Considering photographs never taken during photo-production projects

Abstract

The visual medium is central to how most of us navigate daily life and come to know and interact with our social worlds. Recently, the role of visual dimensions of everyday life has surfaced in qualitative research in psychology. This paper explores some of the underlying processes foundational to participants' efforts to picture their worlds during photo-production projects. We draw on excerpts from a study of images of homelessness in London to exemplify various methodological issues surrounding the interpretation of photo-production materials. Emphasis is placed on the need to focus on photo-production because photographs taken never fully contain what is important to participants. Issues and events are often talked into the frame of photographs by participants. This process of presenting aspects of one's life extends to discussions of photographs not taken and reflections on processes of picturing everyday life. We argue that a consideration of photographs not taken is important if we are to maximise the utility of photo-production as a method and fully understand what it provides.