Reflection on Making Photographs as Part of a Research Project: Photo-Documentation, Photo-Elicitation and Photo-Essays by Gillian Rose

Gillian Rose writes about three different methods to research the digital. The first method that can be used is photo-documentation. According to Rose, this method ‘assumes photographs are accurate records of what was in front of the camera’ (2007: 301) and then these photos are put in systematic order ‘to provide data which the researcher then analyses’ (2007: 301). This method is especially useful for documenting how subject matters alter over time, and this then opens up the opportunity to analyse why these changes have occurred.

The second method is photo-elicitation. In this, the researcher or participant takes a series of photographs, and then the participant is interviewed with the photos as a focus. In the reading Rose quotes Hodgetts et al (2007: 266-7) who claims that ‘photographs provide a vehicle for invoking and considering situations, event and issues.’ One photo will mean something different to an observer than the photographer. This is a base understanding but by providing context and the set of circumstances in which the photograph was taken, a deeper understanding is invoked and the photos meaning changes. An interview will allow the researcher to understand this alteration, the significance of context and the power of photos. This is a brilliant way to research the visual, because while it can take time to conduct, the combined use of the visual and interview techniques allows for detailed and important research to be collected.

The final method is more of a presentation; Photo-essays. The layout of this method can vary. Sometimes the presentation is heavily photo based, with new captions to explain the significance of the photos, or sometimes it works hand in hand with text. Neither one is more important than the other. Most researchers won’t include photos in their texts, because of the ease of typing, but Becker (2002) says that what he writes could be an ‘abstract tale’ that the reader ends up believing even though all you may ‘have is the argument and some scraps and can only wonder if there really is anyone like that there’ (2007: 323). His point was that words do not have the same level of proof photos can bring. Nowadays you can edit photos into anything, but they still bring a level of credibility that cannot always be granted to written/spoken words, which makes photo essays very unique.

Bibliography:

Rose, G. (2007). "Making photographs as part of a research project: Photo-elicitation, photo-documentation and other uses of photos." Visual Methodologies. London [2007] Sage Publ. 237-256.