Photovoice
Photovoice is a participatory method in which community members photograph their own lives on an agreed theme and then discuss the pictures as a group to identify shared strengths, concerns and messages for decision-makers. Caroline C. Wang and Mary Ann Burris developed it in 1992 with rural women in Yunnan Province, China, and described it in a 1997 paper in Health Education & Behavior. A project runs over several weeks: a briefing, a period of taking photographs, one or more group discussions of 60 to 120 minutes each, and a presentation of the results to the people who can act on them.
Facilitation script
- 1
Group discussion session. Welcome participants, restate the theme and remind everyone of the consent agreements for the photos shown today.
5 min - 2
Each participant silently chooses two or three of their photos to present.
10 min - 3
Presentations in turn: each person shows their photos and explains what they show and why they took them. The group listens and asks questions of understanding only.
35 min - 4
Open discussion: what do these pictures say about our community, what do they have in common, and what is missing from them.
20 min - 5
Participants write a caption or short narrative for each chosen photo. Read a few aloud.
15 min - 6
Group the photos by theme on the wall and name each theme together.
15 min - 7
Agree which photos and captions will be shown, to whom and in what form, and who prepares the presentation.
10 min
Tips
Participants decide which photos are shown, how they are captioned and who sees them; a facilitator who edits the selection has turned the project into their own.
Treat ethics as part of the method: get written consent from the photographers and from any identifiable person in a picture, and talk through the risks of photographing in unsafe places before anyone goes out.
Arrange the audience with decision-makers before the project starts, so the last step is real.
Common pitfalls
Skipping consent from people who appear in photos, which can expose them and the photographer to real harm once images are exhibited or published
Facilitators choosing the 'best' pictures or rewriting captions for effect, so the final message is no longer the participants' own
Treating the exhibition as the goal and judging photos on aesthetics, which sidelines the discussion where the understanding is built
Having no audience of decision-makers arranged, so the project ends in a display that changes nothing and participants feel used
Sending participants to photograph in risky places without a safety briefing, especially when the theme concerns crime, conflict or neglect
Variations
Compressed version: brief in the morning, a photo walk of one to two hours, and discussion and captions in the afternoon, which suits workshops and conferences but gives less depth than a multi-week project. Remote: participants upload photos to a shared, access-restricted folder and discuss them on a video call. In organisations, the same sequence can be used with employees photographing their workplace on a theme such as safety or collaboration. Where cameras are not appropriate, participants can draw or make a Collage and follow the same discussion steps.
Where it fits
When to use it
The people most affected by an issue are seldom heard by those who decide about it
Participants are more comfortable showing than explaining, for example across language or literacy barriers or with young people
A needs assessment or evaluation should be led by community members and not done about them
You have several weeks and a real route to decision-makers who will look at the results
A topic is hard to discuss in the abstract and concrete images of daily life would ground the conversation
When not to use it
Taking or showing photographs could expose participants or the people in them to harm, for example where immigration status, violence or illegal activity is involved; use confidential interviews
No decision-maker is willing to engage with the results; raising people's hopes of being heard and then delivering no audience does damage
You need representative data on how widespread a problem is; run a survey alongside or instead
You only have a single short session; a Photo Check-In or a Collage gives a visual way in without the consent and fieldwork demands
The facilitating team is not prepared to hand over control of selection and message to participants; a Focus Group is the more honest format then
Related methods
Frequently asked questions
What is Photovoice?▾
Photovoice is a participatory method in which members of a community take photographs of their own lives on an agreed theme, discuss them as a group and use the pictures and captions to bring their concerns and strengths to decision-makers. It was developed in 1992 by Caroline C. Wang and Mary Ann Burris. The method described here is not connected to the UK charity of the same name.
What are the goals of a photovoice project?▾
Wang and Burris named three aims: to let people record and reflect on their community's strengths and concerns, to build shared understanding through group discussion of the photographs, and to reach policymakers. A project that leaves out the third aim is a photography workshop, not photovoice.
How long does a photovoice project take?▾
Usually several weeks: a briefing session, days or weeks for taking photographs, one or more group discussions of 60 to 120 minutes, and a public presentation. The sources give no fixed length. A one-day version is possible but leaves little time for people to photograph their everyday surroundings.
How many participants work well?▾
The sources set no number. Groups of roughly six to sixteen are manageable, since every person needs time to present and discuss their photos. With larger numbers, hold the discussions in parallel groups and bring the themes together afterwards.
What ethical issues need attention?▾
Consent from photographers and from identifiable people in the pictures, the safety of participants while photographing, privacy of homes and children, and ownership of the images. Settle these in the briefing and in writing before any photo is taken, and let participants withdraw a photo at any point.
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Try it freeMethod descriptions on Workshop Weaver are original content written by our team, based on established facilitation practices. This method was inspired by work from Caroline C. Wang and Mary Ann Burris.