Not just a snapshot...

"A picture is worth 1000 words"

Define:

• Refers to the notion that a complex idea can be conveyed with just a single still image. It also aptly characterizes one of the main goals of namely making it possible to absorb large amounts of data quickly.
• A picture tells a story just as well as a large amount of descriptive text.

History:

• The expression "Use a picture. It's worth a thousand words." appears in a 1911 newspaper article quoting newspaper editor discussing journalism and publicity.
• This phrase emerged in the USA in the early part of the 20th century. Its introduction is widely attributed to Frederick R. Barnard, who published a piece commending the effectiveness of graphics in advertising with the title "One look is worth a thousand words", in Printer's Ink, December 1921. Barnard claimed the phrase's source to be oriental by adding "so said a famous Japanese philosopher, and he was right". Many things had been thought to be 'worth ten thousand words' well before pictures got in on the act; for example:
• "One timely deed is worth ten thousand words" - The Works of Mr. James Thomson, 1802.
• "That tear, good girl, is worth, ten thousand words" - The Trust: A Comedy, in Five Acts, 1808.
• "One fact well understood by observation, and well guided development, is worth a thousand times more than a thousand words" - The American Journal of Education, 1858
• It began to be used quite frequently in the US press from around the 1920s onward. The earliest example I can find is from the text of an instructional talk given by the newspaper editor Arthur Brisbane to the Syracuse Advertising Men's Club, in March 1911: "Use a picture. It's worth a thousand words." 

My thoughts: There is an endless amount of meaning behind a picture. There are too many different points of view for a photograph to be locked down with one specific meaning to be put behind it. A photographer might have every intention of sending a very specific message to an audience but the message received is going to be perceived even slightly different than their intention. Some viewers might like/love a picture and not know why, others may be educated in what to look for and understand the qualities that are there which they admire.

• Pictures illustrate:
• Stories: There could be a story behind the photograph...a history, for example a family photo would convey that moment in time for future generations. Or a story could be portrayed in a photograph of a news story with an accompanying article. "Such shots need to have something in them that grabs the attention of a viewer. They also will usually have visual and/or narrative focal points that lead the viewer into the photo. Short Stories photos are often shots that leave the viewer of the photograph wondering about what they are looking at – not because they don’t understand it but because they intrigue and leave people imagining what is going on behind the image and what other future images of the scene might look like. In a sense these single image stories are often just as powerful because of what they don’t include in the shot as to what they do include." - http://digital-photography-school.com

• Thoughts: Of the photographer who took the photo and of the viewer who brings their own preconceived ideas, and experiences to the viewing experience. Everyone who views it will experience something different based upon their experiences and what they bring. 

• Feelings: The photo could give off strong emotional vibes and create many different reactions. A photo of a sunset would most likely make the viewer feel calm and peaceful whereas a photograph of a starving child would make the viewer feel very conflicted, sad, helpless etc.