Visual methods, especially photo elicitation, are incredibly powerful for tapping into participants' lived experiences and perspectives. When integrated into mixed methods, they can provide rich qualitative data that complements quantitative findings or offers deeper insights into specific phenomena.

Here's a comprehensive guide to help you have participants take or select photos, covering both approaches:

1. Guiding Participants to Take or Select Photos

The core of this process is about creating a clear, ethical, and engaging framework for participants to contribute visual data that directly addresses your research questions.

A. Participant-Generated Photos (Taking New Photos)

This method provides unique, in-the-moment perspectives and allows participants to actively frame their world.

Key Considerations:

• Research Question Alignment: Every prompt and instruction must directly link back to your research questions. What are you trying to understand? How can photos help?


• Participant Skill & Access: Assume varying levels of photographic skill and access to cameras (smartphones are common, but not universal).


• Time Commitment: Be realistic about how much time participants can dedicate to taking photos.


• Safety & Privacy: Ensure participants are aware of safety (e.g., not taking photos in dangerous situations) and privacy (e.g., not photographing identifiable people without consent).

• Develop Clear Photo Prompts: This is the most crucial step. Prompts should be open enough to allow for individual interpretation but focused enough to yield relevant data.


• Open-ended: "Take photos that represent your experience with [topic]." (Good for exploratory research).


• Example: "Take 5-7 photos over the next week that show what it's like to navigate [city area] as a [specific demographic]."


• Thematic/Categorical: "Take photos that show [Concept A], [Concept B], and [Concept C] related to [topic]."


• Example: "Take photos that illustrate: 1) the challenges, 2) the joys, and 3) the future hopes associated with your small business."


• Contextual/Time-bound: "Photograph moments during [specific activity/timeframe]."


• Example: "Document your morning routine with 3-5 photos, from waking up to leaving the house."


• Specific Objects/Places: "Photograph specific elements."


• Example: "Take photos of places in your neighborhood where you feel a sense of belonging, and places where you feel excluded."


• "Photo Diary" or "Photo Voice": This involves participants documenting aspects of their lives over a period, often with accompanying text or verbal explanations.


• Example: "Over the next two weeks, take one photo each day that captures a moment that made you feel connected to your community."


• Provide Clear Instructions:


• Number of Photos: Specify a range (e.g., "aim for 5-10 photos"). Too many can be overwhelming, too few can limit data.


• Timeframe: Clearly state the deadline and duration (e.g., "over the next two weeks," "by [date]").


• Equipment: State that any camera (smartphone, digital camera) is acceptable. If providing disposable cameras, explain how to use them and return them.


• Subject Matter: Reiterate the prompts and provide examples of what could be photographed, and also what should not (e.g., no illegal activities, no identifiable faces without consent).


• Submission Method: How will they send the photos? (Email, cloud storage link, private social media group, dedicated app, USB stick, in-person upload). Ensure it's easy and secure.


• Accompanying Data (Optional but Recommended): Ask participants to provide brief captions or voice notes for each photo as they take them. This contextualizes the image for the subsequent elicitation interview.


• Example: "For each photo, please write a sentence or two explaining what it shows and why you chose it."


• Establish Ethical Guidelines & Consent:


• Informed Consent: Clearly explain how photos will be used, who will see them, and their right to withdraw.


• Anonymity/Confidentiality: Discuss if and how photos will be anonymized (e.g., blurring faces, removing identifying details if published).


• Consent for Others: Instruct participants not to photograph identifiable individuals without their explicit permission. If they do, they must obtain consent from those individuals, or the photo cannot be used. (This is a complex area; sometimes it's easier to advise against identifiable people).


• Data Storage: Explain how photos will be securely stored.


• Offer Support and Clarification:


• Provide a contact person for questions.


• Consider a brief orientation session to explain the process and prompts.


• Be flexible – life happens!

• Pilot Test: Test your prompts and instructions with a small group similar to your participants to ensure clarity and feasibility.


• Emphasize "Meaning," Not "Quality": Reassure participants that technical photographic skill is not important; the meaning they attach to the photo is what matters.


• Reminders: Send gentle reminders throughout the photo-taking period.


• Consider a Photo Journal/Diary: Provide a physical or digital template for participants to paste/upload photos and write reflections.

B. Participant-Selected Photos (Curating/Finding Existing Photos)

This method allows participants to draw on existing visual resources, including personal archives, historical images, or publicly available media (e.g., from the internet).

Key Considerations:

• Source of Photos: Clearly define where participants can find photos (e.g., personal albums, Google Images, specific online archives, magazines).


• Copyright & Usage: If participants are finding images online, address copyright implications, especially if you plan to publish them. For research, fair use often applies, but it's good to be clear.


• Personal vs. Public Imagery: The source of the photo often influences its meaning and the nature of the conversation.

• Develop Clear Photo Prompts: Similar to taking photos, prompts guide the selection.


• Personal Photos: "Select 3-5 photos from your personal collection (digital or physical) that represent [aspect of your life/experience]."


• Example: "Please select 3 photos from your own life that capture a moment of significant change or transition for you."


• Publicly Sourced Photos (Internet, Magazines): "Find 3-5 images from [source] that illustrate your feelings/opinions about [topic]."


• Example: "Using a search engine, find 3 images that you feel best represent the challenges faced by young people in our community today."


• Provided Images: You can also provide a curated set of images (e.g., historical photos, images from the news, abstract images) and ask participants to select those that resonate with them or that they find most relevant to your topic.


• Example: "From the set of 10 images I've provided, please select the 3 that you feel best describe your hopes for the future of our city."


• Provide Clear Instructions:


• Number of Photos: Specify a range.


• Timeframe & Deadline:


• Source Specification: Clearly state where they should look for photos. If using internet searches, give guidance on keywords if necessary.


• Submission Method: How will they share these selected photos? (Email attachments, printouts, USB drive, specific online platform).


• Accompanying Data (Highly Recommended): Ask them to explain why they chose each photo. This is crucial for understanding their selection logic.


• Example: "For each image you select, please write 2-3 sentences explaining why you chose it and what it means to you in relation to our topic."


• Establish Ethical Guidelines & Consent:


• Informed Consent: As above.


• Anonymity/Confidentiality: Discuss how selected photos will be handled. If personal photos, ensure participants are comfortable sharing them.


• Copyright (for public images): Explain that for research purposes, images can often be discussed, but if you intend to publish them, specific permissions might be needed. Advise participants to avoid images with strong watermarks or explicit copyright notices if possible, or discuss how you will handle attribution.


• Data Storage: Explain secure storage.


• Offer Support and Clarification: As above.

• Be Specific About Sources: "Internet images" can be too broad. "Images from major news outlets" or "stock photos depicting daily life" might be more focused.


• Balance Openness and Focus: If too open, participants might struggle. If too narrow, you might miss unexpected insights.


• Focus on the "Why": The strength of photo elicitation lies in the participant's interpretation, not just the image itself. Constantly prompt them to explain their choices.

What Comes Next (Briefly Touching on Elicitation)

Once you have the photos, the next critical step is the photo elicitation interview. This is where participants explain their photos, their choices, and the meanings embedded within them.

• Interview Protocol: Develop a semi-structured interview guide that uses the photos as a starting point for discussion.


• Open-ended Questions:


• "Tell me about this photo."


• "Why did you choose this particular image/take this photo?"


• "What does this photo represent to you?"


• "What emotions or thoughts does this photo evoke?"


• "How does this photo relate to your experience with [research topic]?"


• "What's happening beyond the frame of this picture?"


• "If someone else looked at this photo, what might they misunderstand about it?"