Which Came First, The Article Or The Image

by Marie Vonow (follow)

Inspiration (66)      Writing (64)      Mindfulness (61)      Images (3)      Articles (2)     

I like to use my own images for the articles I write. It is a way to combine my love of writing with my love of taking photos. It also means no one else will have the same image. Sometimes it is difficult to find a suitable photo or series of images for an article and I can end up taking more time to find images than writing the article itself.

There are occasions when I take a photo which then inspires me to write an article to go with it. It could be an image of street art, a quote or a scene which revs up my creativity. Last night I looked through photos taken recently. When I saw a pic of a wooden wagon in front of an old stone building (see the main image) I decided I had to use it in an article because I liked it so much and wanted to share the image with others.

Recently I spent a day in the lovely Adelaide Hills. I took lots of photos of the glorious autumn leaves which would be great for an article about the changing of the seasons or why I love autumn.


I snapped photos of the sign for the Fairy Garden, a business that sells all sorts of whimsical items. Perhaps I could write about the magic in life or why it is nice to indulge in fantasy from time to time.


A photo I took of a path flanked by trees with their leaves changing colours would be a lovely image for an article on the health benefits of Nature or walking. Perhaps it could inspire a piece on pursuing your passion, following your path.


There was a quote on a wall of a shop next to a café. This could lead to an article on standing up for what you believe in. Alternatively it could be an illustration for a more general article on quotes or the development of street art.


For writers who suffer the dreaded writer’s block, reversing the order of doing things may sometimes help. Instead of gazing at a blank screen or sheet of paper hoping for inspiration, look through photos until one attracts your attention. Now write an article about the image.

Pictures can act as a springboard for writing a poem or short story. I have used photos as the starting point for writing poetry. Recently I discovered the name ekphrastic describes poetry inspired by looking at a picture.

Looking at a photo of an old house can lead to a short story or poem

A shot of a person in a magazine can make you ask about her/his

Looking around for things to take photos of makes me take a lot more notice of my environment. I find myself being more interested in all sorts of things when I am on the lookout for shots which may be useful illustrations for articles. This acts to stimulate my curiosity and imagination. As a result I am more mindful of various aspects of my immediate environment and am distracted from thinking about anything that may be a worry at the time.


# Articles
# Images
# Inspiration
# Mindfulness
# Writing

I like this Article - 3

ID: 43164