[susan53]

I use photos a lot with adults too. At beginner's level I use them in much the same way as you've mentioned - show them a photo and get them to ask questions about who the people are, where it is etc. However at intermediate level I make it more complex. I show them a series of photos which tell the story of something which happened to me, and then ask them in groups to see if they can guess what was happening. Each group invents the story, based on what they can see in the photos, and then tells the whole class what they think (speaking practice). I then tell the real story so that they can compare it with their own ideas (listening practice).
I find the students find it really motivating because they know it's a real story and happened to me. For the next lesson I then ask them to bring in two or three photos of something which happened to them and we repeat the process.