“Normally I Try and Capture a Moment, and With This I Had to Create a Moment”: Implications of Anonymous Photography Protocols in Photovoice Research with People Who Inject Drugs

Abstract

Photovoice collaborations are designed to promote critical consciousness and advocate for change. People who inject drugs (PWID) are systematically silenced from advocacy for fear of being “outed.” Photovoice protocols that prohibit identifying photography provide a safer alternative; however, it is not known how these protections affect participant experience. This study examined how human subjects’ protections affect PWID experience in a Photovoice research project. A purposeful sample of PWID ( N = 25) was recruited from a Photovoice study and engaged in semi-structured interviews. Interview transcripts were coded and analyzed for key themes. The majority of participants understood the protections while also explaining the difficulty in achieving their vision. Creativity played a significant role in overcoming the restrictions. A vocal minority voiced strong objections to the restrictive protocol. Allowing only anonymous photography posed certain challenges, but PWID valued the inherent privacy. Creative approaches may aid in overcoming restraints and achieving a balance.

“The Slums Have To Be Shown”: Documenting Drug Injection in Public Spaces Ahead of the Opening of a Drug Consumption Room in Marseille

“…The Photovoice method has been widely used in public health work to give groups at risk of HIV exposure the possibility to voice their opinions, especially PWID who suffer from different forms of stigmatization (D’Angelo & Her, 2019; Drainoni et al, 2019; Carlberg-Racich, 2021; Fradet, 2012; Kabore et al, 2019; Salerno Valdez et al, 2019). Photovoice is primarily used to help people express their opinions (Bellot & Imbleau, 2012; Drainoni et al, 2019; Padilla et al, 2019; Sun et al, 2019), to improve prevention and health promotion tools (Helm, 2015; Teti et al, 2015), to increase adherence to treatment—in particular by creating less stigmatizing image-based prevention tools (posters, flyers, etc.)…”

Navigating the Ethical and Methodological Dimensions of a Farm Safety Photovoice Project

“…Previous photovoice literature has addressed social risks of participants taking pictures connected to illegal or socially unacceptable activities such as drug use or prostitution, including by vulnerable groups (Capous-Desyllas and Forro 2014 ; Carlberg-Racich 2021 ). One of the key principles of photovoice is to protect participants and their community’s safety and social standing by avoiding taking and sharing of incriminating pictures of the participants, those they include in their pictures, and their broader communities.…”

Towards an Anticolonial Photovoice: A Research Practice Guide to Theoretical and Methodological Considerations

“…Such decontextualizing turns people and places into "usable examples or illustrations of generalizing theoretical categories" in which they can be interchanged and stand in for other constructs in the mind of the reader (Nespor, 2000, p. 550). Nevertheless, a collaborative, relational discussion with co-researchers is critical to acknowledge and plan for possible unintentional effects of naming photographers, such as reinforcing stereotypes during exhibition/ dissemination, reifying fleeting circumstances or moments, or when photos are distributed widely online and cannot be controlled or recontextualized after release (Carlberg-Racich, 2021;Teti & Myroniuk, 2022). In keeping with an anticolonial framework, questioning pseudonyms should not be done to circumvent difficult discussions and decisions about study safety, privacy, and co-researcher autonomy (Carlberg-Racich, 2021).…”