A picture is worth a thousand words: Photovoice
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We all know the standard data collection tools in an evaluator’s methodology toolkit: surveys, interviews, focus groups, document review, and maybe even observation. But we also know there is a world of other methodologies out there like participatory and arts-based methods. Photovoice is one of those. I’ll admit, as a veteran evaluator I find myself in the rut of sticking with the tried-and-true methods, perhaps a little too much. In my career, I’ve actually only ever used Photovoice once, and it was on a collaboration project when another evaluator encouraged its use. Although it can be intimidating to try something new, Photovoice (and all those other methods) hold a valuable place in our toolkits and deserve to be used more often than they are.
What is Photovoice?
Photovoice is a qualitative method that uses participant perspective to capture meaningful insights of their lived experience through photography. Usually, the photographer is guided by some prompting questions from the evaluator, and the images are accompanied by a caption or short narrative from the photographer. Together the photo and the narrative tell a story from the perspective of the participant.
Photovoice is considered an accessible data collection method, with limited literacy or language barriers. As such, it is suitable for use among marginalized populations, and with varying age groups, education levels, and abilities.
Photovoice was first developed by Wang and Burris in 1997, who sought to develop a data collection method that would empower participants, invite critical dialogue, and be accessible to change-makers. Photovoice has the potential, and arguably intention, to spur public awareness, reach policymakers, and foster accountability. It has the added benefits of providing a voice to often underrepresented populations and facilitating reflection while empowering individuals.
How to use Photovoice
If you’ve decided to use Photovoice in your evaluation, consider a few things:
How likely is it that your participants will have access to a device to take photos (e.g., phone, camera, tablet)? If this is unlikely, how can you facilitate access?
How likely is it that your participants will know how to take a photo? If this is unlikely, is there training you’ll need to incorporate?
How likely is it that documenting a lived experience may trigger a trauma response in your participants? How can you promote a trauma-informed approach?
In all cases, you’ll want to carefully consider informed consent and ethical use of data.
The informed consent should explain to participants how their photos will be used and who they will be shared with. For example, will there be a public exhibit of the photos? Will the photos be included in reporting?
All participants should have access to some sort of training around appropriate photos. For example, participants should not put themselves in dangerous situations to get a photo. There should be a frank discussion about photographing other people, as they may not have consented to the use of a photo of themselves. Often Photovoice projects will discourage photos of faces.
Once you have your logistics planned, invite your participants to learn about Photovoice. This is likely a session facilitated by the evaluator where you would explain what it is, why you’re using it, and give the opportunity for participants to ask questions. A handout or one-pager may be helpful, especially if it includes examples. Using Photovoice means you’ll need several connection points with your participants, unlike a one-time interview or focus group. Be clear about the time commitment involved.
As mentioned, usually Photovoice is accompanied by some questions. Depending on the scope of your project, you may want to limit this to less than five questions. These questions could be prompts for your photographers to consider, for example, “What has been the biggest change?” or “What is most impactful?”, or they can be more specific questions, for example, “Take a photograph that shows me a key enabler to this change” or “What has been positive about your experience in using this program or service?”
Art Walk
One of the unique aspects of Photovoice is the option to do an art walk (aka gallery walk, exhibition). Should you have the luxury of all being in the same geographic location this can be done in-person, but you can also set up a virtual art walk. In an art walk, you can showcase the photos and accompanying narratives to all participants collectively. Participants explore other points of view and come together for a discussion. This discussion should be facilitated by the evaluator, likely with some pre-determined questions, for example, “What stood out to you?”, “What did you notice about others’ perspectives?”, “What was the same/different?”, and “Did you notice any patterns or themes?”
It is critically important that an art walk is set up with a trauma-informed lens, creating an environment that is non-judgmental, inclusive, accessible, and respectful. All participants should know exactly what to expect, including whether they will be asked to speak about their photo(s).
This art walk and subsequent discussion are yet another source of information for your evaluation. The discussion, in particular, is a form of participatory data analysis (while the act of taking photos is a form of participatory data collection).
Analysis
Photos can be analyzed in the way you would other qualitative pieces. Many software programs allow you to input photographs and add codes to sections of or the whole photograph. The accompanying narrative or description should also be included in your coding. The discussion from the art walk may help you to form a deductive approach to this analysis.
A caution in the analysis of Photovoice relates to interpretation: the photos and narratives represent the lived experience of one individual and may not be representative of or generalizable to a group. The evaluator or analyst will need to exercise caution not to code the photographs or narratives using their own interpretation and biases, but to attempt to retain the voice of the photographer. Member checking may be useful here.
Reporting
In many evaluations, Photovoice would be one of many methods of a broader evaluation; the results and learnings from Photovoice would be incorporated into your reporting or knowledge translation deliverables. Of course, the photos can be used in your reporting so long as you were explicit in seeking that consent ahead of time.
Sometimes I think of Photovoice as similar to Most Significant Change methodology; the information you are getting may not be as detailed as you might get in a one-on-one interview, but you are getting the information that your participants are telling you matters the most – the biggest change, the top priority, the lived experience. Photovoice explores context, not depth.