouds. I think this picture must have been taken in the summer. It just looks hot to me. And there are quite a few people in the background. I can see one man lying down on the sand — maybe he is sunbathing. The other people are wearing beach clothes — shorts and t-shirts. And in the far distance, I can see the sea. And on the sea, there are two or three boats, it is not very clear. One boat looks like it has a very high sail.

If you cannot see something very clearly in the picture, don’t worry. It doesn’t matter if you say two or three boats, for example. No one is going to correct you on this.

Just say what you can see.

What about the picture of the red house?

Again, just try to describe what you can see.

You might say something like this:

The house looks like it is built on a ridge on one of the fields. The ground rises up slightly in front of the house. And in the background, it looks like the land is rising down again in the opposite direction. There is nothing on the grass. Only grass. No flowers or anything else there. But there are flowers in the foreground. They are white. I don’t know what kind of flowers they are, as they are out of focus. And between the grass and the flowers, it looks like a path. The ground is grey, and it goes from one side of the picture to the other.

Notice in this section, I said what is not on the grass — nothing, only grass, no flowers or anything else.

It is perfectly acceptable to say what is not in the background, but you cannot just say there is nothing here, nothing there, nothing over there.

The way I say there is nothing is that I focus on one subject of the picture — the grass — and then say what I cannot see on it. Because often we do see things on grass — flowers, birds and the occasional cow.

So that covers how to talk about the main subject and the background. But all three of these pictures are quite simple — just one main object and a plain and simple background with not much going on.

What if the picture was more complex?

How To Describe A Picture with More Complex Details

How to describe a picture that has more content and more details?

Take a look at the picture below.

Notice all the different things in it?

Think about these questions before you begin to talk about the picture.

what is this a picture of?
how could you describe this picture in two or three sentences?
what is the main subject of the picture?
what is in the background?
what is in the foreground?

Let’s try to answer all of these questions now.

What Is This A Picture Of?

This is a picture of a woman in a kitchen. The kitchen is white and very modern and has a lot of space. The woman is making something on the stove.

So that’s a basic description of what we can see in the picture. This is an ideal introduction, and it tells us everything we need to know for the beginning.

What Is The Main Subject Of The Picture?

There is a woman in the centre of the picture. She is standing behind a stove and she is stirring something in a pot on top of the stove. She seems happy as she is smiling. And she is wearing a thick grey cardigan.

That tells us a great deal about the main subject. It’s very clear and simple.

What Is In The Background?

Now this is where it gets a little complicated…

Unlike the previous pictures which have a very simple background, this picture has more things in it — plus they are in different parts of the picture.

This is where we use phrases like:

to the left
to the right
at the bottom
in the top right corner

Let’s look at an example of how to describe the background.

In the background of the picture, we can see the kitchen. Directly behind the woman is a counter — and on the counter is a sink. There are also some books on the counter. To the far left of the picture, we can see a few books stacked together. There is a small orange-coloured object holding the books in place. And at the other end of the counter, there are a few more books leaning against a cabinet. Above the counter are some cupboards. They all have white doors. It looks like there are five of them in total. There are some more cupboards below the counter. The sink looks like it is made of stainless steel. We can see the tap above the sink. In the background, to the right, there is a cabinet. In the cabinet is an oven and what looks like a microwave oven, too. They both look like very modern designs and they are both silver.

That gives a very clear description of what we can see in the background of the picture.

Notice that the description is all in order of location. It doesn’t jump from one part of the background to another.

So it talks in order of:

the counter
what is on the counter
the left of the counter
the right of the counter
above the counter
below the counter
the right of the background and what we can see there

This is the best way to describe details in a picture. Do not jump from one part of the picture to another as it sounds confusing to the listener.

What Is In The Foreground?

And then you describe the foreground. It doesn’t matter if you describe the background or the foreground first. But make sure you stick to one part and describe all of that before moving to the next part.

You can use the same phrases as you used to talk about the background.

Let’s take a look at an example:

In the foreground, there is a shelf. It is white and l think it is made of marble. There are a few objects on the shelf. To the far left, there is a bowl of lemons. The bowl is white and there are many lemons in it — maybe more than ten. Behind the bowl of lemons, and to the left, is an orange-coloured pepper mill. And then to the far right of the shelf, there are some green vegetables. The vegetables look very leafy. Just to the left of the vegetables, and closer to the middle of the shelf, are three ceramic pots. They are all white and have light-brown lids.

Now there may be some vocabulary that you don’t know in the above description — words such as:

But you should get a clear idea of how to use phrases such as:

These are the kind of words and phrases that can help you explain where things are in the picture.

And if you follow the steps like that, you should be able to describe any picture at all!

But what if you don’t know the name of the objects you are describing?

How To Describe Things You Don’t Know The Name Of

If you see something in the picture and you know what it is in your own language, but you don’t know how to say it in English — don’t worry!

You can talk around it.

This gives you the opportunity to talk more and use more English. This is perfect if you are doing the IELTS speaking test!

Let’s take the picture of the kitchen and apply this technique.

In the last part, we talked about the foreground. Let’s try again — but this time we will talk around the objects we don’t know the name of.

In the foreground, there is a shelf. It is white. I don’t know the name of the material the shelf is made from, but it is a kind of stone. People often use it in their home as it looks beautiful. To the far left of the picture, there is a bowl. Inside the bowl is a lot of fruit. I can’t remember the name of this fruit, but it is yellow and has a very bitter taste. People often use it for cooking and you can make tea with it as well. Inside the bowl are ten of these fruits. And behind the bowl is another thing I don’t know the name of. You can often find this in a kitchen. People use it to make pepper into very small pieces. You turn the top and the pepper comes out the bottom in tiny little pieces.

Do you get the idea?

By describing things this way, you will find that you can actually talk for much longer.

And the examiner may give you extra marks for doing this too!

Talk About Your Impressions And Thoughts Of The Picture

A good thing to do when describing any picture is to give your thoughts on the picture.

There is no right or wrong answer when doing this, as you are just expressing your personal opinions. But it is a valuable thing to do, especially if you are in the IELTS speaking test.

Let’s go through all the pictures and look at some examples.

The Beach Picture

I really like this picture. I like the way the man is jumping in the air and I like the big smile on his face. It just looks like a really happy and positive photograph. And it looks like really nice weather in the picture too. It looks like it must be a hot day and the sun shining brightly. No wonder the man is smiling!

The Red House Picture

This place looks very bleak to me. Even on a nice summer day, it seems like it would be desolate and not an inviting place. And the red house is empty, which makes the place seem even more bleak. In the daytime, this place may be okay, but I don’t think I would like to be there at night. I imagine the house would be pretty scary at night.

The Dog Picture

The dog in the picture looks so nice. His fur looks really silky. I bet he’s a really friendly dog, I just have a good feeling about him.

The Kitchen Picture

This picture doesn’t look like a real photograph at all. It looks like advertising. No one has a kitchen like that in real life. And the woman is wearing a thick cardigan in the kitchen. Do people wear clothes like that if they are cooking? It doesn’t seem right. And the rest of the kitchen is so neat and tidy. My kitchen is not like that. I don’t know any kitchen that looks like that!

Remember — you don’t have to say what you think the examiner wants to hear. You can just be honest and say what comes into your mind.

Notice in the dog picture description, the speaker is saying things about the dog — how they imagine the dog to be in real life.

Of course, they don’t know the dog, so how could they know?

But it doesn’t matter. You can just give your opinion of what you think the dog is like in your imagination.

Describe The Picture By Telling A Story

If you are showing someone a picture or making a presentation using a photograph that you took yourself, then you can tell a story about it.

People love to hear stories, and by showing a picture that you took yourself, this is the perfect opportunity to tell the story.

We looked at some short story introductions earlier, but let’s look in more detail.

I took this picture of my friend Alex when we went on holiday last year. We went to this great beach, and the weather was just fantastic. Alex was in a really good mood that day and was jumping around on the sand. As he jumped in the air, I grabbed my camera and took a picture of him. It just shows him at the right angle as he is smiling and leaping in the air.

I was with my friend and my dog, Bingo. It was a few weeks ago, and Bingo wanted to play with us. My friend had a ball and threw it at Bingo for him to catch it. He was just about to throw the ball, and I took a picture of Bingo.

I was out in a field near where my friend lives. He lives in the countryside and this house sat in the middle of a field. I asked him if anyone lived there and he said no. He said the house has been empty for as long as he can remember. It didn’t look very inviting. There was no glass in the windows and inside was completely empty.

If it is your picture, you must have a story to tell about it. And if you are doing a presentation using a photograph, then telling a story to accompany it is a great thing to do.

Please read my article on How To Tell A Story for more advice about using story and storytelling.

Describing a picture or photograph should be easy. As long as you describe the picture in order, you should be fine.

Just remember the order:

the main subject
the background
the foreground
the details of other objects, people or things in the picture
your thoughts or opinions

If you follow these steps, you should be able to describe or talk about any picture in English.

Take a look at some pictures on the internet and try to describe them by yourself right now. The more you practice, the more you will improve.

And remember — let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

How to describe your Mother or Father in the IELTS test

How to Describe a Room in English

How to Describe Someone’s Physical Appearance in English

10 thoughts on “how to describe a picture in english”.

Hey! I really like these steps. Thank u so much. I’m having a Duolingo test on Wednesday, so I reckon this will help

Hi Denis! Glad it was helpful – thanks for reading! Best of luck with your test!

Thank you so much that was incredibly helpful✨

Many thanks, Manar! Thanks for reading!

Helped me a lot. 🙏

I’m glad to hear it, Ahmet! Thanks for reading!

The is absolutely amazing. Well explainable and explicit . I have learnt a lot from your description. Thanks sir

Hi Franklin! I am so glad to read your views on my article. It is very encouraging to me. Many thanks to you!

Thank you very much! My teacher shared this to me yesterday. Very useful!

Hi Maria! You are welcome. I am glad you like it. Best of luck to you!

How and When to Use Images in an Essay

3-minute read

15th December 2018

Pages of text alone can look quite boring. And while you might think that ‘boring’ is normal for an essay, it doesn’t have to be. Using images and charts in an essay can make your document more visually interesting. It can even help you earn better grades if done right!

Here, then, is our guide on how to use images in an academic essay .

How to Use Images in an Essay

Usually, you will only need to add an image in academic writing if it serves a specific purpose (e.g. illustrating your argument). Even then, you need to make sure images are presently correctly. As such, try asking yourself the following questions whenever you add an image in an essay:

Does it add anything useful? Any image or chart you include in your work should help you make your argument or explain a point more clearly. For instance, if you are analysing a film, you may need to include a still from a scene to illustrate a point you are making.
Is the image clearly labelled? All images in your essay should come with clear captions (e.g. ‘Figure 1’ plus a title or description). Without these, your reader may not know how images relate to the surrounding text.
Have you mentioned the image in the text? Make sure to directly reference the image in the text of your essay. If you have included an image to illustrate a point, for instance, you would include something along the lines of ‘An example of this can be seen in Figure 1’.

The key, then, is that images in an essay are not just decoration. Rather, they should fit with and add to the arguments you make in the text.

Citing Images and Illustrations

If you have created all the images and charts you want to use in your essay, then all you need to do is label them clearly (as described above). But if you want to use an image found somewhere else in your work, you will need to cite your source as well, just as you would when quoting someone.

The exact format for this will depend on the referencing system you’re using. However, with author–date referencing, it usually involves giving the source author’s name and a year of publication:

In the caption above, for example, we have cited the paper containing the image and the page it is on. We would then need to add the paper to the reference list at the end of the document:

Find this useful?

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Gramblička, S., Kohar, R., & Stopka, M. (2017). Dynamic analysis of mechanical conveyor drive system. Procedia Engineering , 192, 259–264. DOI: 10.1016/j.proeng.2017.06.045

You can also cite an image directly if it not part of a larger publication or document. If we wanted to cite an image found online in APA referencing , for example, we would use the following format:

Surname, Initial(s). (Role). (Year). Title or description of image [Image format]. Retrieved from URL.

In practice, then, we could cite a photograph as follows:

Booth, S. (Photographer). (2014). Passengers [Digital image]. Retrieved from https://www.flickr.com/photos/stevebooth/35470947736/in/pool-best100only/

Make sure to check your style guide for which referencing system to use.

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Basic guidelines on how to write an essay describing a picture.

So, you need to write an essay describing a picture. Are you struggling to know how to go about such a thing? Are you feeling like you’re at a loss and don’t know where to turn? Well, don’t worry. Here are the basic guidelines you need to know when you really want to hire someone to do my online class for me :

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Choosing words carefully

Perhaps you think that describing a picture is actually quite a simple process. Well, think again! You should describe the picture in question with so much colorful flair that your reader can’t ignore it. So think wisely about the vocabulary you use. Your choice of words will make all the difference in this type of essay. Think long and hard about which adjectives you use to make the description come to life.

Describe the picture with all five senses in mind

You should describe the chosen picture so that it touches upon all five senses. Describing a picture isn’t just about the visual aspect. If you are, say, describing a picture of a market place, you should describe the sounds, smells and tastes as much as the sights, and make the reader feel as though they could put out their hand and touch the descriptive scene.

Show, don’t tell

‘Show don’t tell’ is an important rule to learn when it comes to describing something. So instead of writing: ‘There were lots of people in the market place buying and selling’, you could instead write: ‘The market was so busy that people were bumping into one another, amongst the vibrant colors and rich smells of the luscious fruit and vegetables.’

The picture in contextual terms

If the picture in question is a work of art, your paper should also describe the picture contextually. You may want to write about the historical time of its creation, what life was like at that time and how the artist conveyed this, how the picture compares to others by the same artist etc. Don’t just think about describing the picture itself – also think about it from a wider point of view.

The form of the essay

Like any other essay, this paper will consist of an introduction, body text and conclusion.

The body text (chapters) should include the above information.
The introduction should introduce the picture in question. You should also state your aims and objectives for your paper and say what conclusions you hope to arrive at.
The conclusion should restate the aims, summarize the main points and conclude in a poignant, professional and punchy manner.

Experienced application essay service: Admissionland.com - get your admission essay written by and expert from US.

How to Describe an Image | Picture Description in English

Picture description is an important task for English language learners. It is a part of many English Proficiency Tests around the world as well including the Duolingo English Test. Describing an image is best learned with examples.Here are some tips and main points to know for describing a picture in English.

How to describe an Image / Photo, Main Points

Start with the general summary/ first impression of the picture in the first sentence. E.g,“ The picture shows two sports cars racing on the road.”
After writing about the general content of the picture, you can write about other details you can find in the picture.
Use adjectives to describe the pictures.
Add your own opinion about the picture in the last sentence. E.g. “ I believe the picture has been taken by a professional photographer”, or “ It looks like the people in the picture are enjoying themselves a lot.” , “ I suppose the picture is a form of abstract art.”
Use Connectors/ connecting phrases to make a connection between sentences. Examples( In the background, Beside, in the foreground, further back, Far away, on the right/left side etc.)
Use the word list of phrases on the next slide to give an idea of the location in the picture.

