I took a picture with him.
Does this mean
a. I took a picture of him.
b. I tool a picture with him as a special feature.
c. I had a picture of me and him taken. I had a picture taken which had him and me together in it.
d. I took a picture of him and me.
e. I took a picture with his help.
It definitely could mean (e) if one needed another person’s help to take pictures.
I don’t think it means (a) and (b).
I think I have heard it used for ©.
Many Thanks.
Azz.
With no further clues or context I understand this to mean (e). Short for something like “I took a picture with him in it”, it is a poor and confusing way of saying (a) or (b).
In modern standard English it cannot mean © or (d). (I have a feeling that in old-fashioned language and/or regional speech, some people do/did use “take a picture” to mean “have a picture taken” in certain cases. One example that comes to mind is “He takes a good picture”. Whether this can extend to your example meaning © or (d) to those people I’m not sure. If you heard it from a non-native speaker then it was almost certainly a mistake.)
Dozy,
The first is OK.
The second one seems a bit confusing. Do you mean that you took a picture of him in the garden, or that you both worked together to take a picture (of something else) in the garden?
Dozy,
“I took a picture with him in the garden.” means the photo carries my picture and his picture together.
If it doesn’t mean this way, please correct it.
Thanks.
It would be clearer to say “I took a picture of myself and him in the garden.”
‘Of the two of us’ ? - assuming that you know who the speaker is referring to.
Dozy,
“I took a snap”. Otherwise OK.
In cases where it is clear who “them” refers to, “I photographed them together” would be more usual for #5.