Text models for photograph description A1 learners

1. Describing photos
Text models and guidelines

2. A photo of my childhood The photo shows my brother and me next to
a country house. The boy on the left is my
brother, John. He was around 4 when the
photo was taken. He always seemed so
serious on the photographs -lol. He had curly
blond hair. He was wearing red overalls and a
white T-shirt. In the photo he was holding a
corncob. The boy on the right is me. I was 5
by then. I was wearing blue pants and a blue
polo shirt. I had short blond hair too. My
haircut looked hilarious at that time. My
father never took us to the hairdresser’s
because he cut our hair himself. In the
background, there were some banana trees.
John and I used to feed the hens and roosters
in our free time. That’s the reason why there
were many of these animals around us. It
looked as if we were having a good time.

3. A photo of me in the present time
The photo shows three people on a cliff. The
little girl on the right, Izzi, is my cousin
Jenny’s daughter. She is 6. She is a smart girl
and speaks English and Spanish fluently. She
always smiles and likes asking questions. She
has green eyes and long wavy hair. She is
wearing a yellow hoodie, and a pair of pink
pants. The girl in the middle is Rocio, my wife.
She is an industrial engineer. I’d say she is the
most charming woman I’ve ever met. She
loves wearing hoodies, jeans and tennis
shoes when going for a walk. The man on the
left is me. I’m 42. I am wearing sunglasses
and sports clothing. We are all shouting for
the ph oto. In the background, you can see a
part of a large lake in Boyacá called Lago de
Tota and beyond the lake, there is a green hill.
In the foreground, the you can see Dante’s
tail and head, Izzi’s lovely dog. It looks as if
we are having a good time on the cliffs
despite the coldness and wind in the area. It
was an exciting trip that day.

4. Follow these guidelines
• Start by giving general information. E.g. number of people in the
photo and place.
• Next, give details about the people (name, age, relevant personality
and physical traits, clothes, etc.) also give details about the place and
environment.
• Finish your description with a comment or speculation.
• Use as many verb forms in present or past as possible.