Useful Phrases for describing the positions of objects in a picture…

Duolingo picture description example 1.

Describe the picture aloud duolingo,describe an image duolingo English test, photo description

The picture shows a tall cliff in the foreground and a small settlement of houses at its bottom. A man is sitting dangerously at the protruding part of the cliff. On the right side of the picture, another dark mountain can be seen. Beyond the small houses, a blue sea is stretched out far ahead in the middle of the picture. Interestingly, it is mostly covered with clouds which are seen under the cliff. A clear blue sky lies parallel to the top of the cliff. This photo might have been taken by a tourist.

Picture Description Example 2

mage description sample, example of image description, sample image descriptions

The picture shows three old women sitting on a beige sofa against a light grey background. The woman on the left is showing the other two women something on her cellphone. She seems to be saying something while others are listening to her. There is also a table with a cake and cups of tea on it. It looks like the women are friends and having a good time talking about something interesting while taking tea. The photo might have been taken by a family member, a friend or a stock photographer.

Image Description Example 3

The picture shows an astronaut in his spacesuit. Most of the foreground is covered with the body of the astronaut while we can also view the blue sky behind his head with some traces of clouds. It looks like he is pressing something on a machine, probably his spaceship. He might be out in space on another planet when the photo was taken.

Image Description Example 4

describe an image Duolingo Test, description of a photo, description photo, photo description,

The picture appears to be from a warehouse. There are multiple cardboard boxes of packed goods arranged on open shelves. The shelves cover the left side and the upper-middle portion of the picture. Besides, we can also see two people discussing something about the goods beside the shelved boxes while a workman is pulling some boxes on a hydraulic cart.

Picture Description Example 5

describe an image, image description, description of a photo, picture description, describe the image, image description examples,

The picture shows a scene from a clothing manufacturing factory. We can see a room with sewing machines arranged in a sequence. Three women with brown uniforms and face masks are sewing something. It looks like they are working on the same project since they are all using white threads and white cloth.

These were some describing images examples. Find more here: Picture Description

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How to describe an image with examples | picture description examples.

Picture description is an important task in English Proficiency tests such as Duolingo English Test as well as in general writing and speaking tasks in…

Describe the photo | Examples of Picture Description

Find some picture description examples in this post. It is important to know how you might need to describe an image as an English language…

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Free English Lessons

How to describe a picture in english – video.

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In this lesson, you can learn how to describe a picture in English.

Describing a picture is useful in many english exams; you need to describe a picture in english for exams like fce , toeic or pte., it’s also a good way to practise your general english skills. take an interesting picture, and try to describe it in english. you can practise your speaking and learn some new english vocabulary, in this lesson, you can learn how to describe a picture in english in clear, detailed language. we’ll show you how to build an answer step-by-step., quiz: how to describe a picture.

Test your knowledge of the vocabulary for describing pictures.

This quiz has ten questions reviewing the language from the lesson, followed by four descriptions of photographs, which you need to complete, with a total of ten gaps to fill.

You’ll get your score out of 20 at the end, when you click ‘Finish Quiz’. Then, click ‘Restart Quiz’ to have another go, or ‘View Questions’ to see the correct answers.

Quiz Summary

0 of 14 Questions completed

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You must first complete the following:

0 of 14 Questions answered correctly

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Earned Point(s): 0 of 0 , ( 0 ) 0 Essay(s) Pending (Possible Point(s): 0 )

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A perfect score! Congratulations!

1 . Question

Which is correct?

There are several people having a picnic.
There is several people having a picnic..

Is ‘people’ singular or plural?

2 . Question

The picture _________ a village in the mountains.

Which word goes in the gap?

demonstrates

3 . Question

There are some cows in a field _______ the grass.

Which form of the verb goes in the gap?

4 . Question

In the ________, there’s a man reading a newspaper.

Which two options can go in the gap?

5 . Question

_____ the bottom, we can see a table with some cakes on it.

Which preposition goes in the gap?

6 . Question

There’s someone else _____ the right, but they’ve got their back to the camera.

7 . Question

In the ______ left, we can see a flock of birds.

8 . Question

I _________ they’ve had an argument, because they both look quite angry.

Which verb is not possible in the gap?

The option you need to choose is for expressing certainty, not speculating, which is what the other three verbs are used for.

9 . Question

There are a lot of damaged trees, so _________ there’s been a storm.

Which words are possible in the gap? Choose as many as you think are right.

Only adverbs are grammatically correct in the gap, not verbs.

10 . Question

It _________ be a very cold place, because they’re all wearing hats and scarves.

Which option is correct in the gap?

This time, you need a modal verb that speculates about something that’s certain – the evidence is the hats and scarves, so there’s no doubt that it’s cold.

11 . Question

Complete the sentence using a word from the box in each gap. There are two words that you don’t need to use.

There’s an elephant on the right, and a man who we can’t quite see on the left, her some bananas. In fact, there are three people there, which we can tell from the shadows at the .

12 . Question

There’s a huge building in the middle of the picture, with some beautiful flower beds in the . We can also see a crane in the background, and a large unfinished building in the right.

13 . Question

We can see a church in the middle and the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa on the . There’s also a bicycle in the bottom , but the surprising thing is there’s nobody in the picture, so it was taken very early in the morning.

14 . Question

Complete the sentence using a word from the box in each gap. There are three words that you don’t need to use.

The picture a man skiing and one other person is visible in the on the right. The man in the centre be quite experienced, because the slope’s very steep.

1. Summarize What You See

What’s the best way to start your description?

Start with a summary, giving a general description of what’s in the picture and what you can see.

It’s useful to imagine that the person you’re talking to can’t see the picture. Think: what does the other person need to know? What do you need to say so that other people can understand what’s in the picture?

Let’s do an example.

Boats on a beach - how to summarize what you see in a picture

You want to summarize what you see in one or two simple sentences. How could you do that?

You could say:

There are several small boats next to a beach.
The picture shows a beach, with many small boats in the water nearby.

Simple summaries like this make it easy to understand the general contents of the picture.

Let’s do one more:

Friends cooking - how to summarize what you see in a picture

What could you say here?

Here are some possible answers:

There are three people cooking in a kitchen.
The picture shows three young friends cooking together.

Okay, now it’s your turn. Here’s another picture:

Couple arguing in kitchen - how to summarize what you see in a picture

You need to make a summary of what you see.

You can use these phrases:

The picture shows…

Pause the video, and make one or two sentences. You can write down your answers if you want.

Okay, after your summary, you can start giving more detail about what you see in the picture.

2. Talking About Where Things Are

To start giving detail, you can talk about where things are in the picture.

Here’s some useful language to help you do this:

Describing a picture - how to say where things are

On the left, there’s a girl with dark, curly hair. She’s holding half a cauliflower .
In the middle, there’s a man who’s chopping vegetables.
At the bottom, we can see a counter with many different vegetables on it.

When talking about photos, you might also need the phrases:

In the background…
In the foreground…

For example:

Boats on a beach - how to describe what you see in a picture

In the foreground, there’s a sandy beach with three metal anchors on it.
In the middle, there are several small boats, which are close to the beach.
In the background, we can see the blue sea stretching to the horizon.

Let’s put all of this language together in another example:

Cat in snow - how to describe a picture in English

Think first: what could you say about this picture?

Okay, let’s look at what you could say:

On the left, there’s a cat sitting on a table.
On the right, there’s a man standing, though we can’t see his face.
In the background, we can see blue sky and snowy mountains.

Now it’s your turn! Here’s a picture:

Beach scene - how to describe a picture in English

Pause the video, and make at least three sentences. Use the useful language you saw in this section.

Again, you can write your sentences down if you want to!

Okay? What’s next?

3. Adding More Detail to Your Description

Now, the person you’re talking to should have a good general idea about what’s in the picture you’re describing, and where things are.

Next, you should start describing your picture in more detail.

Let’s look at a picture you’ve seen before:

Couple arguing in kitchen - how to describe what you see in a picture

When adding detail, don’t try to describe everything in the picture. It’s not necessary or useful. You should add detail to the most important parts of the picture.

So, for this picture, what do you think the most important parts are?

Probably, the person who took this photo took it because of the people. So, you should focus your description on the two people.

Think: what do they look like, and what are they doing?

The two people both look unhappy or irritated.
They’re sitting at the kitchen table together, but they aren’t talking to each other.
The man is staring down at the table, while the woman is stirring her tea with a spoon.

That’s just three sentences, but they add a lot of detail to your description.

Let’s try one more:

Wild horses - describe a picture in English

In this picture, what do you think you should focus on in your description? Fairly obviously, you should talk about the horses.

The horses are running through the grass.
Two of them are black, but the one in the middle is white and grey.
They don’t have saddles or anything, so they could be wild horses.

Again, you can see that you can do a lot with just a few sentences.

Alright, now it’s your turn!

Let’s take a picture you’ve already seen:

Pause the video and make at least three sentences to describe the picture in detail. Try to include as much important information as you can.

How was that? If you want more practice, you can do the same exercise with other pictures from this lesson, or you could use your own pictures!

At this point, you’ve described the picture in detail. So, what else can you do?

4. Speculating About the Picture

Speculating … What does that mean?

Speculating means talking about possibilities.

For example, look at this picture:

Colourful umbrellas - how to describe a picture in English

Think about some questions:

Why are the umbrellas there? Who put them there?

By trying to answer questions like this, you are speculating; you’re talking about possibilities and giving your opinion about the picture.

Speculating can help you to make a longer, more detailed answer when talking about a picture.

Let’s do an example:

I suppose it might be some kind of art project.
Maybe one person put an umbrella up there as a joke, and then other people started doing it, too.

Let’s look at one more picture:

Footprints in the snow - how to speculate about a picture in English

Think, if you wanted to speculate about this picture, what could you say?

Another way to think about it: what questions could you ask yourself about this picture?

Possible ideas are: who made the footprints, and why? Where were they going? Where is the person who made the footprints now?

There are other possibilities, of course, so feel free to use your own ideas, too!

Okay, so what could you say to speculate about this picture?

Here are some examples:

The footprints must have been made by a climber or a mountaineer .
The person who made the footprints might be standing on top of the mountain now.

In our examples, you’ve seen some useful language which you can use to speculate about a picture. Do you remember?

You can use language like:

[He] might…

Let’s practise using these once more with another picture:

Abseiling climber - speculating about a picture in English

Could you make four sentences, using the useful language we just saw?

Let’s do an example together:

I suppose the guy is a climber, or he’s on an adventure holiday.
Maybe he climbed something, and now he’s on the way down.
He must have a lot of experience, because his body language is quite relaxed.
He might be focusing on what he’s doing, but he might just be enjoying the view!

Okay, now it’s your turn. Let’s take another of our pictures:

Can you make four sentences to speculate about this picture, using the language you’ve learned in this section? Pause the video and think about your answers!

Now, you have one more thing to do.

5. Speculating About the Context of the Picture

When you speculate, you can speculate about what you can see in the picture. However, you can—and should—speculate about what you can’t see, too.

How’s this possible? Well, think about this picture:

You can think about questions like: where and when was the picture taken? Who took the picture? What was the photographer doing there?

I think this could be in the USA, or maybe Russia.
It’s a good photo, so perhaps it was taken by a professional nature photographer.

You see? Talking about what you can’t see in the picture can be very useful, and can help to add details to your answer.

Let’s do one more example:

What could you say about this picture?

Let’s do this one together. You could say:

This must be somewhere tropical, like the Caribbean or the Maldives.
Perhaps it was taken by a tourist who came to the beach on one of those boats.

Okay, one more. This time, you have to do it yourself!

Here’s your picture:

Make at least two sentences to speculate about the context of the picture. Think about where and when it was taken, who took it, and what the photographer was doing there.

How was that? Hopefully you feel more confident describing pictures in English now.

Let’s put everything you’ve learned together and practise making longer, fluent descriptions.

6. Making a Longer Answer

When you describe a picture, you should:

Give a summary of what you see.
Talk about where things are in the picture.
Add details.
Speculate about what’s in the picture.
Speculate about the context of the picture.

Let’s make a longer answer together. We’ll start with a picture we’ve used already:

Here’s a possible longer answer:

In the picture, there are two people sitting at a table, looking unhappy. There’s a woman on the left and a man on the right. In the middle of the picture, we can see some things on the table, like cups of tea, biscuits, milk and so on. The two people look sad or irritated , and they aren’t speaking to each other. They’re both looking down at the table. I suppose they had a fight and now they aren’t talking to each other, or they might just be bored and not have anything to talk about. I guess it’s a stock photo because otherwise, why would the photographer be in the kitchen with them?

Do you think you could make an answer like this? Remember, all the language you need is in this lesson. You just need to take the things you practised in each part, and then put them together.

Let’s do one more example together:

The picture shows umbrellas hanging in the air. In the foreground, we can see a streetlight, and the umbrellas fill the picture from left to right. The umbrellas are of many different colours, mostly bright colours like pink, yellow or green. They’re hanging from wires. I can see at least four lines of umbrellas hanging down in this way, but there could be even more. Maybe this is some sort of art project. It might also be a festival or tradition, that people decorate the street with colourful umbrellas like this. I suppose the picture was taken in a city or town, though I can’t tell where exactly. Perhaps the photographer was a tourist, and was just walking around the city when he saw this amazing and strange scene.

Alright, now it’s your turn. We’ll give you a new picture:

English Greetings - Ways to Ask and Answer 'How are you?' - friends talking in a cafe image

Pause the video and try to make a longer answer, like we just did. Follow the same structure.

Finished? I don’t think so! You should practise as much as you can. Take the other pictures from the lesson, and make longer answers about them, too.

Practise your answers several times, until you can do it fluently and comfortably. Post your responses on the Oxford Online English YouTube channel and we’ll give you feedback!

Do you want more practice with vocabulary? Watch our lesson to get advice on keeping a vocabulary notebook .

Thanks for watching!

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English Basics

How to Write an Essay Describing a Picture?

If you are a writer, you must have been wondering how to write an essay describing a certain picture. Here are some tips on how to analyze a photograph and how to choose a theme for your photo essay. You should always start by thinking of the qualities of the image and what it reminds you of. Think about the memories it evokes and what emotions it suggests. The artist who created the picture probably did so with intention: to evoke memories in viewers.

Analysis of a photograph

A well-written picture will contain several elements that make it memorable for the viewer. This combination of elements will evoke different impressions in the mind of the observer. Photographs are created with the purpose of spreading important information and changing the mindset of society on a specific topic. Such photographs deal with social, political, or economic issues. The most effective way to analyze a picture is to set it against its context, or the environment in it’s located in. For instance, a picture of war action might elicit strong reactions from society. In contrast, a picture of a happy family might be well-received.

