Photovoice, a participatory research methodology by which people can “identify, represent, and enhance their community through a specific photographic technique”

Be sure to distinguish between photovoice (as described by Mabrouk Boutagouga) from the broader method of "photo elicitation" which has research participants take photos as a form of stimulus material for interviews.

I used photovoice as a complementary technique. It worked really well with adolescents and with mothers with very ill children. It was my best research experience ever. It fulfils the need of a deeper understanding (researcher) and the need of a better expression (participants).

I used some of the pictures in a visual essay:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/315714462_Photovoice_Adult_Patients_of_Hospice_Brasov_Romania_on_what_it_means_to_Live_with_Cancer

Dear Mabrouk, I have used Photovoice with an Indigenous group in Africa to study their concept of well-being. I personally think it is a great method, but needs to be used with caution - meaning, you will need to adjust it to the particular political, cultural, economical, etc. setting quite much. Read for example: Castleden, H., & Garvin, T. (2008). Modifying Photovoice for community-based participatory Indigenous research. Social science & medicine, 66(6), 1393-1405. Also, don't forget, that the main aim of Photovoice is to initiate positive social change through community action! So by using the method, the researcher commits to a much wider process/task then just data collection, or even basic giving back. It requires to build a longitudinal reciprocal relationship based on trust and mutual acceptance/appreciation. Saying that, my overall experience was rather positive, as the method allowed me a much deeper understanding (as Florentina mentioned) of local concepts, and enabled the participants to express themselves and share a story in a way which is more natural than let's say a questionnaire. To know whether the photovoice method could be applied, it is worth to probe photo elicitation (as also mentioned here before) first with the community, in order to see their relationship to photographs. Some more reading here: https://photovoice.org/what-makes-you-happy-participatory-photography-with-an-indigenous-group-in-namibia/ .

I teach photovoice to my graduate students and they all find it very useful for thinking about their research in education

Hi, Mabrouwk. I am thinking of having my students use it now that our fieldwork is hampered by our national lockdown. We were looking for participatory methods anyway, but we are now forced to consider the added complexity of not being able to get to the field. I am also keen to hear your ideas. I have found Sutton-Browne (2014) most helpful so far. I especially like tha tthe author has included examples and clear steps, with suggestions for alternatives. All the best, and do post how things went.

Sutton-Brown, C.A., 2014. Photovoice: A methodological guide. Photography and Culture, 7(2), pp.169-185.