four note friday 1.14 | Four Exercises for Better Understanding Photovoice

Learning photovoice is not just about reading academic journal articles. We have to get involved and try things out. We must experiment. There are SO many different activities we can do to better understand the photovoice methodology, and below are just a handful for you to work through.

These four simple exercises are designed to help you experience various elements of photovoice. The embodied knowledge you'll gain from these kinds of experiences will make you a better project facilitator.

1️⃣ Practice Being a Participant

Locate a journal article about a photovoice study that includes the photography prompts used and example photographs from the study's participants. As you search, select something that is meaningful to you. Pick a topic relevant to you and one that you'd like to learn more about. Skim the article, but do not read it fully. Just make sure you are able to locate the prompts and photographs with the article.

Then, select one (or more) of the photography prompts and take some photos with your phone in response. Next, create a caption of some kind for each image. In other words, you are going to practice being a participant.

Finally, read the full article and compare and contrast your photographs and captions with those of the participants. What did you learn?

💬 Reflect. What was this like for you? What did you learn? How can you use what you learned in your photovoice work?
💡 Purpose. Builds an understanding of the participant experience.

2️⃣ Examine a Piece of Photojournalism

Search the Internet for a piece of photojournalism you find interesting or compelling. This can be a single photograph or a series of photograph. Consider reviewing a news website.

One you locate the photo(s), take a few moments to really take it in. Then, jot down a few words or phrases that describe how the photograph makes you feel.

Then, take another few moments to examine the photograph again. Jot down a few words or phrases that describe the compositional elements of the photograph that contribute to how it makes you feel. Some examples may include perspective, lighting, focus, and color.

💬 Reflect. What does this have to do with photovoice?
💡 Purpose. Helps us understand the relationship between image composition and feeling.

3️⃣ Read a Book with No Words

I love the book Robot Dreams, which is a graphic novel for children. The book has no words yet still manages to pack quite an emotional punch. I dare you to read this book and not get in your feels.

💬 Reflect. What does book this have to do with photovoice? What can we learn about photovoice from this book?
💡 Purpose. Shows how images can tell a story on their own, without the use of words.

4️⃣ Work with Case Studies

Working through case studies can help us pre-think through a situation before we find ourselves in that situation. Consider the following, all of which are inspired by actual events.

Case 1. You are meeting a group of participants for the first time to further discuss the project and provide information on the process. Upon arrival, you realize that one of the participants is blind. What do you do?

Case 2. When one of the participant’s photographs arrives in the designated Google Drive folder, the team notices that half of them are selfies. One of the photographs includes a small child. We specifically noted “no pictures of people” in our instructions sheet. What should the team do?

Case 3. A few project participants are adamant about using their actual names throughout the project and are taken aback at the prospect of generating pseudonyms for themselves. While you understand their sentiments, you have reason to believe there could be some negative outcomes associated with their identities being known. What do you do?

💬 Reflect. Which of the cases were toughest for you to think through? Why?
💡 Purpose. Gives us space to practice responses to unique situations that could come up during the work.

Through these exercises, we begin to see that understanding photovoice is not a purely intellectual pursuit but an embodied, reflective practice. By taking photographs, engaging with images, and working through real scenarios, we come to understand the deep complexities of this methodology.

I'd love to hear your thoughts and feedback on these exercises!

🥹 Thanks for spending a moment with me this Friday.
💌 If you’re new here, welcome! I hope this space becomes one you look forward to each week.

📬 Have a question you want me to answer in a future issue? Reach me at photovoicefieldnotes@gmail.com. I'd love to hear from you.

Thanks for being here.

Warmly,
Mandy
photovoice field notes
photovoicefieldnotes.com