Before writing an essay on an image, it’s important to define and describe what each element means. This is especially important when writing about photographs that are taken at a distance. To broaden your perspective and distinguish the elements of a photograph, you can stand at least three times the diagonal of the picture. In addition, you’ll be better able to notice any details that the photograph may contain. You should also keep in mind that your first impression of a photo must be comprehensive, rather than detailed.

Identify the medium. What is the medium used to communicate with the audience? Is it video or images? Which medium is the author using? What’s its credibility? How does it affect the viewer? How do the images relate to each other? Essentially, a photograph can serve as a medium of communication. In some cases, a photograph can employ a combination of images and video. By identifying the medium used in the composition, you can decide which of these methods would be best for your purposes.

Besides the visual elements, a good visual analysis paper requires you to consider the composition of the picture. This analysis should be descriptive and explain its meaning. The key points should be highlighted. Then, a good student should use descriptive language. In this way, the picture is more likely to convey his or her ideas. While the analysis process is important, it will also help you strengthen or weaken your initial impressions.

While studying a photo, you should pay special attention to the levels of light and the objects visible and hidden. Look for symbolic elements and use your knowledge of these to analyze the photo. The other elements you need to pay attention to are color, size, lines, and shape. Lastly, you need to consider texture or the softness or harshness of the object. In 2D and 3D art, the texture is essential.

When writing your visual analysis essay, you must take a step beyond superficial reading and literary analysis. Students may feel that their threshold for literary analysis is too high. However, by going down this unconventional path, students will find there are multiple right answers. The beauty of the process is the opportunity to broaden their knowledge and experience. You can help them achieve this goal with Photo Analysis. It is a powerful way to engage students and develop their media literacy.

Choosing a theme

The most obvious way to choose a theme for an essay describing a picture is to go with something you know and experience. The idea is to make the topic easily accessible, so you can focus on that. Some common photo essay themes are experiences and emotions. One great example is Sharon Pannen’s photo series Paper & Stories for Schon! Magazine. It depicts different emotions and stories of the people featured in the photographs.

When describing a picture, you should explore every sense to make the picture come to life. This isn’t just about the visual aspect, so be sure to explore all the sounds, smells, and tastes that the picture evokes. Make the reader feel as though they could touch the picture, so include vivid descriptions of each. The best picture descriptions include vivid descriptive adjectives. Here are a few tips to choose a theme for an essay describing a picture:

Choosing a topic for a photo essay

The best way to choose a topic for a photo essay is to look into the world around you. Photographing what you love can be an excellent choice. Many people are interested in the day-to-day lives of other people. Even those with seemingly mundane jobs can surprise you. If you can find an interesting profession, document it with your camera. If you can’t find a topic that interests you, consider collaborating with another photographer to write a photo essay about the subject matter.

Choosing a topic for photo essays begins with determining what type of subject to write about. It’s important to choose a subject that interests you and is accessible to a large audience. Also, make sure the subject is something you are passionate about, or that you have a broad knowledge of. Once you’ve chosen a subject, make sure the photos are comprehensible to readers. Include captions for each picture and identify close-up, landscapes, portraits, and apertures.

Choosing a topic for photo essays requires an investment of time and empathy. One famous photo essay by Gordon Parks shows how to choose a topic by looking at the life of a boy in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro. He spent weeks capturing every aspect of the boy’s life and eventually persuaded the editors to publish the full story. Flavio da Silva’s family stayed in touch with him for years after the publication of the photo essay.

When choosing a topic for a photo essay, consider how it fits with your overall photography style. You might want to use wide-angle shots to establish the scene while close-ups show details and the human form. A photo essay should have a climax or conclusion. A good photo essay should make readers feel the viewer was captivated by a story in pictures. A photo essay is a great way to capture an experience that will stay with them for a long time.

While there are plenty of subjects to choose from, you must choose one that has a universal appeal. For example, if you’re interested in photographing a specific location, you can choose the city’s skyline or the streetlights. Another idea for a photo essay is to document the day of a person or group of people. This type of essay is popular and can involve friends and family.

One way to make a photo essay better is to take more pictures than you normally would. A photo essay that aims to persuade or support a cause should have photographs that reflect this. To improve your chances of selecting the best shots, you should take as many photos as possible. The more photos you take, the better. You can also use more than one of them. If you have enough pictures, you can use them to make the most effective photo essay.

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3 Tips for Writing Long Descriptions of Pictures

Describe what you see/what is visually evident. Long text alternatives for pictures verbally describe the appearance for the benefit of people who are unable to see them. They should simply answer the question, "What does the image look like?"

1. Describe From General to Specific

Be logical. In order to be easily understood, image descriptions of pictures should describe according to some logical sequence. Begin with a general overview of what the picture is or portrays, focusing first on an overview before providing details. Following the overview, various portions of the picture can be detailed, in some type of orderly fashion. One tactic is to explain the foreground, mid-ground, and background. In general, provide directions from the perspective of the viewer looking at the picture. For example, refer to the left or right side of a picture as if one was standing in front of it in a gallery. However, when describing people within a photo, it is better to use their perspective. This applies when mentioning a subject's "left hand" or "right shoulder."

2. Describe Objectively and Accurately. Don't Describe Motivations or Intentions.

Be objective. Descriptions of pictures should be straightforward and factual. They should avoid interpretations or emotional responses.

3. Be Descriptive. Try to Use Vivid, Imaginative Language.

Image descriptions should utilize vivid terminology to describe various features of the picture. For instance:

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Academic Writing

How to Write a Descriptive Essay

Last Updated: February 24, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Jake Adams . Jake Adams is an academic tutor and the owner of Simplifi EDU, a Santa Monica, California based online tutoring business offering learning resources and online tutors for academic subjects K-College, SAT & ACT prep, and college admissions applications. With over 14 years of professional tutoring experience, Jake is dedicated to providing his clients the very best online tutoring experience and access to a network of excellent undergraduate and graduate-level tutors from top colleges all over the nation. Jake holds a BS in International Business and Marketing from Pepperdine University. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 1,519,019 times.

A good descriptive essay creates a vivid picture of the topic in the reader’s mind. You may need to write a descriptive essay as a class assignment or you may decide to write one as a fun writing challenge. Start by brainstorming ideas for the essay. Then, outline and write the essay using vivid sensory details and strong descriptions. Always polish your essay and proofread it so it is at its best.

Brainstorming Ideas for the Essay

You could also choose a fictional person to write about, such as a character in a book, a story, or a play. You could write about a character on your favorite TV show or video game.

Step 2 Pick a place or object to describe.

Another take on this option is to write about a made-up place or object, such as the fantastical school in your favorite book or the magic wand from your favorite TV show.

You could also choose a more specific emotion, such as brotherly love or self-hatred. These emotions can make for powerful descriptive essays.

Step 4 Make a list of sensory details about the topic.

For example, if you were writing about a person like your mother, you may write down under “sound” : “soft voice at night, clack of her shoes on the floor tiles, bang of the spoon when she cooks.”

Writing the Essay

If you are writing the essay for a class, your instructor should specify if they want a five paragraph essay or if you have the freedom to use sections instead.

For example, if you were writing a descriptive essay about your mother, you may have a thesis statement like: “In many ways, my mother is the reigning queen of our house, full of contradictions that we are too afraid to question.”

For example, if you were writing the essay about your mom, you may start with: “My mother is not like other mothers. She is a fierce protector and a mysterious woman to my sisters and I.”
If you were writing an essay about an object, you may start with: "Try as I might, I had a hard time keeping my pet rock alive."

Step 4 Describe the topic with vivid adjectives.

You can also use adjectives that connect to the senses, such “rotting,” “bright,” “hefty,” “rough,” and “pungent.”
For example, you may describe your mother as "bright," "tough," and "scented with jasmine."

You can also use similes, where you use “like” or “as” to compare one thing to another. For example, you may write, “My mother is like a fierce warrior in battle, if the battlefield were PTA meetings and the checkout line at the grocery store.”

Step 6 Discuss your emotions and thoughts about the topic.

For example, you may write about your complicated feelings about your mother. You may note that you feel sadness about your mother’s sacrifices for the family and joy for the privileges you have in your life because of her.

Step 7 Wrap up the essay with a strong conclusion.

For example, you may end a descriptive essay about your mother by noting, “In all that she has sacrificed for us, I see her strength, courage, and fierce love for her family, traits I hope to emulate in my own life.”

Polishing the Essay

You can also read the essay aloud to others to get their feedback. Ask them to let you know if there are any unclear or vague sentences in the essay.

Be open to constructive criticism and feedback from others. This will only make your essay stronger.

Step 3 Revise the essay for clarity and length.

If you have a word count requirement for the essay, make sure you meet it. Add more detail to the paper or take unnecessary content out to reach the word count.

Outline for a Descriptive Essay

Expert Q&A

↑ https://www.writeexpress.com/descriptive-essay.html
↑ Jake Adams. Academic Tutor & Test Prep Specialist. Expert Interview. 24 July 2020.
↑ https://www.iup.edu/writingcenter/writing-resources/organization-and-structure/descriptive-writing.html
↑ https://spcollege.libguides.com/ld.php?content_id=10168248
↑ https://www.butte.edu/departments/cas/tipsheets/style_purpose_strategy/descriptive_essay.html
↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/academic_writing/essay_writing/descriptive_essays.html

About This Article

To write a descriptive essay, start by choosing a topic, like a person, place, or specific emotion. Next, write down a list of sensory details about the topic, like how it sounds, smells, and feels. After this brainstorming session, outline the essay, dividing it into an introduction, 3 body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Open with a vivid introduction that uses sensory details, then introduce your thesis statement, which the rest of your essay should support. Strengthen your essay further by using metaphors and similes to describe your topic, and the emotions it evokes. To learn how to put the finishing touches on your essay, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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How to Write an Image Analysis Essay in 6 Easy Steps

Writing an analysis of a picture can be a little daunting, especially if analyzing and essay writing are not your strengths. Not to worry. In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to do it, even if you’re a beginner.

To write an effective visual analysis, all you need to do is break the image into parts and discuss the relationship between them. That’s it in a nutshell.

Writing an image analysis essay, whether you’re analyzing a photo, painting, or any other kind of an image, is a simple, 6-step process. Let me take you through it.

Together, we’ll analyze a simple image and write a short analysis essay based on it. You can analyze any image, such as a photo or a painting, by following these steps.

Here is a simple image we’ll analyze.

And we’re ready for the…

6 Steps to Writing a Visual Analysis Essay

Step 1: Identify the Elements

When you look at this image, what do you see?

Right now, you are not just a casual observer. You are like a detective who must inspect things thoroughly and be careful not to miss any details.

So, let’s put on our Sherlock Holmes hat, grab a magnifying glass, and make a list of all the major and some minor elements of this picture.

What do we observe?

Children. How many? Four.
Children’s hands. Four pairs.

Great. These are all human elements. In fact, it would be useful for us to have two categories of elements: human and non-human.

When we group elements into categories, it will help us later when we’ll be writing the essay. Categories make it easier to think about the elements.

What other elements do we see?

The hands are holding soil.
Each handful of soil also has a tiny plant in it.
Finally, we see the green lawn or ground on which the children stand.

These are all of the obvious elements in the image. But can we dig deeper and observe more?

Again, wearing our Sherlock Holmes hat, our job is to gather information that may not be immediately obvious or noticeable.

Let’s take another look, using our detective tentacles:

The children’s hands are arranged in a circle.
The children’s skin color varies from lighter to darker.
The children wear summer clothes.

You may have noticed these elements even when you first saw the image. In that case, great job!

It looks like we’ve covered all the elements. We’re ready to move on to the next step.

Step 2. Detect Symbols and Connections

What does Sherlock Holmes or any good detective do after basic observation? It is time to think and use our logic and imagination.

We will now look for symbols and any connections or relationships among the elements.

Identifying Symbols

Children symbolize future and hope.
Their hands form a circle, creating a unifying effect. The symbol is unity, and there is power in unity.
Children’s hands hold soil, and soil symbolizes earth, perhaps planet Earth.
The earth holds young plants which symbolize the environment and ecology.
The young plants also symbolize youth and the future.
The children wear summer clothes, and summer symbolizes happiness and freedom because this is when children are on vacation and enjoy life.

Great. Now, let’s see if we can make some connections and identify some relationships among the elements and symbols.

We will use our imagination to put together some kind of a meaning.

In analyzing an image, we want to understand what the creator or the artist is trying to convey.

Do artists and photographers always want to convey something or is it sometimes just a picture?

It doesn’t matter because we never know what the artist really thought when creating the work . We’re not mind readers.

But we can always gather meaning using our own logic and imagination. We can derive meaning from any image. And that’s all we need to do to write an analysis essay.

Finding Connections and Relationships

Let’s allow our imagination to roam free and write down a few thoughts. Some ideas will be more obvious than others.

This entire image seems to be about the future of the environment.
Why is this future important? It’s important because of the future generations, symbolized by the children.
A strong sense of long-term future is conveyed because not only do the children hold plants, but these are baby plants. The message is “children hold future generations.”
The variety of skin colors implies diversity. Also, the hands form a circle. Together, these two elements can mean: “global diversity.”

As you can see, we can derive really interesting meaning from even a simple image.

We did a great job here and now have plenty of material to work with and write about. It’s time for the next step.

Step 3. Formulate Your Thesis

In this step, your task is to put together an argument that you will support in your essay. What can this argument be?

The goal of writing a visual analysis is to arrive at the meaning of the image and to reveal it to the reader.

We just finished the analysis by breaking the image down into parts. As a result, we have a pretty good idea of the meaning of the image.

Now, we need to take these parts and put them together into a meaningful statement. This statement will be our thesis.

Let’s do it.

Writing the Thesis

This whole picture may mean something like the following:

This sounds good. Let’s write another version:

This sounds good, as well. What is the difference between the two statements?

The first one places the responsibility for the future of the planet on children.

The second one places this responsibility on the entire humanity.

Therefore, the second statement just makes more sense. Based on it, let’s write our thesis.

We now have our thesis, which means we know exactly what argument we will be supporting in the essay.

Step 4: Write the Complete Thesis Statement

While a thesis is our main point, a thesis statement is a complete paragraph that includes the supporting points.

To write it, we’ll use the Power of Three. This means that we are going to come up with three supporting points for our main point.

This is where our categories from Step 1 will come in handy. These categories are human and non-human elements. They will make up the first two supporting points for the thesis.

The third supporting point can be the relationships among the elements.

We can also pick a different set of supporting points. Our job here is to simply have three supporting ideas that make sense to us.

For example, we have our elements, symbols, and connections. And we can structure the complete argument this way:

All we really need is one way to organize our thoughts in the essay. Let’s go with the first version and formulate the supporting points.

Here’s our main point again:

Here are our supporting points:

The photographer uses the image of children to symbolize the future.
The non-human elements in the photo symbolize life and planet Earth.
The author connects many ideas represented by images to get the message across.

Now we have everything we need to write the complete thesis statement. We’ll just put the main and the supporting statements into one paragraph.

Thesis Statement

Step 5: write the body of your essay.

