History Main / SecretSocietyGroupPicture

* Every graduating class of ComicBook/XMen takes such a picture in uniform. While the X-Men do wear uniforms, they are generally considered a secret society because the world at large has no idea who they are, where they come from, and where they go. And they are not a ''recognized'' superhero group like ComicBook/TheAvengers or the ComicBook/FantasticFour.
* ''ComicBook/LeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen'': The League that comes together at the beginning of the series doesn't do this (that we see), but their headquarters has a group portrait of an earlier League.

* In the film ''Film/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents'', there was one as well. The children find it while looking through Aunt Josephine's album.
* The initial seven agents who dealt with NBE-1 are shown in photographs on Sector 7's walls in the first ''Film/{{Transformers|2007}}'' movie.
* This becomes the huge reveal of the movie ''Film/TheVillage2004''.
* Used in ''Film/TheGhostWriter'' together with EveryoneWentToSchoolTogether to help the Ghost connect the dots.

* The film of ''Film/{{Watchmen}}'' loves this trope. During the opening credits alone we see a sepia-toned photo of the original 1940 era Minutemen, the photograph was taken at the first Silk Spectre's leaving meal, and a picture of the new generation of Watchmen standing in front of an American flag.

* ''Film/MichaelCollins'' gets hold of a picture of the Cairo Gang -- a team of plainclothes British intelligence officers targeting the IRA -- that helps to identify them for later assassination.

* ''Film/CityOfGod:'' Newspaper photographer Rocket grew up in the slums, and is able to take a picture of some young gangsters posing with their guns -- they're people that he grew up with. The gangsters are really excited when the newspaper prints the picture: NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity!
* ''Film/{{Fatherland}}''. A photograph of several high-ranking Nazi officials outside a [[UsefulNotes/TheHolocaust villa at Wannsee]] is a clue in the mystery of [[YouKnowTooMuch why these officials are suddenly dying]] in an AlternateHistoryNaziVictory Europe.

* Throughout ''Series/TheXFiles'', Mulder found one or two photos of TheSyndicate, which also featured his father, motivating his quest for the Truth. This is partly justified by the fact that the group that became the Syndicate existed as a relatively benign government agency well before it turned evil, and all their photos come from that time.

* One clue that leads Series/{{Dexter}} to the BigBad and his gang of rapists/serial-killers in season 5 is an old childhood photo showing all of them together, even though some of them denied knowing each other. Kind of justified as only someone who knew them anyway could identify everyone as children.
* In ''Series/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents2017'', there is a group picture of members of the secret society V.F.D., including the Baudelaires' parents.

* Whittleton Creek in ''VideoGame/Hitman2'' features this in a photo you can find to count towards the intel you need to find in the level, in addition to [[ProfessionalKiller the usual goal]]. This is used to discover The Ark Society, a cabal of billionaire survivalists your target attends.

* The initial seven agents who dealt with NBE-1 are shown in photographs on Sector 7's walls in the first ''Film/{{Transformers}}'' movie.

* In the animated series of ''WesternAnimation/MenInBlack'' an episode focused on the founding members of MIB. The photo is both this and an of the founding itself since it shows them meeting for the first time ''and'' experiencing FirstContact. It's used as a reference for Jay, who is on the trail of someone who is using time travel to kill the founders before they can get together.

* This becomes the huge reveal of the movie ''Film/TheVillage''.

What is the first thing you do when you get a secret organization of people together, be they heroes or villains? After all, this is supposed to be something that no one else can know about for various reasons, so you can't have matching uniforms, and secret passwords can be cliche.

* After the January 6 riot at the US Capitol, some participants were fingered for taking photos inside, but even some more careful plotters got caught because they posed for pictures outside and could be identified from distinguishing pieces of clothing and accessories.

* In the 4th season of ''Series/Macgyver2016'', this is how Russ was able to find out the name of the organization they had been fighting against, [[spoiler: Codex]]; through an old photo from the 1940's that happened to reveal information about the group, which they had previously believed to be a more modern group.

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These often crop back up at plot points, either as a method of finding the next 'clue' or a hit list by the group's enemies.

Then somehow everyone is called together for a group picture that gives away the connections between every member at a glance, from a glowering glance to a fond smile, and the professional photographer says "Cheese!" They even stick around long enough that everyone there can get a copy for their nemesis, children or investigators to find!

* ''ComicBook/LockeAndKey'': Professor Joe Ridgeway looks at a cast photo of a production of ''The Tempest'' that he directed, which includes Rendell Locke, Ellie Whedon... And Lucas "Dodge" Caravaggio, whom Ridgeway had seen earlier that day looking exactly as he did in the photograph, which was taken 20 years prior.

* ''Film/{{Fatherland}}''. A several high-ranking Nazi officials outside a [[UsefulNotes/TheHolocaust villa at Wannsee]] is a clue in the mystery of [[YouKnowTooMuch why these officials are suddenly dying]] in an AlternateHistoryNaziVictory Europe.

* ''Film/TheUntouchables'': The eponymous group of officers is celebrating at a local restaurant when Scoop, the sympathetic reporter, shows up with a camera. Ness allows him to get a picture but forbids its publication.