Why has there been a rise in visual methods?
- a different way of ‘knowing’ the world
- it can overcome the rationalistic tendencies of text bases approaches, enabling new ways to explore affect
- it’s accessible - publicness
- images can be a powerful means to construct key points
Why are images an integral part of the research process??
- images can be produced by participants as data
- found images can be used as a springboard for theorising
- images and objects are useful to elicit data
- images can be used for feedback of the research process
- images are useful as a mode of interpretation and/or representation
What are the 4 types of visual methods?
- Found (e.g. Sporting calendar, magazine, YouTube)
- co-constructed visual data
- respondent generated methods
- researcher generated methods
What is the rationale for participant produced images??
- view the participants world ‘through their eyes’
- portray “real flesh and blood life”
- participants use their bodies and the space around them to show not tell
- illuminate construction of identity
What is autophotography ?
A method in which the person the self takes photographs that represent X
- researcher created auto photography
- participant created auto photography
Why are head mounted cameras useful ?
- Carry the presence of being there
- production of embodied, emotional, sensory and kinaesthetic knowledges and experiences
What is timelining ( co-constructed visual data)??
A participant and or researcher draws a temporal plot about a specific subject in order to visually represent their experiences of the subject matter as it unfolded over time. The timeline drawn is then used to draw inferences about further lives
What are some cautions to be taken (Phoenix, 2010)
Visual methods is a field concerned with ongoing debates, particularly
1) interpretation
2) representation
3) ethics