At this point, we have everything we need to write the rest of the essay. We know that it will have three main sections because the thesis statement is also our outline.

We’re ready to write the body of the essay. Let’s do it.

Body of the Essay (3 paragraphs)

“The author of this photograph chose children and, more specifically, children’s hands in order to convey his point. In many, if not all human cultures, children evoke the feelings of hope, new beginnings, and the future. This is why people often say, ‘Children are our future.’ Furthermore, the children in the photo are of different ethnic backgrounds. This is evident from their skin colors, which vary from lighter to darker. This detail shows that the author probably meant children all over the world.

The non-human elements of the picture are the plants and the soil. The plants are very young – they are just sprouts, and that signifies the fragility of life. The soil in which they grow evokes the image of our planet Earth. Soil also symbolizes fertility. The clothes the children wear are summer clothes, and summer signifies freedom because this is the time of a long vacation for school children. Perhaps the author implies that the environment affects people’s freedom.

Finally, the relationships and connections among these elements help the photographer convey the message that humans should be mindful of their decisions today to ensure a bright future for the planet. This idea can be arrived at by careful examination. First, the children’s hands are arranged in a circle, which is a symbol of our planet and also signifies the power of unity. The future depends on people’s cooperation. Second, the children seem to be in the process of planting. The author emphasizes long-term future because the children hold baby plants. In other words, they ‘hold the future of other children’ in their hands. Third, the placement of the sprouts, which rest inside the soil in children’s hands, is a strong way to suggest that the future of the ecology is literally ‘in our hands.’”

Step 6. Add an Introduction and a Conclusion

Before we continue, I have an entire detailed article on how to write an essay step-by-step for beginners . In it, I walk you through writing every part of an essay, from the thesis to the conclusion.

Introduction

That said, your introduction should be just a sentence or two that go right before you state the thesis.

Let’s revisit our thesis statement, and then write the introduction.

And now let’s write an introductory sentence that would make the opening paragraph complete:

Now, if you read this intro sentence followed by the thesis statement, you’ll see that they work great together. And we’re done with the opening paragraph.

Your conclusion should be just a simple restatement. You can conclude your essay in many ways, but this is the basic and time-proven one.

Let’s do it:

We simply restated our thesis here. Your conclusion can be one or more sentences. In a short essay, a sentence will suffice.

Guess what – we just wrote a visual analysis essay together, and now you have a pretty good idea of how to write one.

Hope this was helpful!

How to Write a 300 Word Essay – Simple Tutorial

How to expand an essay – 4 tips to increase the word count, 10 solid essay writing tips to help you improve quickly, essay writing for beginners: 6-step guide with examples, 6 simple ways to improve sentence structure in your essays.

Tutor Phil is an e-learning professional who helps adult learners finish their degrees by teaching them academic writing skills.

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How to describe an image or diagram in academic task 1

In this podcast, you get a complete and detailed tutorial on how to describe a diagram/graphic for your IELTS academic writing task 1 .

We also cover those same eight steps in the article below, so give it a thorough read when preparing for your IELTS academic writing exam.

Describing a diagram for IELTS academic writing: task 1

Describing a diagram or a graphic for your IELTS exam can seem like a scary task. However, all you need to do is have a clear understanding of what is expected of you.

Strategy for describing a diagram

Let’s begin with the general outline. First , pay attention to the title of the diagram – this will tell you what the diagram shows.

Next , examine the diagram. Pay close attention to:

The main parts of the diagram
The relationship between these parts
Any further explanations

Lastly , keep in mind that your text must contain at least 150 words. Try to spend around 20 minutes on this task.

Remember that you have to describe the diagram itself, not why it is used.

Organize a structure for your description

Create a plan for your description. The structure usually contains three parts: the introduction, the main body of text, and the summary.

Don’t worry if you don’t know any technical words. Use your own words to describe the diagram.

Introduction In the introduction of your Diagram Description write about the purpose of the diagram.
The main body of text Use the main body of text to outline a step-by-step explanation of the diagram.
Summary In the summary sum up the principal idea of the diagram. Usually, one short paragraph is enough.

8 Steps to describe a diagram for IELTS academic writing: task 1

Now that we know how to structure the overall description of a diagram, we can continue onto other important parts that will gain you better marks.

Here’s a list of eight steps to help you write an excellent description for a diagram, and in turn gain you good marks!

So let’s do this together, step-by-step.

Read the title and the image of the diagram, and write about it – this will be your introduction.

This image clearly illustrates the carbon cycle.

Describe the diagram in detail – this will be your main body of text.

Carbon-dioxide is released into the atmosphere by aquatic and terrestrial life respiration or the decomposition of plant and animal life. This CO2 is used in photosynthesis for the growth of plants and nourishment of animals. These organisms die and decompose. This decomposition and waste are transformed into carbon. Carbon-dioxide is diffused into the ocean through precipitation when gases in the atmosphere are transformed to water. If the decomposition of carbon in the seabed and land is interrupted, it leads to the development of fossil fuels, such as oil, coal and gas. These fossil fuels are extracted from the earth for human use. During manufacturing processes, factories release fossil fuel emissions (including CO2) back into the atmosphere.

Add sequencing words to your text in order to connect your descriptive sentences and make it flow better.

Firstly , Carbon-dioxide is released into the atmosphere by aquatic and terrestrial life respiration or the decomposition of plant and animal life. Next , this CO2 Is used in photosynthesis for the growth of plants and nourishment of animals. Once these organisms die and decompose, this waste and decomposition is transformed into carbon. Additionally , carbon-dioxide is diffused into the ocean through precipitation when gases in the atmosphere are transformed to water.

Make sure to include passive form in the description to define an action that is done.

In the ocean, this CO2 is converted into sedimentation in the seabed.

Make sure you paraphrase your second and third lines to avoid redundancy

Next, this CO2 is used in photosynthesis for the growth of plants and nourishment of animals.

Once these organisms die, they are transformed into carbon.

Paraphrasing: plants and animals = organisms.

Include conditionals and adverb clauses to indicate possible outcomes when describing the diagram.

Real conditional If the decomposition of carbon in the seabed and land is interrupted, it leads to the development of fossil fuels, such as oil, coal and gas. Adverb Clause

Write a clear summary of the principle idea of the diagram in one short paragraph.

This graph clearly indicates the cycle of carbon through the land and oceans.

Read through your written work to check for any errors.

Here’s our final text – proofread it for any mistakes and errors.

Firstly, carbon-dioxide is released into the atmosphere by aquatic and terrestrial life respiration or the decomposition of plant and animal life.

Next, this CO2 Is used in photosynthesis for the growth of plants and nourishment of animals. Once these organisms die and decompose, this waste and decomposition is transformed into carbon. Additionally, carbon-dioxide is diffused into the ocean through precipitation when gases in the atmosphere are transformed to water. In the ocean, this CO2 is converted into sedimentation in the seabed through the decomposition of marine animals. If the decomposition of carbon in the seabed and land is interrupted, it leads to the development of fossil fuels, such as oil, coal and gas. These fossil fuels are extracted from the earth for human use. During manufacturing processes, factories release fossil fuel emissions (including CO2) back into the atmosphere.

This diagram clearly indicates the cycle of carbon through the land and oceans.

More useful IELTS Academic Task 1 lessons:

How to describe a pie chart
Bar Chart IELTS
How to describe a map
Describe an image
Describe a natural process
How to describe a table
How to paraphrase
Line graph sample answer
Marking criteria for Task 1
Map vocabulary for IELTS Task 1
How to describe a flow chart
Essential skills for Task 1
How to get band 9 for academic task 1
How to describe a process diagram

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Advice for an Unforgettable Photo Essay

Six steps for turning your images into a memorable photo essay, from curating your best work to crafting a title.

A man sits alone on a chair on the side of the road. We see him from above, surrounded by grey cobblestones neatly placed, a broken plastic chair, and some pylons scattered along the curb. A street cat wanders out of the frame and away from the man. He appears lonely, the only person inhabiting the place in which he seems so comfortably seated. As the eye wanders throughout the frame, however, the viewer discovers more: a vast city cast beyond the street and behind the man’s chair. This image closes Sarah Pannell’s photo essay Sehir , a quiet study of urban life.

Possibilities, discovery, and stories: these are some of the most effective elements of a photo essay. Collections of images can help produce a narrative, evoke emotion, and guide the viewer through one or more perspectives. A well-executed photo essay doesn’t rely on a title or any prior knowledge of its creator; it narrates on its own, moving viewers through sensations, lessons, and reactions.

Famous photo essays like Country Doctor by W. Eugene Smith or Gordon Parks’ The Harlem Family are acclaimed for showing a glimpse into the lives of the sick and impoverished. Other well-made photo essays offer a new way to look at the everyday, such as Peter Funch’s much-reposted photo series 42nd and Vanderbilt , for which Funch photographed the same street corner for nine years. As shown by these photographers’ experiences with the medium, a collection of photos can enliven spaces and attitudes. Strong photo essays can give voice to marginalized individuals and shine a spotlight on previously overlooked experiences.

You don’t necessarily need to be a documentary photographer to create a powerful photo essay. Photo essays can showcase any topic, from nature photography to portraiture to wedding shots. We spoke to a few photographers to get their perspectives on what makes a good photo essay, and their tips for how any photographer can get started in this medium. Here are six steps to follow to create a photo essay that tells a memorable story.

Choose a specific topic or theme for your photo essay.

There are two types of photo essays: the narrative and the thematic. Narrative photo essays focus on a story you’re telling the viewer, while thematic photo essays speak to a specific subject.

The most natural method for choosing a topic or theme for your photo essay is to go with what you know. Photograph what you experience. Whether that includes people, objects, or the things you think about throughout the day, accessibility is key here. Common topics or concepts to start with are emotions (depicting sadness or happiness) or experiences (everyday life, city living).

For photographer Sharon Pannen , planning a photo essay is as simple as “picking out a subject you find interesting or you want to make a statement about.”

From Paper & Stories , a photo series by Sharon Pannen for Schön! Magazine.

Consider your photo subjects.

The subjects of your photographs, whether human or not, will fill the space of your photos and influence the mood or idea you’re trying to depict. The subject can determine whether or not your photos are considered interesting. “I always try to find someone that catches my eye. I especially like to see how the light falls on their face and how a certain aesthetic might add to their persona,” says photographer Victoria Wojtan .

While subjects and their interest factor are, well, subjective, when considering your subjects, you should ask yourself about your audience. Do other people want to see this? Is my subject representative of the larger idea my photo essay is trying to convey? Your projects can involve people you know or people you’ve only just met.

“Most projects I work on involve shooting portraits of strangers, so there’s always a tension in approaching someone for a portrait,” says photographer Taylor Dorrell . For Wojtan, that tension can help build trust with a subject and actually leads to more natural images “If there’s tension it’s usually because the person’s new to being photographed by someone for something that’s outside of a candid moment or selfie, and they need guidance for posing. This gives me the opportunity to make them feel more comfortable and let them be themselves. I tend to have a certain idea in mind, but try to allow for organic moments to happen.”

Aim for a variety of images.

Depending on your theme, there are a few types of photos you’ll want to use to anchor your essay. One or two lead photos should slowly introduce the viewer to your topic. These initial photos will function in a similar way to the introductory paragraph in a written essay or news article.

From there, you should consider further developing your narrative by introducing elements like portraiture, close ups, detail shots, and a carefully selected final photo to leave the viewer with the feeling you set out to produce in your photos. Consider your opening and closing images to be the most important elements of your photo essay, and choose them accordingly. You want your first images to hook the viewer, and you also want your final images to leave a lasting impression and perhaps offer a conclusion to the narrative you’ve developed.

Including different types of photos, shot at different ranges, angles, and perspectives, can help engage your viewer and add more texture to your series.

Says photographer Taylor Dorrell: “After I have a group of images, I tend to think about color, composition, the order the images were taken, the subject material, and relevance to the concept.”

From Taylor Dorrell’s photo essay White Fences : “White Fences is an ongoing photo series that explores the theme of suburban youth in the United States, specifically in the midwest suburb New Albany, Ohio.”

Put your emotions aside.

Self-doubt can easily come into play when working with your own photography. The adage that we are our own worst critics is often true. It can be difficult to objectively select your strongest images when creating a photo essay. This is why putting together photo essays is such a useful practice for developing your curatorial skills.

“The most important part for me is getting outside opinions. I don’t do that enough, and have a bias in selecting images that might not be the most powerful images or the most effective sequence of images,” says Dorrell. Your own perception of a photograph can cloud your ability to judge whether or not it adds to your photo essay. This is especially true when your essay deals with personal subjects. For example, a photo essay about your family may be hard to evaluate, as your own feelings about family members will impact how you take and view the photos. This is where getting feedback from peers can be invaluable to producing a strong series.

Collecting feedback while putting your photo essay together can help you determine the strengths, weaknesses, and gaps within the collection of photos you’ve produced. Ask your friends to tell you their favorites, why they like them, and what they think you’re going for in the work you’ve created. Their opinions can be your guide, not just your own emotions.

Edit your photo selection.

Beyond post-production, the series of photos you select as your essay will determine whether you’ve executed your theme or narrative effectively. Can the photos stand alone, without written words, and tell the story you set out to? Do they make sense together, in a logical sequence? The perfect photo essay will give your audience a full picture of the narrative, theme, or essence you’re looking to capture.

A good method to use to cull your images down is to remove as many as half of your images straight away to see if your narrative is still as strong with fewer photos. Or, perhaps, deciding on a small number you’d like to aim for (maybe just five to ten images) and using this as a method to narrow down to the images that tell your story best.

From Taylor Dorrell’s photo essay Over the Rhine , featured in Vice.

Give your photo essay a title, and add a concise written statement.

Finally, you’ll want to create a title and written statement for your photo essay. This will help position your work and can enable the viewer to fully understand your intention, or at least guide their perspective.

A solid written statement and title will be relevant to your topic, detail your primary objective, and introduce your point of view. It’s an opportunity to clarify your intentions to the viewer and ensure they walk away with a clear interpretation of your work. Depending on your photo essay, you may want to include several paragraphs of text, but even just one or two sentences of background can be enough to expand the viewer’s understanding of your work.

Consider if you’d like to add the written statement at the beginning of your essay to introduce it, or at the end as a conclusion. Either one can be impactful, and it depends how you’d like people to experience your work.

For his photo essay White Fences, excerpted above, Taylor Dorrell wrote only one sentence of introduction. But for his series Over the Rhine, Dorell included a longer written statement to accompany the work, which is “an ongoing photo series that seeks to explore the Cincinnati neighborhood of the same name and its surroundings. The series was started in response to the shooting of Samuel DuBose, an unarmed black man, by officer Ray Tensing of the University of Cincinnati Police, which happened July 19th, 2015.” Dorell’s text goes on to offer more background on the project, setting up the viewer with all the information they need to understand the context of the photo essay.

