Photovoice
A research methodology combining photos and narratives
Getting Started in Photovoice
Learn Photovoice: Introduction to photovoice & project overview
Get Oriented:
Watch video (4:41 min; video script)
Read: Wang C, Burris M. (1997). Photovoice: Concept, methodology, and use for participatory needs assessment. Health Educ Behav, 24:369.
Learning Objectives:
Describe how photovoice can be used with communities
Identify components of the photovoice approach
Describe how research ethics are applied in photovoice
Compose a written narrative using the SHOWED framework to describe a photograph
Share photovoice photos and narratives with defined audience
Fast look at the goals
Photovoice developers, Drs. Caroline Wang and Mary Ann Burris [cite 1997 paper], describe three main goals:
“It enables people to record and reflect their community’s strengths and concerns”
“It promotes critical dialogue and knowledge around important community issues through large and small group discussion of photographs”
And finally “To reach policy makers”
Fast look at the approach
Introduction to Photovoice
Photovoice ethics
Photography training – how to take great pictures
SHOWED narratives – how to document, process, and interpret what your pictures represent
Coding the data (an optional research training activity)
Presenting the results
Applied Photovoice Examples
Youth & Tobacco
A project focused on youth in Baltimore, looking at community and societal factors surrounding smoking. They also focused on training the youth in this program to act as agents of change in regard to tobacco use in their community and related health issues.
Petteway, R. J., Sheikhattari, P., & Wagner, F. (2019). Toward an Intergenerational Model for Tobacco-Focused CBPR: Integrating Youth Perspectives via photovoice. Health Promotion Practice, 20(1), 67. https://dx.doi.org/10.1177%2F1524839918759526 Access manuscript and PDF
More on place-based photovoice: https://www.rjpetteway.com/research/the-peoples-social-epi-project
Physical Activity
A project developed and undertaken in rural Eastern Oregon to investigate the perceived barriers and facilitating factors of 6 high school students, to physical activity and healthy eating, in their respective communities.
Findholt, N. E., Michael, Y. L., Davis, M. M., & Brogoitti, V. W. (2010). Environmental influences on children’s physical activity and diets in rural Oregon: Results of a youth photovoice project. Online journal of rural nursing and health care: the official journal of the Rural Nurse Organization, 10(2), 11. https://doi.org/10.4278%2Fajhp.100622-QUAL-210 Access manuscript and PDF
Indigenous Health
Read about the work done for the Empowering the Spirit project, a project about health and well-being from the point of view of Indigenous students in Alberta, Canada
Read the Kainai photovoice report and watch the video.
Healthy Eating
A project looking at factors impacting healthy eating in women living in rural coastal communities in Oregon. Women were empowered to document the barriers and facilitating factors to healthy diets for their families, as well as critique the individual, interpersonal, community and societal level factors associated with them.
Other project examples
Brickle, M. B., & Evans-Agnew, R. (2017). Photovoice and Youth Empowerment in Environmental Justice Research: A Pilot Study Examining Woodsmoke Pollution in a Pacific Northwest Community. Journal of Community Health Nursing, 34(2), 89–101. https://doi.org/10.1080/07370016.2017.1304148
Hannay, J., Dudley, R., Milan, S., & Leibovitz, P. K. (2013). Combining photovoice and focus groups: Engaging Latina teens in community assessment. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 44(3), S215-S224.
Go to https://scholar.google.com/ In the search criteria, enter 'photovoice and <a topic of your interest>' Which citations look of interest? If the article isn't open access (freely available), keep track of the digital object identifier (doi) and research librarians can help you find it.
Photovoice Presentations
Through the Eyes of Our Survivors
Through the Eyes of Our Survivors: a short documentary on a photovoice project by the Valley Children's Hospital in CA looking at experiences of childhood cancer, told through the eyes of survivors (4 minutes)
Health in my Hometown
Health in My Hometown: a youth photovoice project taking place across 13 counties in Minnesota asking "What is health and what does it mean to me?" (10 minutes)
Manisha's Photovoice
Manisha's photovoice: a short documentary on how one child in Kolkata India used photography to educate the community about hygiene in an effort to reduce stop diarrheal diseases (4 minutes)
Manuals for conducting a Photovoice project
Apaza, V., DeSantis, P., DeLeon, A. Keelin, J., Ovits, A., Schuldt, S., Spillane, M. (Editor: W. Kernan). Facilitator’s Toolkit: Photovoice Project (no date). United for Prevention in Passaic County. New Jersey Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services. Accessed 7/15/20 https://www.wpunj.edu/uppc/projects/photovoice/UPinPC+Photovoice+Facilitator+Toolkit+Final.pdf?language_id=1 https://www.wpunj.edu/uppc/photovoice.html
Palibroda B, Krieg B, Murdock L, Havelock J. A practical guide to photovoice: Sharing pictures, telling stories and changing communities. Winnipeg, MB: Prairie Women’s Health Centre of Excellence; 2009. (Note: contains many powerful examples, some of which reference violence). http://www.pwhce.ca/photovoice/pdf/Photovoice_Manual.pdf
Learn Photovoice
Learn photovoice
We developed an entire site dedicated to help you learn the photovoice methodology! Want to go deeper, go there!
Photovoice in Steps
Learn Photovoice: Assent to research (optional)
Actions:
Watch video (3:31 min; video script)
We have used photovoice to document meaningful research training experiences. Potential participants are given assent paperwork about the study.
Learning objectives during assent process:
Understand the goals of the research project
Understand the risks and benefits of participating in the research project
Know where information about the research project can be obtained
Understand that participation in the research project is optional
Module 2: Research & photography ethics
Actions:
Watch video
Read about Informed Consent on the Photography Ethics Center Website
Read the Code of Ethics presented by Photographers Without Borders
Read the Belmont Report Overview and other selected ethics readings HERE
Learning Objectives:
Familiarize yourself with and be able to explain and apply ethics of photography with respect to people, subject matter, context, and image ownership
Understand and be able to explain research principles such as informed consent, privacy, beneficence, and protection
Understand and be able to explain the guiding principles behind the Belmont Report: respect for persons, justice
Module 3: Photography technical skills
Learning Objectives:
Familiarize yourself with your camera and its capabilities
Understand and be able to apply best practices for subject selection, framing, lighting, editing, and sharing of images
Photovoice_SHOWED_inspired.docxSHOWED Worksheet
Logistics. Download, copy/paste text into a new document, use notes on your phone, or use a pen and paper. (At this point, what you're writing is more important then where you're writing it.)
Reflect. Use your photo to respond to each prompt. Ultimately, you're trying to convey why you took the picture and what it means to you. We aren't sharing photos at this point.
Data Management. In research, keeping good records is a critical skill. As part of your research training, think about how photos can be linked with narratives. Also, think about how those records might be digitally stored so they can be easily found in the future. For example, a great scientific practice that researchers use involves file naming. A few examples are provided.
Sharing. We'll be sharing photos and narratives at a designated time. Photovoice has amazing gallery walks.