Picturing the Underserved Audience: Photovoice as Method in Applied Communication Research

Re-envisioning Emergency Food Systems Using Photovoice and Concept Mapping

“…The goal of most photo-elicitation methods is “that people are not treated as passive participants and images but as active participants in the taking of photographs and discussing the images” (Bisung et al, 2015, p. 210). In the tradition of photovoice, we used photo-elicitation to amplify and illustrate the perspectives of members of socially marginalized groups and to disrupt common assumptions about social issues by eliciting experiences and perspectives often unheard in policy and planning discussions (Alam et al, 2017; Borron, 2013). Several studies have used photo-elicitation in food studies research.…”

“…Heidelberger and Smith (2015) used participant photographs with a cohort of preteen participants to better understand the influence of the social and built environment on food consumption decisions. A number of other studies have used this method similarly to involve neighborhood residents in analysis of local food options and shopping habits (Borron, 2013; Cannuscio et al, 2010; Diez et al, 2016).…”

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“…Daily reflective narratives (reported elsewhere as it was outside of the scope of the current study) helped evaluators capture the essence of the total experience, as well as the minute details which contributed to the overall ISL impact; however, by having participants craft a visual story, they illuminated how they viewed the impactful moments from the trip. It also allowed an opportunity to add depth and richness (Borron, 2013) to the ISL evaluation process by co-constructing the story of the experience through the participants' perspectives. According to Kahn (2010), few individuals "consider the significance of the visual in teaching and learning, and how visual approaches allow is to teach what culture and global awareness really is" (p. 45).…”

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“…Photographs contain visual social semiotics, or signs, reflecting individual beliefs, values, and attitudes about a culture's political and social climates (Harrison, 2003). Photovoice has the potential to develop intercultural competence through valuable insights about lived experiences (Roberts & Edwards, 2016), generating knowledge and diversifying communication, through the portrayal of signs and meanings central to a different culture (Borron, 2013;Sinicrope et al, 2007).…”