Using Photography to Inspire Writing 10

By Hank Kellner

Most photographs of people show their subjects facing the camera. But others capture their subjects from the opposite point of view. When that happens, the thoughts that come to mind can initiate many different kinds of written compositions.

In these two photographs, for example, students can easily perceive several similarities. Both photos show figures looking into what appears to be a darkened store. Both reveal signs that proclaim that the stores are open. Both reveal their subjects from the rear rather than from the front.

At the same time, the photos reveal several differences. In one of the photos, a man is the apparent subject. In the other photo, the subject is a girl. What’s more, the man is looking into an open window while the girl is looking through the glass on a closed door. Finally, the exteriors of the two stores into which the subjects are peering are quite different.

That said, student writers should be able to point out even more similarities and differences between the two photos before they develop papers based on comparisons and contrasts.

You Don’t Always Have to Be Directive

One of the nice things about using photographs in the classroom, however, is that teachers don’t always have to be directive when they use them to inspire writing. Many times, simply asking a few leading questions can stimulate students’ imaginations.

In this street scene why is the woman standing with her back to the man? What is she carrying in the white bag? What is she looking at? Is she waiting for someone? Is she aware of the man standing behind her?

What can you tell about the man by the expression on his face? Where is he coming from? Where is he going? Why is he standing where he is? Is he waiting for someone? What is he looking for?

These and other questions will usually help even the most hesitant writer overcome his or her reluctance to write.

Group Work

When students work in groups to share ideas and responses, they can often develop interesting and even exciting ideas. One way to accomplish this is to divide a class into groups of four or five students, distribute copies of the same photograph to each group, and then assign a different task to each group.

You could, for example, ask one group to describe the woman in terms of her physical and emotional makeup. A second group could describe her in terms of her family. A third group could offer ideas as to where the woman is coming from and where she’s going. A fourth group could brainstorm about her dreams and aspirations. A fifth group could discuss what she must have been like as a younger person or child. A sixth group could exchange ideas as to the meaning of the cryptic statement painted on the background.

When you sense that the members of the groups have exhausted their ideas, you could ask a representative of each group to report to the class as a whole before you direct the students to write either creative or expository pieces based on the information they’ve shared.

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About the Author | More by Hank Kellner
Write What You See: 99 Photos To Inspire Writing by Hank Kellner available from Amazon. Original Edition. Cottonwood Press. I-800-864-4297. Cottonwood Press is distributed by Independent Publishers Group. Includes supplementary CD with photos. 8 ½ x11, 120 pages, perfect binding, ISBN 978-1-877-673-83-2, LCCN 2008938630. Visit the author’s blog at hank-englisheducation.blogspot.com. The author will contribute a portion of the royalties earned from the sale of this book to The Wounded Warriors Project.

05/27/09