Depending on the motivations behind your photo essay and what sort of subject it depicts, a longer text may be necessary—or just a few words might be enough.

Looking for a place to share your photo essays with the world? Take a look at our guide to creating a photography website for tips on showcasing your photos online.

Cover image by Taylor Dorrell, from his photo essay Hurricane Over Sugar .

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Writing Tips

How to Format Images in an Essay

5-minute read

27th April 2022

Writing an essay ? It may enhance your argument to include some images, as long as they’re directly relevant to the essay’s narrative. But how do you format images in an essay? Read on for tips on inserting and organizing images, creating captions, and referencing.

Inserting Images

To insert an image into the text using Microsoft Word:

● Place the cursor where you want to add a picture.

● Go to Insert > Pictures .

● Click on This Device to add pictures from your own computer or select Online Pictures to search for a picture from the internet.

● Select the image you wish to use and click Insert .

See our companion blog post for further detail on inserting images into documents using Word.

Organizing Images

There are two common methods of organizing images in your essay: you can either place them next to the paragraph where they are being discussed (in-text), or group them all together at the end of the essay (list of figures). It can be clearer to display images in-text, but remember to refer to your university style guide for its specifications on formatting images.

Whichever method you decide upon, always remember to refer directly to your images in the text of your essay. For example:

● An example of Cubism can be seen in Figure 1.

● Cubist paintings have been criticized for being overly abstract (see Figure 1).

● Many paintings of this style, including those by Picasso (Figure 1), are very abstract.

Every image that you include in your essay needs to have a caption. This is so that the reader can identify the image and where it came from. Each caption should include the following:

● A label (e.g., Figure 1 ).

● A description of the image, such as “Picasso’s Guernica ,” or “ Guernica : One of Picasso’s most famous works.”

● The source of the image. Even if you have created the image yourself, you should attribute it correctly (for example, “photo by author”).

Have a look at this example:

Figure 1: Picasso’s Guernica

Photo: Flickr

Here, the image is given both a label and a title, and its source is clearly identified.

Creating Captions Using Microsoft Word

If you are using Word, it’s very simple to add a caption to an image. Simply follow the steps below:

● Click on the image.

● Open the References toolbar and click Insert Caption .

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● Fill in or select the required details and click OK .

You can also add a caption manually.

Referencing Captions

At this point, you’ll need to refer to your style guide again to check which referencing system you’re using. As mentioned above, all sources should be clearly identified within the caption for the image. However, the format for captions will vary depending on your style guide. Here, we give two examples of common style guides:

APA 7th Edition

The format for a caption in APA style is as follows:

Note. By Creator’s Initials, Last Name (Year), format. Site Name (or Museum, Location). URL

The image format refers to whether it’s a photograph, painting, or map you are citing. If you have accessed the image online, then you should give the site name, whereas if you have viewed the image in person, you should state the name and location of the museum. The figure number and title should be above the image, as shown:

Figure 1

Note . By P. Picasso (1937), painting. Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/huffstutterrobertl/5257246455

If you were to refer to the image in the text of your essay, simply state the creator’s last name and year in parentheses:

(Picasso, 1937).

Remember that you should also include the details of the image in your reference list .

MLA style dictates that an image caption should be centered, and each figure labeled as “Fig.” and numbered. You then have two options for completing the caption:

1. Follow the Works Cited format for citing an image, which is as follows:

Creator’s Last Name, First Name. “Image Title.” Website Name , Day Month Year, URL.

2. Provide key information about the source, such as the creator, title, and year.

In this case, we have followed option 1:

Fig. 1. Picasso, Pablo. “Guernica.” Flickr , 1937, https://www.flickr.com/photos/huffstutterrobertl/5257246455

When referring to the image in the text of the essay, you need only cite the creator’s last name in parentheses:

And, again, remember to include the image within the Works Cited list at the end of your essay.

Expert Proofreading and Formatting

We hope this guide has left you a little clearer on the details of formatting images in your essays . If you need any further help, try accessing our expert proofreading and formatting service . It’s available 24 hours a day!a

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The Writing Center • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Figures and Charts

What this handout is about.

This handout will describe how to use figures and tables to present complicated information in a way that is accessible and understandable to your reader.

Do I need a figure/table?

When planning your writing, it is important to consider the best way to communicate information to your audience, especially if you plan to use data in the form of numbers, words, or images that will help you construct and support your argument. Generally speaking, data summaries may take the form of text, tables or figures. Most writers are familiar with textual data summaries and this is often the best way to communicate simple results. A good rule of thumb is to see if you can present your results clearly in a sentence or two. If so, a table or figure is probably unnecessary. If your data are too numerous or complicated to be described adequately in this amount of space, figures and tables can be effective ways of conveying lots of information without cluttering up your text. Additionally, they serve as quick references for your reader and can reveal trends, patterns, or relationships that might otherwise be difficult to grasp.

So what’s the difference between a table and a figure anyway?

Tables present lists of numbers or text in columns and can be used to synthesize existing literature, to explain variables, or to present the wording of survey questions. They are also used to make a paper or article more readable by removing numeric or listed data from the text. Tables are typically used to present raw data, not when you want to show a relationship between variables.

Figures are visual presentations of results. They come in the form of graphs, charts, drawings, photos, or maps. Figures provide visual impact and can effectively communicate your primary finding. Traditionally, they are used to display trends and patterns of relationship, but they can also be used to communicate processes or display complicated data simply. Figures should not duplicate the same information found in tables and vice versa.

Using tables

Tables are easily constructed using your word processor’s table function or a spread sheet program such as Excel. Elements of a table include the Legend or Title, Column Titles, and the Table Body (quantitative or qualitative data). They may also include subheadings and footnotes. Remember that it is just as important to think about the organization of tables as it is to think about the organization of paragraphs. A well-organized table allows readers to grasp the meaning of the data presented with ease, while a disorganized one will leave the reader confused about the data itself, or the significance of the data.

Title: Tables are headed by a number followed by a clear, descriptive title or caption. Conventions regarding title length and content vary by discipline. In the hard sciences, a lengthy explanation of table contents may be acceptable. In other disciplines, titles should be descriptive but short, and any explanation or interpretation of data should take place in the text. Be sure to look up examples from published papers within your discipline that you can use as a model. It may also help to think of the title as the “topic sentence” of the table—it tells the reader what the table is about and how it’s organized. Tables are read from the top down, so titles go above the body of the table and are left-justified.

Column titles: The goal of column headings is to simplify and clarify the table, allowing the reader to understand the components of the table quickly. Therefore, column titles should be brief and descriptive and should include units of analysis.

Table body: This is where your data are located, whether they are numerical or textual. Again, organize your table in a way that helps the reader understand the significance of the data. Be sure to think about what you want your readers to compare, and put that information in the column (up and down) rather than in the row (across). In other words, construct your table so that like elements read down, not across. When using numerical data with decimals, make sure that the decimal points line up. Whole numbers should line up on the right.

Other table elements

Tables should be labeled with a number preceding the table title; tables and figures are labeled independently of one another. Tables should also have lines demarcating different parts of the table (title, column headers, data, and footnotes if present). Gridlines or boxes should not be included in printed versions. Tables may or may not include other elements, such as subheadings or footnotes.

Quick reference for tables

Tables should be:

Centered on the page.
Numbered in the order they appear in the text.
Referenced in the order they appear in the text.
Labeled with the table number and descriptive title above the table.
Labeled with column and/or row labels that describe the data, including units of measurement.
Set apart from the text itself; text does not flow around the table.

Table 1. Physical characteristics of the Doctor in the new series of Doctor Who

Table 2. Physical characteristics of the Doctor in the new series of Doctor Who

Using figures

Figures can take many forms. They may be graphs, diagrams, photos, drawings, or maps. Think deliberately about your purpose and use common sense to choose the most effective figure for communicating the main point. If you want your reader to understand spatial relationships, a map or photograph may be the best choice. If you want to illustrate proportions, experiment with a pie chart or bar graph. If you want to illustrate the relationship between two variables, try a line graph or a scatterplot (more on various types of graphs below). Although there are many types of figures, like tables, they share some typical features: captions, the image itself, and any necessary contextual information (which will vary depending on the type of figure you use).

Figure captions

Figures should be labeled with a number followed by a descriptive caption or title. Captions should be concise but comprehensive. They should describe the data shown, draw attention to important features contained within the figure, and may sometimes also include interpretations of the data. Figures are typically read from the bottom up, so captions go below the figure and are left-justified.

The most important consideration for figures is simplicity. Choose images the viewer can grasp and interpret clearly and quickly. Consider size, resolution, color, and prominence of important features. Figures should be large enough and of sufficient resolution for the viewer to make out details without straining their eyes. Also consider the format your paper will ultimately take. Journals typically publish figures in black and white, so any information coded by color will be lost to the reader. On the other hand, color might be a good choice for papers published to the web or for PowerPoint presentations. In any case, use figure elements like color, line, and pattern for effect, not for flash.

Additional information

Figures should be labeled with a number preceding the table title; tables and figures are numbered independently of one another. Also be sure to include any additional contextual information your viewer needs to understand the figure. For graphs, this may include labels, a legend explaining symbols, and vertical or horizontal tick marks. For maps, you’ll need to include a scale and north arrow. If you’re unsure about contextual information, check out several types of figures that are commonly used in your discipline.

Quick reference for figures

Figures should be:

Labeled (under the figure) with the figure number and appropriate descriptive title (“Figure” can be spelled out [“Figure 1.”] or abbreviated [“Fig. 1.”] as long as you are consistent).
Referenced in the order they appear in the text (i.e. Figure 1 is referenced in the text before Figure 2 and so forth).
Set apart from the text; text should not flow around figures.

Every graph is a figure but not every figure is a graph. Graphs are a particular set of figures that display quantitative relationships between variables. Some of the most common graphs include bar charts, frequency histograms, pie charts, scatter plots, and line graphs, each of which displays trends or relationships within and among datasets in a different way. You’ll need to carefully choose the best graph for your data and the relationship that you want to show. More details about some common graph types are provided below. Some good advice regarding the construction of graphs is to keep it simple. Remember that the main objective of your graph is communication. If your viewer is unable to visually decode your graph, then you have failed to communicate the information contained within it.

Pie charts are used to show relative proportions, specifically the relationship of a number of parts to the whole. Use pie charts only when the parts of the pie are mutually exclusive categories and the sum of parts adds up to a meaningful whole (100% of something). Pie charts are good at showing “big picture” relationships (i.e. some categories make up “a lot” or “a little” of the whole thing). However, if you want your reader to discern fine distinctions within your data, the pie chart is not for you. Humans are not very good at making comparisons based on angles. We are much better at comparing length, so try a bar chart as an alternative way to show relative proportions. Additionally, pie charts with lots of little slices or slices of very different sizes are difficult to read, so limit yours to 5-7 categories.

The chart shows the relative proportion of fifteen elements in Martian soil, listed in order from “most” to “least”: oxygen, silicon, iron, magnesium, calcium, sulfur, aluminum, sodium, potassium, chlorine, helium, nitrogen, phosphorus, beryllium, and other. Oxygen makes up about ⅓ of the composition, while silicon and iron together make up about ¼. The remaining slices make up smaller proportions, but the percentages aren’t listed in the key and are difficult to estimate. It is also hard to distinguish fifteen colors when comparing the pie chart to the color coded key.

The chart shows the relative proportion of five leisure activities of Venusian teenagers (tanning, trips to Mars, reading, messing with satellites, and stealing Earth cable). Although each of the five slices are about the same size (roughly 20% of the total), the percentage of Venusian teenagers engaging in each activity varies widely (tanning: 80%, trips to Mars: 40%, reading: 12%, messing with satellites: 30%, stealing Earth cable: 77%). Therefore, there is a mismatch between the labels and the actual proportion represented by each activity (in other words, if reading represents 12% of the total, its slice should take up 12% of the pie chart area), which makes the representation inaccurate. In addition, the labels for the five slices add up to 239% (rather than 100%), which makes it impossible to accurately represent this dataset using a pie chart.

Bar graphs are also used to display proportions. In particular, they are useful for showing the relationship between independent and dependent variables, where the independent variables are discrete (often nominal) categories. Some examples are occupation, gender, and species. Bar graphs can be vertical or horizontal. In a vertical bar graph the independent variable is shown on the x axis (left to right) and the dependent variable on the y axis (up and down). In a horizontal one, the dependent variable will be shown on the horizontal (x) axis, the independent on the vertical (y) axis. The scale and origin of the graph should be meaningful. If the dependent (numeric) variable has a natural zero point, it is commonly used as a point of origin for the bar chart. However, zero is not always the best choice. You should experiment with both origin and scale to best show the relevant trends in your data without misleading the viewer in terms of the strength or extent of those trends.

The graph shows the number of male and female spaceship crew members for five different popular television series: Star Trek (1965), Battlestar (1978), Star Trek: TNG (1987), Stargate SG-1 (1997), and Firefly (2002). Because the television series are arranged chronologically on the x-axis, the graph can also be used to look for trends in these numbers over time.

Although the number of crew members for each show is similar (ranging from 9 to 11), the proportion of female and male crew members varies. Star Trek has half as many female crew members as male crew members (3 and 6, respectively), Battlestar has fewer than one-fourth as many female crew members as male crew members (2 and 9, respectively), Star Trek: TNG has four female crew members and six male crew members, Stargate SG-1 has less than one-half as many female crew members as male crew members (3 and 7, respectively), and Firefly has four female and five male crew members.

Frequency histograms/distributions

Frequency histograms are a special type of bar graph that show the relationship between independent and dependent variables, where the independent variable is continuous, rather than discrete. This means that each bar represents a range of values, rather than a single observation. The dependent variables in a histogram are always numeric, but may be absolute (counts) or relative (percentages). Frequency histograms are good for describing populations—examples include the distribution of exam scores for students in a class or the age distribution of the people living in Chapel Hill. You can experiment with bar ranges (also known as “bins”) to achieve the best level of detail, but each range or bin should be of uniform width and clearly labeled.

XY scatter plots

Scatter plots are another way to illustrate the relationship between two variables. In this case, data are displayed as points in an x,y coordinate system, where each point represents one observation along two axes of variation. Often, scatter plots are used to illustrate correlation between two variables—as one variable increases, the other increases (positive correlation) or decreases (negative correlation). However, correlation does not necessarily imply that changes in one variable cause changes in the other. For instance, a third, unplotted variable may be causing both. In other words, scatter plots can be used to graph one independent and one dependent variable, or they can be used to plot two independent variables. In cases where one variable is dependent on another (for example, height depends partly on age), plot the independent variable on the horizontal (x) axis, and the dependent variable on the vertical (y) axis. In addition to correlation (a linear relationship), scatter plots can be used to plot non-linear relationships between variables.

