Working with photographs

There are quite a lot of things you need to watch out for when using photographs as sources. Just like documents they must be treated with caution. Seeing is not necessarily believing!

Use the resources below to help develop your skills when using photographs as sources. Don’t miss our video tutorial as well.

Key Stages

This resource is suitable for students in Key Stages 3-5.

Connections to Curriculum

Working with historical primary sources

Useful links

A woman in a dress painting on a canvas outdoors.

Miss Dee Kwawukume Achimote School Art Club Gold Coast, 1957 (INF 10/121 (58))

Using and interpreting photographic sources

Tips and questions for working with photographs.

What can a photograph tell us?

Explore this early photograph to see what it reveals. Use our video tutorial to help.

How captions change meanings

A photograph is only as good as its caption!

Faking reality: the South African War

How can we tell if a photograph is staged?