I crucial reference for me in thinking about my analysis was Wang, Q., & Hannes, K. (2020). Toward a More Comprehensive Type of Analysis in Photovoice Research: The Development and Illustration of Supportive Question Matrices for Research Teams.
They devised a number of question matrices to assist and give structure to the researchers analysis.
They suggest that we can view the photographic data in three different modes:
- Technical Modality (the technologies used to make, modify, communicate, and display a photo )
- Compositional modality (material qualities of a photo)
- Social modality (range of economic, political, cultural, and historical circumstances that influence how a photo is made, the ethical values and belief systems of participants, and the identities of the photo-taker, the subject, and the audience.)
Which can be used to analyse the following different sites;
- The site of Production (Pre-production (training) & Production (how the photo was taken in the field)
- The site of the photo (the actual content of the photo)
- The site of audiencing (the sharing /presenting session)
While this felt quite complex, it did offer me some structure to my analysis, which was ultimately helpful. My data comprises a series of photos that 4 participants took. View the photographic data here.
Below is my attempt to use the matrix deviced by Wang & Hannes (2020), to analyse the participants data. As I worked through this process, I felt that the compositional modality at the site of the photo (the central space in the matrix) would be most fruitful for me given my research circumstances. This will help me to tease out the ideas and values expressed by the participants in the photos they presented.
* I have used 3 participants in this analysis (A, B & C) because I do not have participant D’s photos, as she failed to upload them to the shared drive as requested after sharing them in the presentation and discussion session.
Analysis of compositional modality at the site of the photo for each participant:
Participant A:
Participant B:
Participant C: