This article describes a teacher-research project in which a class of fifth-grade English language learners demonstrated that learning about photography and using it as inspiration for their creative writing authenticated their writing task, helped them bring their outside-school worlds inside school, increased their enthusiasm for writing, and provided opportunities for creative communication. This project was created as an alternative to the school curriculum's narrow focus on personal narratives and aimed to enliven and increase students' connections to their writing. Students showed a favorable response and the teacher gained insight into students' worlds.