Step 2 Take Photographs: Adopting an Intentional Approach
By: Jen Fricas??
Step Two of the Photovoice Path focuses on taking photos, a task that is more easily imagined and discussed than executed. With a cell phone in every pocket, taking photos is ubiquitous. We often take dozens of photos a day without really putting much thought into what we’re doing and why. In photovoice, however, we want co-researchers to be intentional about the photos they take and the stories they will tell using those photos.??
Planning for intentionality?
Supporting intentional photovoice co-researchers requires intentionality in planning on the part of the facilitator. Three issues that arise in this step along the path are (1) choosing the type of camera (2) supporting co-researchers during their picture-taking period (including answering their questions about how to “do it right”), and (3) getting creative in photographing complex situations or abstract feelings and concepts.??
During the COVID pandemic and concurrent grassroots racial justice protests in the U.S., I worked remotely with a group of nursing students on a photovoice project titled, Pandemic, Protests, and Perseverance: Learning from the Experiences of BIPOC Nursing Students through Participatory Photography. We began with an online training session to learn about photovoice and plan the data gathering phases, or photo “outshoots.” For this project, I provided the students with simple point-and-shoot digital cameras to use. Many projects now have co-researchers use their cell phone’s camera features. This may be practical and necessary on several levels. However, intentionally is not usually built into photography via cell phone, so it’s important to have discussions with co-researchers about how they will think through their photography and storytelling goals and use the cell phone to those ends. I find when co-researchers use a free-standing camera, they are more cognizant of the process of photography and the decisions involved, activating their reflective and artistic tendencies. One of my student co-researchers was a photography enthusiast and asked permission to use her digital SLR camera for the project; I encouraged her to do so.??
Addressing co-researchers' photo-taking concerns?
Another common issue leading up to the photo-taking period of a photovoice project involves answering questions co-researchers inevitably have about “the right way” to do the outshoot. Many project participants have asked me:?
“How many photos should I take?”?
“Are 30 photos too many?” or “What if I only take 5 photos?”??
“What if I make a mistake or hate the photo I took? Can I delete it?”??
In every project I’ve worked with, co-researchers have these worries. To me, this indicates they are taking the work seriously and want to contribute their best effort. When centering intentionality, it’s important to think about the overall purpose of participatory photography, the role of the photovoice facilitator, and the issues under investigation for the project before jumping in with answers. In the case of the Pandemic, Protests, and Perseverance project, the nursing students’ questions were coming from a concern to balance their hectic schedules with the tasks of photovoice participation and from a desire to treat the serious subject matter as carefully as possible within the given time constraints.??
Typically, I encourage co-researchers to allow for abundance and nonjudgment in their photo-taking processes. The quality of the photos and the intentionality with which they are taken are more important than the quantity. In past projects, I’ve had co-researchers take 300 photos while others have taken 15. Regardless of quantity, I heard stories about why each photo was important to its maker, and I worked with them to choose the photos they thought best represented their responses to the issues under investigation, to share with the larger group. Facilitators must be dedicated to reviewing all photos with each co-researcher if you’ve made a commitment to do so. So, prepare your timeline accordingly! If a photographer has taken a plethora of photos, think about the questions you’ll pose for their consideration to help them narrow down which ones they want to bring forward to the titling, captioning, group discussion, and dissemination phases of the project.?
I also discourage any deleting of photos taken during outshoots. Instead, I suggest to co-researchers that if they don’t like the way a photo turned out, just leave it and take another. These less-than-ideal photos can easily be skipped during review and, using this approach, we will not have introduced an element of self-judgment or self-censorship into a process for which our goal is creativity and expansiveness.??
Capturing complex and abstract sentiments?
A final issue which deserves attention is helping co-researchers navigate situations in which they want to capture a photo to convey a complex or abstract sentiment. In the photovoice training at the start of each project, I include hands-on exercises like photo pile sorting and practice photo-taking to capture an emotional state, to help participants anticipate ways in which they can use the camera to communicate non-concrete states. I have found that co-researchers ask good questions when they are being intentional about what they want to express. For instance, a nursing student in the Pandemic, Protests, and Perseverance project wondered how she would show her feelings regarding a neighborhood in the city that was important to her and had undergone hardship during the pandemic. How does one convey how a place used to be? How does one photograph a building or an object that is no longer there???
Again, intentionality can help. I encourage co-researchers to think through why they want the challenging subject to be included in their photo. Are they hoping to convey a feeling? An important part of history? Are they trying to represent evolution or change? Reflecting on these questions can help the photographer choose their composition and framing. I also remind co-researchers that part of the beauty of photovoice is that the photograph is packaged with its title and caption, written by its creator. Leveraging all three components of the photovoice creative process—image, title, and caption—can help the photographer more accurately convey their intentions in situations where what is being expressed is saturated with complexity or nuance. After all, we choose photovoice for its ability to combine photos, text, and dynamic discussion among co-researchers, to unpack and elevate issues that are hard to address neatly through other methods.??
Lessons Learned?
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1) Be intentional. At each step and sub-step along the path, stop to reflect: What is needed here? Will this action produce the intended consequences? What unintended consequences might result???
2) Balance direction with facilitation. Co-researchers will have questions and want guidance. What is your personal approach to handling these situations? You’ll need to consider how to balance advice with autonomy. How can you be helpful and authentic? How can you best respond without limiting co-researcher creativity and agency??
3) Consider how to convey the abstract and emotional. These situations are opportunities to flex the creative muscles of photovoice and for the facilitator to model intentionality for the co-researcher: What would you like to convey? What sentiment underlies that desire? How can we use our photos, our words, and our interactions to fill in the full picture of complexity for those who will view our work in the future?
About the Author?
Jennifer?Fricas?is an Assistant Professor at Seattle University (SU), where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in population and global health. Jennifer’s areas of expertise include critical public and global health, education and development, health and human rights, and community-based well-being. She has experience in numerous qualitative and practice-oriented scholarship methods including photovoice, community-based participatory research, program development and evaluation, and ethnographic methods. She has developed and conducted numerous photovoice trainings for faculty and graduate students, both at SU and in collaboration with partners in Ecuador and South Korea. She lives in Seattle with her partner and their chiweenie, Luna.?
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