The scatter plot shows the relationship between temperature (x-axis, independent variable) and the number of UFO sightings (y-axis, dependent variable) for 53 separate data points. The temperature ranges from about 0°F and 120°F, and the number of UFO sightings ranges from 1 to 10. The plot shows a low number of UFO sightings (ranging from 1 to 4) at temperatures below 80°F and a much wider range of the number of sightings (from 1 to 10) at temperatures above 80°F. It appears that the number of sightings tends to increase as temperature increases, though there are many cases where only a few sightings occur at high temperatures.

XY line graphs

Line graphs are similar to scatter plots in that they display data along two axes of variation. Line graphs, however, plot a series of related values that depict a change in one variable as a function of another, for example, world population (dependent) over time (independent). Individual data points are joined by a line, drawing the viewer’s attention to local change between adjacent points, as well as to larger trends in the data. Line graphs are similar to bar graphs, but are better at showing the rate of change between two points. Line graphs can also be used to compare multiple dependent variables by plotting multiple lines on the same graph.

Example of an XY line graph:

The line graph shows the age (in years) of the actor of each Doctor Who regeneration for the first through the eleventh regeneration. The ages range from a maximum of about 55 in the first regeneration to a minimum of about 25 in the eleventh regeneration. There is a downward trend in the age of the actors over the course of the eleven regenerations.

General tips for graphs

Strive for simplicity. Your data will be complex. Don’t be tempted to convey the complexity of your data in graphical form. Your job (and the job of your graph) is to communicate the most important thing about the data. Think of graphs like you think of paragraphs—if you have several important things to say about your data, make several graphs, each of which highlights one important point you want to make.

Strive for clarity. Make sure that your data are portrayed in a way that is visually clear. Make sure that you have explained the elements of the graph clearly. Consider your audience. Will your reader be familiar with the type of figure you are using (such as a boxplot)? If not, or if you’re not sure, you may need to explain boxplot conventions in the text. Avoid “chartjunk.” Superfluous elements just make graphs visually confusing. Your reader does not want to spend 15 minutes figuring out the point of your graph.

Strive for accuracy. Carefully check your graph for errors. Even a simple graphical error can change the meaning and interpretation of the data. Use graphs responsibly. Don’t manipulate the data so that it looks like it’s saying something it’s not—savvy viewers will see through this ruse, and you will come off as incompetent at best and dishonest at worst.

How should tables and figures interact with text?

Placement of figures and tables within the text is discipline-specific. In manuscripts (such as lab reports and drafts) it is conventional to put tables and figures on separate pages from the text, as near as possible to the place where you first refer to it. You can also put all the figures and tables at the end of the paper to avoid breaking up the text. Figures and tables may also be embedded in the text, as long as the text itself isn’t broken up into small chunks. Complex raw data is conventionally presented in an appendix. Be sure to check on conventions for the placement of figures and tables in your discipline.

You can use text to guide the reader in interpreting the information included in a figure, table, or graph—tell the reader what the figure or table conveys and why it was important to include it.

When referring to tables and graphs from within the text, you can use:

Clauses beginning with “as”: “As shown in Table 1, …”
Passive voice: “Results are shown in Table 1.”
Active voice (if appropriate for your discipline): “Table 1 shows that …”
Parentheses: “Each sample tested positive for three nutrients (Table 1).”

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

American Psychological Association. 2010. Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association . 6th ed. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Bates College. 2012. “ Almost everything you wanted to know about making tables and figures.” How to Write a Paper in Scientific Journal Style and Format , January 11, 2012. http://abacus.bates.edu/~ganderso/biology/resources/writing/HTWtablefigs.html.

Cleveland, William S. 1994. The Elements of Graphing Data , 2nd ed. Summit, NJ: Hobart Press..

Council of Science Editors. 2014. Scientific Style and Format: The CSE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers , 8th ed. Chicago & London: University of Chicago Press.

University of Chicago Press. 2017. The Chicago Manual of Style , 17th ed. Chicago & London: University of Chicago Press.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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Pictures That Tell Stories: Photo Essay Examples

Like any other type of artist, a photographer’s job is to tell a story through their pictures. While some of the most creative among us can invoke emotion or convey a thought with one single photo, the rest of us will rely on a photo essay.

In the following article, we’ll go into detail about what a photo essay is and how to craft one while providing some detailed photo essay examples.

What is a Photo Essay?

A photo essay is a series of photographs that, when assembled in a particular order, tell a unique and compelling story. While some photographers choose only to use pictures in their presentations, others will incorporate captions, comments, or even full paragraphs of text to provide more exposition for the scene they are unfolding.

A photo essay is a well-established part of photojournalism and have been used for decades to present a variety of information to the reader. Some of the most famous photo essayists include Ansel Adams , W. Eugene Smith, and James Nachtwey. Of course, there are thousands of photo essay examples out there from which you can draw inspiration.

Why Consider Creating a Photo Essay?

As the old saying goes, “a picture is worth 1000 words.” This adage is, for many photographers, reason enough to hold a photo essay in particularly high regard.

For others, a photo essay allow them to take pictures that are already interesting and construct intricate, emotionally-charged tales out of them. For all photographers, it is yet another skill they can master to become better at their craft.

As you might expect, the photo essay have had a long history of being associated with photojournalism. From the Great Depression to Civil Rights Marches and beyond, many compelling stories have been told through a combination of images and text, or photos alone. A photo essay often evokes an intense reaction, whether artistic in nature or designed to prove a socio-political point.

Below, we’ll list some famous photo essay samples to further illustrate the subject.

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Famous Photo Essays

“The Great Depression” by Dorothea Lange – Shot and arranged in the 1930s, this famous photo essay still serves as a stark reminder of The Great Depression and Dust Bowl America . Beautifully photographed, the black and white images offer a bleak insight to one of the country’s most difficult times.

“The Vietnam War” by Philip Jones Griffiths – Many artists consider the Griffiths’ photo essay works to be some of the most important records of the war in Vietnam. His photographs and great photo essays are particularly well-remembered for going against public opinion and showing the suffering of the “other side,” a novel concept when it came to war photography.

Various American Natural Sites by Ansel Adams – Adams bought the beauty of nature home to millions, photographing the American Southwest and places like Yosemite National Park in a way that made the photos seem huge, imposing, and beautiful.

“Everyday” by Noah Kalina – Is a series of photographs arranged into a video. This photo essay features daily photographs of the artist himself, who began taking capturing the images when he was 19 and continued to do so for six years.

“Signed, X” by Kate Ryan – This is a powerful photo essay put together to show the long-term effects of sexual violence and assault. This photo essay is special in that it remains ongoing, with more subjects being added every year.

Common Types of Photo Essays

While a photo essay do not have to conform to any specific format or design, there are two “umbrella terms” under which almost all genres of photo essays tend to fall. A photo essay is thematic and narrative. In the following section, we’ll give some details about the differences between the two types, and then cover some common genres used by many artists.

⬥ Thematic

A thematic photo essay speak on a specific subject. For instance, numerous photo essays were put together in the 1930s to capture the ruin of The Great Depression. Though some of these presentations followed specific people or families, they mostly told the “story” of the entire event. There is much more freedom with a thematic photo essay, and you can utilize numerous locations and subjects. Text is less common with these types of presentations.

⬥ Narrative

A narrative photo essay is much more specific than thematic essays, and they tend to tell a much more direct story. For instance, rather than show a number of scenes from a Great Depression Era town, the photographer might show the daily life of a person living in Dust Bowl America. There are few rules about how broad or narrow the scope needs to be, so photographers have endless creative freedom. These types of works frequently utilize text.

Common Photo Essay Genres

Walk a City – This photo essay is when you schedule a time to walk around a city, neighborhood, or natural site with the sole goal of taking photos. Usually thematic in nature, this type of photo essay allows you to capture a specific place, it’s energy, and its moods and then pass them along to others.

The Relationship Photo Essay – The interaction between families and loved ones if often a fascinating topic for a photo essay. This photo essay genre, in particular, gives photographers an excellent opportunity to capture complex emotions like love and abstract concepts like friendship. When paired with introspective text, the results can be quite stunning.

The Timelapse Transformation Photo Essay – The goal of a transformation photo essay is to capture the way a subject changes over time. Some people take years or even decades putting together a transformation photo essay, with subjects ranging from people to buildings to trees to particular areas of a city.

Going Behind The Scenes Photo Essay – Many people are fascinated by what goes on behind the scenes of big events. Providing the photographer can get access; to an education photo essay can tell a very unique and compelling story to their viewers with this photo essay.

Photo Essay of a Special Event – There are always events and occasions going on that would make an interesting subject for a photo essay. Ideas for this photo essay include concerts, block parties, graduations, marches, and protests. Images from some of the latter were integral to the popularity of great photo essays.

The Daily Life Photo Essay – This type of photo essay often focus on a single subject and attempt to show “a day in the life” of that person or object through the photographs. This type of photo essay can be quite powerful depending on the subject matter and invoke many feelings in the people who view them.

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Photo Essay Ideas and Examples

One of the best ways to gain a better understanding of photo essays is to view some photo essay samples. If you take the time to study these executions in detail, you’ll see just how photo essays can make you a better photographer and offer you a better “voice” with which to speak to your audience.

Some of these photo essay ideas we’ve already touched on briefly, while others will be completely new to you.

Cover a Protest or March

Some of the best photo essay examples come from marches, protests, and other events associated with movements or socio-political statements. Such events allow you to take pictures of angry, happy, or otherwise empowered individuals in high-energy settings. The photo essay narrative can also be further enhanced by arriving early or staying long after the protest has ended to catch contrasting images.

Photograph a Local Event

Whether you know it or not, countless unique and interesting events are happening in and around your town this year. Such events provide photographers new opportunities to put together a compelling photo essay. From ethnic festivals to historical events to food and beverage celebrations, there are many different ways to capture and celebrate local life.

Visit an Abandoned Site or Building

Old homes and historical sites are rich with detail and can sometimes appear dilapidated, overgrown by weeds, or broken down by time. These qualities make them a dynamic and exciting subject. Many great photo essay works of abandoned homes use a mix of far-away shots, close-ups, weird angles, and unique lighting. Such techniques help set a mood that the audience can feel through the photographic essay.

Chronicle a Pregnancy

Few photo essay topics could be more personal than telling the story of a pregnancy. Though this photo essay example can require some preparation and will take a lot of time, the results of a photographic essay like this are usually extremely emotionally-charged and touching. In some cases, photographers will continue the photo essay project as the child grows as well.

Photograph Unique Lifestyles

People all over the world are embracing society’s changes in different ways. People live in vans or in “tiny houses,” living in the woods miles away from everyone else, and others are growing food on self-sustaining farms. Some of the best photo essay works have been born out of these new, inspiring movements.

Photograph Animals or Pets

If you have a favorite animal (or one that you know very little about), you might want to arrange a way to see it up close and tell its story through images. You can take photos like this in a zoo or the animal’s natural habitat, depending on the type of animal you choose. Pets are another great topic for a photo essay and are among the most popular subjects for many photographers.

Show Body Positive Themes

So much of modern photography is about showing the best looking, prettiest, or sexiest people at all times. Choosing a photo essay theme like body positivity, however, allows you to film a wide range of interesting-looking people from all walks of life.

Such a photo essay theme doesn’t just apply to women, as beauty can be found everywhere. As a photo essay photographer, it’s your job to find it!

Bring Social Issues to Life

Some of the most impactful social photo essay examples are those where the photographer focuses on social issues. From discrimination to domestic violence to the injustices of the prison system, there are many ways that a creative photographer can highlight what’s wrong with the world. This type of photo essay can be incredibly powerful when paired with compelling subjects and some basic text.

Photograph Style and Fashion

If you live in or know of a particularly stylish locale or area, you can put together an excellent thematic photo essay by capturing impromptu shots of well-dressed people as they pass by. As with culture, style is easily identifiable and is as unifying as it is divisive. Great photo essay examples include people who’ve covered fashion sub-genres from all over the world, like urban hip hop or Japanese Visual Kei.

Photograph Native Cultures and Traditions

If you’ve ever opened up a copy of National Geographic, you’ve probably seen photo essay photos that fit this category. To many, the traditions, dress, religious ceremonies, and celebrations of native peoples and foreign cultures can be utterly captivating. For travel photographers, this photo essay is considered one of the best ways to tell a story with or without text.

Capture Seasonal Or Time Changes In A Landmark Photo Essay

Time-lapse photography is very compelling to most viewers. What they do in a few hours, however, others are doing over months, years, and even decades. If you know of an exciting landscape or scene, you can try to capture the same image in Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall, and put that all together into one landmark photo essay.

Alternatively, you can photograph something being lost or ravaged by time or weather. The subject of your landmark photo essay can be as simple as the wall of an old building or as complex as an old house in the woods being taken over by nature. As always, there are countless transformation-based landmark photo essay works from which you can draw inspiration.

Photograph Humanitarian Efforts or Charity

Humanitarian efforts by groups like Habitat for Humanity, the Red Cross, and Doctors Without Borders can invoke a powerful response through even the simplest of photos. While it can be hard to put yourself in a position to get the images, there are countless photo essay examples to serve as inspiration for your photo essay project.

How to Create a Photo Essay

There is no singular way to create a photo essay. As it is, ultimately, and artistic expression of the photographer, there is no right, wrong, good, or bad. However, like all stories, some tell them well and those who do not. Luckily, as with all things, practice does make perfect. Below, we’ve listed some basic steps outlining how to create a photo essay

Steps To Create A Photo Essay

Choose Your Topic – While some photo essayists will be able to “happen upon” a photo story and turn it into something compelling, most will want to choose their photo essay topics ahead of time. While the genres listed above should provide a great starting place, it’s essential to understand that photo essay topics can cover any event or occasion and any span of time

Do Some Research – The next step to creating a photo essay is to do some basic research. Examples could include learning the history of the area you’re shooting or the background of the person you photograph. If you’re photographing a new event, consider learning the story behind it. Doing so will give you ideas on what to look for when you’re shooting.

Make a Storyboard – Storyboards are incredibly useful tools when you’re still in the process of deciding what photo story you want to tell. By laying out your ideas shot by shot, or even doing rough illustrations of what you’re trying to capture, you can prepare your photo story before you head out to take your photos.

This process is especially important if you have little to no control over your chosen subject. People who are participating in a march or protest, for instance, aren’t going to wait for you to get in position before offering up the perfect shot. You need to know what you’re looking for and be prepared to get it.

Get the Right Images – If you have a shot list or storyboard, you’ll be well-prepared to take on your photo essay. Make sure you give yourself enough time (where applicable) and take plenty of photos, so you have a lot from which to choose. It would also be a good idea to explore the area, show up early, and stay late. You never know when an idea might strike you.

Assemble Your Story – Once you develop or organize your photos on your computer, you need to choose the pictures that tell the most compelling photo story or stories. You might also find some great images that don’t fit your photo story These can still find a place in your portfolio, however, or perhaps a completely different photo essay you create later.

Depending on the type of photographer you are, you might choose to crop or digitally edit some of your photos to enhance the emotions they invoke. Doing so is completely at your discretion, but worth considering if you feel you can improve upon the naked image.

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Best Photo Essays Tips And Tricks

Before you approach the art of photo essaying for the first time, you might want to consider with these photo essay examples some techniques, tips, and tricks that can make your session more fun and your final results more interesting. Below, we’ve compiled a list of some of the best advice we could find on the subject of photo essays.

⬥ Experiment All You Want

You can, and should, plan your topic and your theme with as much attention to detail as possible. That said, some of the best photo essay examples come to us from photographers that got caught up in the moment and decided to experiment in different ways. Ideas for experimentation include the following:

Angles – Citizen Kane is still revered today for the unique, dramatic angles used in the film. Though that was a motion picture and not photography, the same basic principles still apply. Don’t be afraid to photograph some different angles to see how they bring your subject to life in different ways.

Color – Some images have more gravitas in black in white or sepia tone. You can say the same for images that use color in an engaging, dynamic way. You always have room to experiment with color, both before and after the shoot.

Contrast – Dark and light, happy and sad, rich and poor – contrast is an instantly recognizable form of tension that you can easily include in your photo essay. In some cases, you can plan for dramatic contrasts. In other cases, you simply need to keep your eyes open.

Exposure Settings – You can play with light in terms of exposure as well, setting a number of different moods in the resulting photos. Some photographers even do random double exposures to create a photo essay that’s original.

Filters – There are endless post-production options available to photographers, particularly if they use digital cameras. Using different programs and apps, you can completely alter the look and feel of your image, changing it from warm to cool or altering dozens of different settings.

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If you’re using traditional film instead of a digital camera, you’re going to want to stock up. Getting the right shots for a photo essay usually involves taking hundreds of images that will end up in the rubbish bin. Taking extra pictures you won’t use is just the nature of the photography process. Luckily, there’s nothing better than coming home to realize that you managed to capture that one, perfect photograph.

⬥ Set the Scene

You’re not just telling a story to your audience – you’re writing it as well. If the scene you want to capture doesn’t have the look you want, don’t be afraid to move things around until it does. While this doesn’t often apply to photographing events that you have no control over, you shouldn’t be afraid to take a second to make an OK shot a great shot.

⬥ Capture Now, Edit Later

Editing, cropping, and digital effects can add a lot of drama and artistic flair to your photos. That said, you shouldn’t waste time on a shoot, thinking about how you can edit it later. Instead, make sure you’re capturing everything that you want and not missing out on any unique pictures. If you need to make changes later, you’ll have plenty of time!

⬥ Make It Fun

As photographers, we know that taking pictures is part art, part skill, and part performance. If you want to take the best photo essays, you need to loosen up and have fun. Again, you’ll want to plan for your topic as best as you can, but don’t be afraid to lose yourself in the experience. Once you let yourself relax, both the ideas and the opportunities will manifest.

⬥ It’s All in The Details

When someone puts out a photographic essay for an audience, that work usually gets analyzed with great attention to detail. You need to apply this same level of scrutiny to the shots you choose to include in your photo essay. If something is out of place or (in the case of historical work) out of time, you can bet the audience will notice.

⬥ Consider Adding Text

While it isn’t necessary, a photographic essay can be more powerful by the addition of text. This is especially true of images with an interesting background story that can’t be conveyed through the image alone. If you don’t feel up to the task of writing content, consider partnering with another artist and allowing them tor bring your work to life.

Final Thoughts

The world is waiting to tell us story after story. Through the best photo essays, we can capture the elements of those stories and create a photo essay that can invoke a variety of emotions in our audience.

No matter the type of cameras we choose, the techniques we embrace, or the topics we select, what really matters is that the photos say something about the people, objects, and events that make our world wonderful.

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Picture Prompts

125 Picture Prompts for Creative and Narrative Writing

What story can these images tell?

Paper sits in a typewriter. The words “It was a dark story night” have already been typed.

By The Learning Network

For eight years, we at The Learning Network have been publishing short, accessible, image-driven prompts that invite students to do a variety of kinds of writing via our Picture Prompts column.

Each week, at least one of those prompts asks students: Use your imagination to write the opening of a short story or poem inspired by this image — or, tell us about a memory from your own life that it makes you think of.

Now we’re rounding up years of these storytelling prompts all in one place. Below you’ll find 125 photos, illustrations and GIFs from across The New York Times that you can use for both creative and personal writing. We have organized them by genre, but many overlap and intersect, so know that you can use them in any way you like.

Choose an image, write a story, and then follow the link in the caption to the original prompt to post your response or read what other students had to say. Many are still open for comment for teenagers 13 and up. And each links to a free Times article too.

We can’t wait to read the tales you spin! Don’t forget that you can respond to all of our Picture Prompts, as they publish, here .

Images by Category

Everyday life, mystery & suspense, relationships, science fiction, travel & adventure, unusual & unexpected, cat in a chair, happy puppy, resourceful raccoon, cows and cellos, people and penguins, opossum among shoes, on the subway, sunset by the water, endless conversation, falling into a hole, lounging around, sneaker collection, the concert, meadow in starlight.

Related Picture Prompt | Related Article

Public Selfies

Night circus, tarot cards, castle on a hill, security line, batman on a couch, reaching through the wall, beware of zombies, haunted house, familial frights, witches on the water, blindfolded, phone booth in the wilderness, shadow in the sky, a letter in the mail, hidden doorway.

Point of No Return

Darkened library, under the table, playing dominoes, looking back, a wave goodbye, out at dusk, conversation, walking away, alone and together, a new friend, heated conversation, up in a tree, hole in the ceiling, under the desk, at their computers, marching band, band practice, in the hallway, in the lunchroom, the red planet, tech gadgets, trapped inside, astronaut and spider, computer screen, special key, tethered in space, on the court, in the waves, city skateboarding.

Fishing in a Stream

Over the falls.

Under the Sea

Sledding in the mountains, cracked mirror, wilderness wayfaring, car and cactus, walking through town, tropical confinement, travel travails, roller coasters, atop the hill, climbing a ladder, under the ice, other selves.

Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public and may appear in print.

Find more Picture Prompts here.

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How to Write the Diversity Essay – With Examples

May 1, 2024

diversity essay examples how to write a diversity essay

The diversity essay has newfound significance in college application packages following the 2023 SCOTUS ruling against race-conscious admissions. Affirmative action began as an attempt to redress unequal access to economic and social mobility associated with higher education. But before the 2023 ruling, colleges frequently defended the policy based on their “compelling interest” in fostering diverse campuses. The reasoning goes that there are certain educational benefits that come from heterogeneous learning environments. Now, the diversity essay has become key for admissions officials in achieving their compelling interest in campus diversity. Thus, unlocking how to write a diversity essay enhances an applicant’s ability to describe their fit with a campus environment. This article describes the genre and provides diversity essay examples to help any applicant express how they conceptualize and contribute to diversity.

How to Write a Diversity Essay – Defining the Genre

Diversity essays in many ways resemble the personal statement genre. Like personal statements, they help readers get to know applicants beyond their academic and extracurricular achievements. What makes an applicant unique? Precisely what motivates or inspires them? What is their demeanor like and how do they interact with others? All these questions are useful ways of thinking about the purpose and value of the diversity essay.

It’s important to realize that the essay does not need to focus on aspects like race, religion, or sexuality. Some applicants may choose to write about their relationship to these or other protected identity categories. But applicants shouldn’t feel obligated to ‘come out’ in a diversity essay. Conversely, they should not be anxious if they feel their background doesn’t qualify them as ‘diverse.’

Instead, the diversity essay helps demonstrate broader thinking about what makes applicants unique that admissions officials can’t glean elsewhere. Usually, it also directly or indirectly indicates how an applicant will enhance the campus community they hope to join. Diversity essays can explicitly connect past experiences with future plans. Or they can offer a more general sense of how one’s background will influence their actions in college.

Thus, the diversity essay conveys both aspects that make an applicant unique and arguments for how those aspects will contribute on campus. The somewhat daunting genre is, in fact, a great opportunity for applicants to articulate how their background, identity, or formative experiences will shape their academic, intellectual, social, and professional trajectories.

Diversity College Essay Examples of Prompts – Sharing a Story

All diversity essays ask applicants to share what makes them unique and convey how that equips them for university life. However, colleges will typically ask applicants to approach this broad topic from a variety of different angles. Since it’s likely applicants will encounter some version of the genre in either required or supplemental essay assignments, it’s a good idea to have a template diversity essay ready to adapt to each specific prompt.

One of the most standard prompts is the “share a story” prompt. For example, here’s the diversity-related Common App prompt:

“Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.”

This prompt is deliberately broad, inviting applicants to articulate their distinctive qualities in myriad ways. What is unsaid, but likely expected, is some statement about how the story evidences the ability to enhance campus diversity.

Diversity College Essay Examples of Prompts – Describing Contribution

Another common prompt explicitly asks students to reflect on diversity while centering what they will contribute in college. A good example of this prompt comes from the University of Miami’s supplemental essay:

Located within one of the most dynamic cities in the world, the University of Miami is a distinctive community with a variety of cultures, traditions, histories, languages, and backgrounds. The University of Miami is a values-based and purpose-driven postsecondary institution that embraces diversity and inclusivity in all its forms and strives to create a culture of belonging, where every person feels valued and has an opportunity to contribute.

Please describe how your unique experiences, challenges overcome, or skills acquired would contribute to our distinctive University community. (250 words)

In essays responding to these kinds of prompts, its smart to more deliberately tailor your essay to what you know about the institution and its values around diversity. You’ll need a substantial part of the essay to address not only your “story” but your anticipated institutional contribution.

Diversity College Essay Examples of Prompts – Navigating Difference

The last type of diversity essay prompt worth mentioning asks applicants to explain how they experience and navigate difference. It could be a prompt about dealing with “diverse perspectives.” Or it could ask the applicant to tell a story involving someone different than them. Regardless of the framing, these types of prompts ask you to unfold a theory of diversity stemming from social encounters. Applicants might still think of how they can use the essay to frame what makes them unique. However, here colleges are also hoping for insight into how applicants will deal with the immense diversity of college life beyond their unique experiences. In these cases, it’s especially important to use a story kernel to draw attention to fundamental beliefs and values around diversity.

How to Write a Diversity Essay – Tips for Writing

Before we get to the diversity college essay examples, some general tips for writing the diversity essay:

Be authentic: This is not the place to embellish, exaggerate, or overstate your experiences. Writing with humility and awareness of your own limitations can only help you with the diversity essay. So don’t write about who you think the admissions committee wants to see – write about yourself.
Find dynamic intersections: One effective brainstorming strategy is to think of two or more aspects of your background, identity, and interests you might combine. For example, in one of the examples below, the writer talks about their speech impediment alongside their passion for poetry. By thinking of aspects of your experience to combine, you’ll likely generate more original material than focusing on just one.
Include a thesis: Diversity essays follow more general conventions of personal statement writing. That means you should tell a story about yourself, but also make it double as an argumentative piece of writing. Including a thesis in the first paragraph can clearly signal the argumentative hook of the essay for your reader.
Include your definition of diversity: Early in the essay you should define what diversity means to you. It’s important that this definition is as original as possible, preferably connecting to the story you are narrating. To avoid cliché, you might write out a bunch of definitions of diversity. Then, review them and get rid of any that seem like something you’d see in a dictionary or an inspirational poster. Get those clichéd definitions out of your system early, so you can wow your audience with your own carefully considered definition.

How to Write a Diversity Essay – Tips for Writing (Cont.)

Zoom out to diversity more broadly: This tip is especially important you are not writing about protected minority identities like race, religion, and sexuality. Again, it’s fine to not focus on these aspects of diversity. But you’ll want to have some space in the essay where you connect your very specific understanding of diversity to a larger system of values that can include those identities.

Revision is another, evergreen tip for writing good diversity essays. You should also remember that you are writing in a personal and narrative-based genre. So, try to be as creative as possible! If you find enjoyment in writing it, chances are better your audience will find entertainment value in reading it.

How to Write a Diversity Essay – Diversity Essay Examples

The first example addresses the “share a story” prompt. It is written in the voice of Karim Amir, the main character of Hanif Kureishi’s novel The Buddha of Suburbia .

As a child of the suburbs, I have frequently navigated the labyrinthine alleys of identity. Born to an English mother and an Indian father, I inherited a rich blend of traditions, customs, and perspectives. From an early age, I found myself straddling two worlds, trying to reconcile the conflicting expectations of my dual heritage. Yet, it was only through the lens of acting that I began to understand the true fluidity of identity.

A fairly typical table setting first paragraph, foregrounding themes of identity and performance
Includes a “thesis” in the final sentence suggesting the essay’s narrative and argumentative arc

Diversity, to me, is more than just a buzzword describing a melting pot of ethnic backgrounds, genders, and sexual orientations. Instead, it evokes the unfathomable heterogeneity of human experience that I aim to help capture through performance. On the stage, I have often been slotted into Asian and other ethnic minority roles. I’ve had to deal with discriminatory directors who complain I am not Indian enough. Sometimes, it has even been tempting to play into established stereotypes attached to the parts I am playing. However, acting has ultimately helped me to see that the social types we imagine when we think of the word ‘diversity’ are ultimately fantastical constructions. Prescribed identities may help us to feel a sense of belonging, but they also distort what makes us radically unique.

Includes an original definition of diversity, which the writer compellingly contrasts with clichéd definitions
Good narrative dynamism, stressing how the writer has experienced growth over time

Diversity Essay Examples Continued – Example One

The main challenge for an actor is to dig beneath the “type” of character to find the real human being underneath. Rising to this challenge entails discarding with lazy stereotypes and scaling what can seem to be insurmountable differences. Bringing human drama to life, making it believable, requires us to realize a more fundamental meaning of diversity. It means locating each character at their own unique intersection of identity. My story, like all the stories I aspire to tell as an actor, can inspire others to search for and celebrate their specificity.

Focuses in on the kernel of wisdom acquired over the course of the narrative
Indirectly suggests what the applicant can contribute to the admitted class

Acting has ultimately underlined an important takeaway of my dual heritage: all identities are, in a sense, performed. This doesn’t mean that heritage is not important, or that identities are not significant rallying points for community. Instead, it means recognizing that identity isn’t a prison, but a stage.

Draws the reader back to where the essay began, locating them at the intersection of two aspects of writer’s background
Sharply and deftly weaves a course between saying identities are fictions and saying that identities matter (rather than potentially alienating reader by picking one over the other)

Diversity Essay Examples Continued – Example Two

The second example addresses a prompt about what the applicant can contribute to a diverse campus. It is written from the perspective of Jason Taylor, David Mitchell’s protagonist in Black Swan Green .

Growing up with a stutter, each word was a hesitant step, every sentence a delicate balance between perseverance and frustration. I came to think of the written word as a sanctuary away from the staccato rhythm of my speech. In crafting melodically flowing poems, I discovered a language unfettered by the constraints of my impediment. However, diving deeper into poetry eventually made me realize how my stammer had a humanistic rhythm all its own.

Situates us at the intersection of two themes – a speech impediment and poetry – and uses the thesis to gesture to their synthesis
Nicely matches form and content. The writer uses this opportunity to demonstrate their facility with literary language.

Immersing myself in the genius of Langston Hughes, Walt Whitman, and Maya Angelou, I learned to embrace the beauty of diversity in language, rhythm, and life itself. Angelou wrote that “Everything in the universe has a rhythm, everything dances.” For me, this quote illuminates how diversity is not simply a static expression of discrete differences. Instead, diversity teaches us the beauty of a multitude of rhythms we can learn from and incorporate in a mutual dance. If “everything in the universe has a rhythm,” then it’s also possible that anything can be poetry. Even my stuttering speech can dance.

Provides a unique definition of diversity
Conveys growth over time
Connects kernel of wisdom back to the essay’s narrative starting point

As I embark on this new chapter of my life, I bring with me the lessons learned from the interplay of rhythm and verse. I bring a perspective rooted in empathy, an unwavering commitment to inclusivity, and a belief in language as the ultimate tool of transformative social connection. I am prepared to enter your university community, adding a unique voice that refuses to be silent.

Directly addresses how background and experiences will contribute to campus life
Conveys contributions in an analytic mode (second sentence) and more literary and personal mode (third sentence)

Additional Resources

Diversity essays can seem intimidating because of the political baggage we bring to the word ‘diversity.’ But applicants should feel liberated by the opportunity to describe what makes them unique. It doesn’t matter if applicants choose to write about aspects of identity, life experiences, or personal challenges. What matters is telling a compelling story of personal growth. Also significant is relating that story to an original theory of the function and value of diversity in society. At the end of the day, committees want to know their applicants deeper and get a holistic sense of how they will improve the educational lives of those around them.

Additional Reading and Resources

10 Instructive Common App Essay Examples
How to Write the Overcoming Challenges Essay + Example
Common App Essay Prompts
Why This College Essay – Tips for Success
How to Write a Body Paragraph for a College Essay
UC Essay Examples
College Essay

Tyler Talbott

Tyler holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Missouri and two Master of Arts degrees in English, one from the University of Maryland and another from Northwestern University. Currently, he is a PhD candidate in English at Northwestern University, where he also works as a graduate writing fellow.

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Real Estate and Social Media

This essay about “loopt” commercial real estate explores a progressive approach to property investment and management, focusing on adaptability and sustainability. It argues for the necessity of buildings that can change their function easily to respond to market demands and societal shifts. The concept prioritizes multipurpose designs that allow properties to transition between uses like commercial, residential, and retail with minimal restructuring. This flexibility not only meets modern needs but also promotes long-term financial viability and environmental sustainability. The essay discusses the potential for loopt real estate to generate diverse revenue streams and its appeal to forward-thinking investors and developers, suggesting that this approach could shape future urban development.

How it works

Commercial real estate is typically seen as a steadfast industry, rooted in concrete and steel, resistant to quick shifts. However, the reality of today’s property market is far from this static image. A new approach, which I’ll call “loopt” commercial real estate, is gaining traction. This approach isn’t so much about the structures themselves, but more about a philosophy of adaptability and sustainability that could very well redefine norms in property investment and management.

Loopt commercial real estate takes traditional concepts and flips them on their head, proposing that buildings should not only serve multiple purposes throughout their life cycle but should also be adaptable to societal changes and shifts in the market with minimal restructuring required.

This could mean designing spaces that can easily switch between commercial and residential uses, or retail outlets that can be transformed into community spaces as neighborhoods evolve.

Let’s delve into why this loopt strategy is increasingly relevant. In the past, buildings were often constructed with a single, unchanging purpose in mind. This approach made sense in a more predictable world. However, the global economic landscape is now far from predictable, and the need for versatility is more pronounced than ever. Businesses rise and fall, startups burst onto the scene, and established companies restructure or pivot entirely, all of which demands real estate that can keep pace with rapid changes.

Furthermore, the way people interact with spaces is evolving. The rise of remote work, for instance, has shifted how much physical office space a company needs. Retail is another area where profound changes are evident; online shopping has altered consumer behavior, leading to a decreased demand for traditional retail spaces and a rise in need for distribution centers or pickup points. A building designed with a loopt mindset could start as a series of small office spaces, then transition to a mixed-use structure with residential units, workspaces, and retail areas, all without significant downtime or construction.

Sustainability is another cornerstone of the loopt approach. Today, there is a growing insistence on sustainable practices across all industries, and real estate is no exception. Buildings are enormous consumers of resources and significant producers of waste, so any shift towards more sustainable practices can have a profound impact. Loopt real estate focuses not only on using materials that are more environmentally friendly but also on designs that anticipate future uses that might not even be on the table yet. This might mean installing advanced energy systems that can adapt to new technologies or creating spaces that can be easily updated or repurposed as needs change.

Let’s look at a few practical examples. Consider a new commercial building in a bustling city center. Initially set up to house high-tech firms with open-plan offices, the building could easily transition into co-living spaces if the tech bubble bursts or if economic conditions favor housing over office space. Another example could be a shopping mall that integrates flexible spaces from the start, allowing parts of it to become exhibition spaces or pop-up areas as retail habits shift.

Investment in loopt commercial real estate might seem risky given the higher initial costs associated with flexible, high-quality construction and advanced technological integrations. However, these costs are offset by the potential for longer-term, diverse income streams. A building that can adapt to various uses can continuously generate revenue, even in a fluctuating market. Moreover, these buildings tend to attract forward-thinking tenants and residents, often commanding higher rents due to their prime adaptability and modern facilities.

The adoption of the loopt model also signals a shift in how we think about the lifespan of a building. The traditional model treats the end of a building’s life as a time for demolition and waste, but loopt thinkers see this as a time for transformation and renewal. This could mean designing buildings so that, at the end of their life cycle, they can be disassembled and their materials reused—a far cry from the demolition debris that fills our landfills.

In essence, loopt commercial real estate isn’t just about buildings; it’s about future-proofing investments and creating spaces that serve societies more dynamically. It’s a nod to both the financial savvy and the environmental consciousness of the modern investor and developer. As urban areas continue to grow and change, the properties within them will need to be more than just static structures; they will need to be dynamic, living parts of the urban ecosystem, capable of evolving along with the cities they inhabit.

This shift towards loopt commercial real estate reflects broader changes in our world—changes that call for more innovation, more adaptability, and a deeper consideration of our environmental impact. It’s a fascinating time for the industry, and embracing these principles might not just be a good strategy—it might be the only way forward.

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A Step-by-step Guide to Describing a Picture in English
Sample Description of a Picture in English. Step 1: Ask Yourself WH Questions & Answer Them. Step 2: Describe What the Picture Is About. Step 3: Describe the Setting of the Picture. Step 4: Describe the Positions of the Subjects in the Picture. Step 5: Describe the Objects in the Picture. Step 6: Describe the Characters in the Picture.
Describe a photo or picture
You don't need to know all the words for everything in the picture if you know what to say when you don't know an exact word. Get distracted and start talking about something else. Focus on the photo or picture. Panic if your mind goes blank. Take a deep breath, look at the picture and start again. If you are asked to describe a photo or a ...
How to Describe a Picture … in 4 Easy Steps
He: smartly-dressed. … lovely, delightful, pleasant, quaint, charming. As you can see, some questions are more important than others but this is a good start and you have enough information for a description. ♠ Step #2: Write some sentences: The picture is of a stunning girl in her twenties and a smartly-dressed waiter.
Exploring the Picture Essay: Tips, Best Practices, and Examples
Exploring the Picture Essay: Tips, Best Practices, and Examples. April 18, 2023. Words by Jeff Cardello. A picture essay lets you harness the power of images to tell stories, evoke emotions, and convey a sense of place, time, and perspective. Picture essays drop viewers right into the action, letting them see things through the camera's lens ...
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An example of a short descriptive essay, written in response to the prompt "Describe a place you love to spend time in," is shown below. Hover over different parts of the text to see how a descriptive essay works. Descriptive essay example. On Sunday afternoons I like to spend my time in the garden behind my house.
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Picture Description Example 5. The picture depicts a beautiful scene of a man rowing a boat through the water with oar. The man is facing opposite to the camera.The golden water is creating ripples under the boat and there are golden brown trees on both side of the lake against the blue summer sky. The red colour of the boat and man's hat ...
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Just introduce what the picture is of — or who it is of — and say one or two sentences about it. So, if you were talking about the picture above, you might say: This is a picture of a man. He is jumping in the air and it looks like he is on a beach somewhere. That is a perfect introduction to the picture.
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Make sure to directly reference the image in the text of your essay. If you have included an image to illustrate a point, for instance, you would include something along the lines of 'An example of this can be seen in Figure 1'. The key, then, is that images in an essay are not just decoration. Rather, they should fit with and add to the ...
The Best Way To Write An Essay Describing A Picture
The body text (chapters) should include the above information. The introduction should introduce the picture in question. You should also state your aims and objectives for your paper and say what conclusions you hope to arrive at. The conclusion should restate the aims, summarize the main points and conclude in a poignant, professional and ...
How To Describe An Image
How to describe an Image / Photo, Main Points. Start with the general summary/ first impression of the picture in the first sentence. E.g," The picture shows two sports cars racing on the road." After writing about the general content of the picture, you can write about other details you can find in the picture. Use adjectives to describe ...
How to Describe a Picture in English
QUIZ: How to Describe a Picture. Test your knowledge of the vocabulary for describing pictures. This quiz has ten questions reviewing the language from the lesson, followed by four descriptions of photographs, which you need to complete, with a total of ten gaps to fill. You'll get your score out of 20 at the end, when you click 'Finish ...
How to Write an Essay Describing a Picture?
In contrast, a picture of a happy family might be well-received. Before writing an essay on an image, it's important to define and describe what each element means. This is especially important when writing about photographs that are taken at a distance. To broaden your perspective and distinguish the elements of a photograph, you can stand ...
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This applies when mentioning a subject's "left hand" or "right shoulder." 2. Describe Objectively and Accurately. Don't Describe Motivations or Intentions. Be objective. Descriptions of pictures should be straightforward and factual. They should avoid interpretations or emotional responses. 3. Be Descriptive.
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Ask them if they think the essay is descriptive and full of sensory detail. Have them tell you if they got a clear picture of the subject by the end of the essay. Be open to constructive criticism and feedback from others. This will only make your essay stronger. 3. Revise the essay for clarity and length.
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In other words, they 'hold the future of other children' in their hands. Third, the placement of the sprouts, which rest inside the soil in children's hands, is a strong way to suggest that the future of the ecology is literally 'in our hands.'". Step 6. Add an Introduction and a Conclusion.
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Written by MasterClass. Last updated: Jun 7, 2021 • 5 min read. Photo essays tell a story in pictures, and there are many different ways to style your own photo essay. With a wide range of topics to explore, a photo essay can be thought-provoking, emotional, funny, unsettling, or all of the above, but mostly, they should be unforgettable.
How to Describe an Image for IELTS Task 1 (8 Step Plan)
Create a plan for your description. The structure usually contains three parts: the introduction, the main body of text, and the summary. Don't worry if you don't know any technical words. Use your own words to describe the diagram. In the introduction of your Diagram Description write about the purpose of the diagram.
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Here are six steps to follow to create a photo essay that tells a memorable story. Choose a specific topic or theme for your photo essay. There are two types of photo essays: the narrative and the thematic. Narrative photo essays focus on a story you're telling the viewer, while thematic photo essays speak to a specific subject.
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1. Use sensory details. Writing descriptive sentences using sight, touch, sound, smell, and taste is a good way to draw your readers in and help them experience your descriptive writing the way you've intended. Vivid verbs and adjectives that use all five senses can help create a concrete visual for your audience—imagining you're a ...
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The source of the image. Even if you have created the image yourself, you should attribute it correctly (for example, "photo by author"). Have a look at this example: Figure 1: Picasso's Guernica. Photo: Flickr. Here, the image is given both a label and a title, and its source is clearly identified. Creating Captions Using Microsoft Word
Figures and Charts
Frequency histograms are good for describing populations—examples include the distribution of exam scores for students in a class or the age distribution of the people living in Chapel Hill. You can experiment with bar ranges (also known as "bins") to achieve the best level of detail, but each range or bin should be of uniform width and ...
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Famous Photo Essays. "The Great Depression" by Dorothea Lange - Shot and arranged in the 1930s, this famous photo essay still serves as a stark reminder of The Great Depression and Dust Bowl America. Beautifully photographed, the black and white images offer a bleak insight to one of the country's most difficult times.
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Some examples include shaving a mustache, dying their hair or getting a tattoo. Local event: Try to take pictures of a local event, such as a parade, local celebration or political rally. If they take place in the same general area or share a topic, you can include multiple events in your essay.
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Diversity Essay Examples Continued - Example One. The main challenge for an actor is to dig beneath the "type" of character to find the real human being underneath. Rising to this challenge entails discarding with lazy stereotypes and scaling what can seem to be insurmountable differences.
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Germany, for example, used submarines to attack civilian ships and used airships known as zeppelins to bomb cities in Britain. The war also featured mass killings and expulsions of particular ethnic groups. For example, Armenians were violently excluded from the Ottoman Empire, a practice that many scholars would later term genocide.
Real Estate And Social Media
Essay Example: Commercial real estate is typically seen as a steadfast industry, rooted in concrete and steel, resistant to quick shifts. However, the reality of today's property market is far from this static image. A new approach, which I'll call "loopt" commercial real estate, is gaining

A Step-by-step Guide to Describing a Picture in English

This article covers the following areas –

1. What is this picture about?

2. What is the setting of the picture?

3. What are the positions of the characters or the objects in the picture?

4. What are the characters doing in the picture?

#1 Use “Might” and “Could” When You’re Not Sure

#2 Use Words That Show How Sure You Are

#3 Stick to What You See

#4 Connect It to Your Life

#5 Compare to Something Familiar

#6 Point Out the Differences

#7 Guess the Story

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How to Describe a Picture in English

Introducing The Main Picture

The Main Subject

If the Subject is a Person or People

But It Could Be A Picture Of An Object

But What If The Picture Is Of An Animal?

Talking About The Background

How To Talk About The Details

How To Describe A Picture with More Complex Details

What Is This A Picture Of?

What Is The Main Subject Of The Picture?

What Is In The Background?

What Is In The Foreground?

How To Describe Things You Don’t Know The Name Of

Talk About Your Impressions And Thoughts Of The Picture

The Beach Picture

The Red House Picture

The Dog Picture

The Kitchen Picture

Describe The Picture By Telling A Story

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Choosing words carefully

Describe the picture with all five senses in mind

Show, don’t tell

The picture in contextual terms

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How to Describe an Image | Picture Description in English

How to describe an Image / Photo, Main Points

Useful Phrases for describing the positions of objects in a picture…

Picture Description Example 2

Image Description Example 3

Image Description Example 4

Picture Description Example 5