La foto está por encima del escritorio.

Spanish normally uses estar for the location of people and things.

• La foto está... = the photo is located...
• Es is generally used for identity, classification, origin, time, and permanent characteristics.

So for physical position, estar is the normal choice:

• El libro está en la mesa.
• La foto está por encima del escritorio.

Por encima de means above / over / higher than.

It often suggests that something is at a higher level, without necessarily touching.

• por encima del escritorio = above the desk

By contrast, encima de often means on top of or over, and it can more strongly suggest direct position over something, sometimes even contact depending on context.

Compare:

• La foto está por encima del escritorio. = The photo is above the desk.
• La foto está encima del escritorio. = The photo is on top of / over the desk.

In many everyday situations, Spanish speakers may choose different expressions depending on whether the object is touching the surface or just higher than it.

Because por encima de is a fixed expression in Spanish. You should learn it as a chunk.

• encima de = on top of / above
• por encima de = above / higher than

The por is not being used here in the simple sense of for or by. It is just part of the expression.

So it is best to remember:

• por encima de
• por debajo de

Because in Spanish, de + el normally contracts to del.

So:

• de + el escritorio → del escritorio

This is a standard rule:

• al = a + el
• del = de + el

Examples:

• Voy al supermercado.
• La lámpara está encima del escritorio.

One important exception: if el is part of a proper name, you usually do not contract it.

• de El Escorial (not del Escorial in all contexts involving the official name)

Because foto is short for fotografía, which is feminine.

So even though it ends in -o, it is still feminine:

• la foto
• una foto

This is a very common point for learners, because many Spanish nouns ending in -o are masculine, but not all of them.

Because escritorio is a masculine noun in Spanish, so it takes el in the singular.

• el escritorio
• un escritorio

Like English, noun gender usually has to be learned with the noun. Sometimes the ending helps, but it is not a perfect rule.

Spanish uses articles more often than English does.

In this sentence:

• La foto = the photo
• del escritorio = of the desk / than the desk, depending on how you think of the phrase structurally

English sometimes drops articles where Spanish keeps them, but in Spanish this sounds natural and correct.

So learners should get used to Spanish often saying:

• el libro
• la mesa
• la foto rather than leaving the article out.

Yes, but it does not always mean exactly the same thing.

sobre usually means:

• on
• on top of
• sometimes over / above, depending on context

If the photo is physically resting on the desk, sobre el escritorio can work very well.

If the photo is hanging on a wall above the desk, por encima del escritorio is more precise, because it clearly shows the photo is higher than the desk, not necessarily on it.

Yes. La fotografía is the full word, and la foto is the common shortened form.

Both are correct:

• La foto está por encima del escritorio.
• La fotografía está por encima del escritorio.

In everyday speech, foto is much more common.

The stress goes on the second syllable: es-TÁ.

The accent mark shows the stressed syllable and also distinguishes this form from esta without an accent.

• está = is
• esta = this (feminine)

Examples:

• La foto está aquí. = The photo is here.
• esta foto = this photo

So the written accent is important.

The normal, neutral word order is:

• La foto está por encima del escritorio.

That is the most natural way to say it in most contexts.

Spanish can sometimes change word order for emphasis, but in a simple descriptive sentence like this, the usual order is best:

1. subject — La foto
2. verb — está
3. location phrase — por encima del escritorio

Yes, it is grammatically correct and understandable in Spain.

That said, in everyday speech, a speaker in Spain might choose a different phrase depending on the exact situation:

• encima del escritorio if it is on top of the desk
• sobre el escritorio if it is on the desk
• colgada sobre el escritorio if it is hanging above the desk
• por encima del escritorio if the important idea is that it is higher than the desk

So the sentence is fine, but the most natural option depends on the physical arrangement.