Photographs Topic
Part 1 Questions
Short, personal questions. Answer directly, then add one extra sentence to extend your answer naturally.
1. Do you like taking photographs?
"I do, though I am not especially skilled. I mainly photograph places I visit so that I can remember them properly later."
2. Do you prefer taking photos of people or of places?
"Places, usually. I feel slightly awkward photographing people unless I know them well, whereas a landscape requires no permission at all."
3. Do you keep your photographs printed or on your phone?
"Almost entirely on my phone. I have thousands stored there, although I rarely look back at them, which seems rather a waste."
4. Did your family take many photographs when you were young?
"Quite a few, yes. My father had an old camera, and there are albums at my parents house that we still enjoy."
5. Do you like having your photograph taken?
"Not particularly. I never quite know what to do with my face, so I usually end up looking rather stiff."
6. Has photography become easier than it used to be?
"Enormously. Everyone carries a decent camera now, so people take far more photographs, though arguably with a great deal less thought."
Part 2 Cue Card
You get 1 minute to prepare, then speak for up to 2 minutes.
Describe a photograph you like
You should say:
- What the photograph shows
- Who took it and when
- Where you keep it
- And explain why you like it
Full model answer
I would like to describe a photograph that sits on a shelf in my living room. It shows my grandparents standing outside their house on the morning of their fortieth wedding anniversary.
My aunt took it quite spontaneously, on a summer morning about fifteen years ago. It was not a posed family portrait at all. They had come outside to greet everyone arriving, and she caught them mid-conversation, both laughing at something my grandfather had just said.
What I like about it is precisely that it is not perfect. My grandmother's hand is slightly blurred because she was gesturing, and the light is a little harsh. In a formal photograph they would both have been standing straight, looking directly at the camera with fixed smiles. Instead you get something far more truthful, which is the two of them exactly as they were with one another.
I keep it framed rather than on my phone, and that is deliberate. Photographs on a screen disappear among thousands of others, and I almost never scroll back through them. Having this one printed means I pass it several times a day, so I notice it far more often than I otherwise would.
It has become considerably more valuable since my grandfather passed away four years ago. It is now one of very few images of him that feel genuinely like him, rather than a version arranged for a camera.
I suppose that is what makes a photograph worth keeping. Not the technical quality, but whether it captures something that would otherwise have been forgotten entirely.
Part 3 Discussion
Deeper, more abstract questions. Give your opinion and explain your reasoning with an example.
1. Why do people take so many photographs nowadays?
Mainly because it costs nothing. When film had to be developed, people were necessarily selective. Now that a phone holds thousands of images, the decision to photograph something requires almost no thought at all.
2. Are photographs a reliable record of the past?
Only partly. People tend to photograph celebrations and holidays rather than ordinary days, so an album presents an unusually cheerful version of a life. Editing tools have complicated this further, since images are now routinely adjusted before anyone sees them.
3. Has social media changed the way people take photographs?
Considerably. Many photographs are now taken with an audience in mind rather than as a private record, which changes what people choose to capture. There is a noticeable emphasis on how a moment will appear rather than on the moment itself.
4. Should people be allowed to photograph anyone in a public place?
It is a difficult balance. Public photography matters for journalism and documentary work, yet individuals reasonably expect not to appear online without consent. I would favour keeping the freedom while strengthening the rules around publishing images commercially.
5. Will professional photographers still be needed in the future?
Yes, although the work is changing. Phones have removed much of the demand for straightforward event photography, but genuinely skilled work still requires judgement and experience that automation has not replaced.
6. Is it better to experience a moment or to photograph it?
There is a real tension there. Constantly photographing an experience can weaken how well people remember it, because their attention shifts to the device. A sensible compromise is to take one or two photographs and then put the phone away.
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