How to describe a photo or picture
 

Kinds of pictures

picture / image / painting / photo / portrait / landscape painting / poster / cartoon / drawing / front page / comic strip
 

What is in the picture?

In the picture I can see ...

You can see …

There’s / There are ...

The photo was taken at … 

The picture depicts a … (scene).

The picture shows a scene from …

It's an image of … (place, person, scene).

The picture describes … (scene).

The picture shows … (place, person, scene) from a distance.
 

Say what is happening with the present continuous

The man is ...ing
The people are ...ing

The woman is wearing a …
It’s raining.
 

Where in the picture?

At the top/bottom of the picture ...
On the left/right of the picture ...
In the top right-hand corner …

In the bottom right-hand corner …

In the top left-hand corner …

In the bottom left-hand corner …

In the background …

In the foreground …

In the middle/centre of the picture …

To the right / left of the woman …
 

If something isn’t clear

It’s not very clear but probably …

It looks like a ...

It’s some kind of a …
It might be a ...
He could be ...ing

It seems as if …
Maybe it’s a ...

Apparently, …

Seemingly, …

The artist / photographer probably wants to show …

I think / believe / am sure that …

It seems / appears to me that …

He appears to be ... ing.

I can't make it out.
 

Impression

It looks sensational.

It's quite a bleak image.

… (person) seems to look at the viewer.

It's a truly powerful image.

The photographer has captured some typical scenes of ...

It's a very well-composed photo. There's a perfect balance between the foreground and the sky and the land.

The viewer has the impression that the people in the picture are alive.

The viewer's attention is focused on …

The expression on the man's face really makes me smile.

It's a very evocative image. You can't look at it without feeling something.

The rather meaningful expression on the woman's face seems to be saying: ...

The general impression we get is that of … (peaceful togetherness / violent uproar / an idyllic scenery)

At first glance one might think that …

… but a closer analysis shows that …

The painting is vivid / happy / expressive.

The picture makes the viewer feel … (sad/happy)

The picture inspires the viewer to think about …

The atmosphere is … (depressing/peaceful).

The photo makes me think of …

The picture appeals to me because …

The picture reminds me of …

From my point of view, …
 

COMPARING PICTURES