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legendaryalpacaoverlord-blog · 7 years

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Photo Elicitation

Answer the following reading questions about the reading:

A. What is the definition of photo elicitation?

“Photo elicitation is based on the simple idea of inserting a photograph into a research interview. The difference between interviews using images and text, and interviews using words alone lies in the ways we respond to these two forms of symbolic representation. This has a physical basis: the parts of the brain that process visual information are evolutionarily older than the parts that process verbal information. Thus images evoke deeper elements of human consciousness that do words (1).”

B. When and how was photo elicitation first used as a method?

Photo elicitation was first used by Edgar Morin and Jean Rouch in their film Chronicle of a Summer. They had amateur actors watch recorded performances and then reflect on what they had seen. “The characteristics of the two methods of interviewing can be simply stated. The material obtained with photographs was precise and at times even encyclopedic; the control interviews were less structured, rambling, and freer in association. Statements in the photointerviews were in direct response to the graphic probes and different in character as the content of the pictures differed, whereas the character of the control interviews seemed to be governed by the mood of the informants (2).”

C. Identify and describe the four areas where photo elicitation has been concentrated.

“Photo elicitation studies have been concentrated in four areas, social organization/social class, community, identity and culture (3).” The social class/social organization/family category uses photos showcasing social life and is able to communicate sociological ideas to the participant. The community category uses photographs to capture neighborhoods and represents changes in the residents who live there, such as gentrification where homes are fixed up and wealthier residents move in, which forces low income folks to move elsewhere. Identity is represented in photo elicitation through what is seen, raising the question of what parts of identity are not visible (6). Cultural studies are done by interpreting signs, but with photo elicitation interpretations are grounded through the explanations of the individuals that identify with that culture.

D. How does Harper discuss the notions of “brake the frame” and “building a bridge”.

Harper discusses ‘braking the frame’ as taking pictures from different angles that what is considered the normal gaze. Doing so can make the difference of your collaborator having a lot to say or very little. “It leads the individual to a new view of their existence (9)”. ‘Building a bridge’ is when photographs done by individuals work similarly to the famous ink blot test. People living in the same town can view a photograph of their city from the point of view of someone from a different ethnic background, thus expanding their view of the city into a perspective they had never experienced before.

2. Answer the following interview questions yourself:

A. What do you think of the City of Baltimore?

Before moving down to Maryland, as a child I use to think Baltimore was this extravagant, magical, wonderland where everything was just bigger and louder. At least compared to the little town of Randolph I grew up in back in Massachusetts. The Wal-marts were bigger. The playgrounds. The houses! It really did something to my eight-year-old mind. But now that I’m 22, that image of Baltimore has gone to the wayside. Especially while attending Towson University. Many times I have gotten lost and ended up driving through East Baltimore. The first time this happened, it was like a wake-call. I felt like I was finally seeing the real Baltimore. Now I see the problems with the city that are constantly ignored. Baltimore is a city full of history, culture, flavor, and diversity, but it is also a city in desperate need of a change.

B. What do you think people outside of the city think about Baltimore? Regionally? Nationally?

Nationally, people probably think Baltimore is overrun with crime and violence, especially after the death of Freddie Gray. Before the spike in violence, most might have believed that Baltimore was an okay tourist destination. People in Baltimore county may view Baltimore more negativity because they are already aware of the poorer neighborhoods and street violence.

C. What do you think are the biggest problems facing Baltimore?

There are not enough jobs or recreational centers for Baltimore city youths. Putting them in prisons keeps them stuck in a cycle where they will not be able to find decent jobs in the future or even end up in jail again.

D. What are the reasons Baltimore faces various problems like these?

There is no funding for programs supporting Baltimore youths. More money is put into making larger prisons and garbage incinerators than in schools.

10 images I picked:

Pg. 8 the picture of the young boy holding the ‘end racism now’ sign—it shows how deeply rooted racism is in the U.S. to the point that even children are affected by it

Pg. 18 the young man standing in front of mural of a black man—expresses how proud he feels to identify as a black man

Pg. 33 the photo of the sky makes me think of the saying ‘reach for the stars’, a power image that reminds me my dreams are boundless

pg.37 the picture of the girl doing the needle pose—reminds me of my passion for gymnastics when I was younger

pg. 39 the boy carrying both the basketball and the textbook—I see it as a representation of all the different roles we possess as individuals

pg. 45 photo of girl with her hand pressed against a window—represents wanting to be seen, but feeling trapped

pg.46 the little girl on the right—she reminds me so much of my youngest sister, shy with a goofy streak, but full of so much kindness

pg. 51 the young man appears to be putting out a front, acting unfazed that there’s a camera in front of him, but he’s uncertain. Uncertain about his life and what’s gotten him to this point

pg. 66 the photo with the students writing shows how hard they work in school and that they care about their grades and where they go in life

pg. 67 the photo with the two children holding the camera represents the enjoyment that comes with learning something new

Collaborator’s responses:

A. What do you think of the City of Baltimore?

“That grimey place.” Was the first thing my mom said when I asked her the question. Then she went further into detail. “Very diverse. Full of culture. There’s a lot of history. Some good and some bad. It can be a good place to have a family. Good job opportunities. “

B. What do you think people outside of the city think about Baltimore? Regionally? Nationally?

“Right now I think they might feel like Baltimore—there’s a lot of issues with Baltimore that need to be addressed. The minority community feels underprivileged. Some don’t even know about that. They only see the Inner Harbor. They don’t understand the struggles of the minorities. Where they come from.”

Then I asked her what she thought people nationally or regionally thought about Baltimore. “More curious about Baltimore culture and history. They think that Baltimore maybe a wonderful place to live.”

C. What do you think are the biggest problems facing Baltimore?

“The crime rate and the lack of resources and jobs for residents of Baltimore. Money generated by the city isn’t going to the people of the inner city. It needs to be applied to the local community.”

D. What are the reasons Baltimore faces various problems like these?

“There’s a lack of funding. Ignorance to the needs of others. Lack of resources. Public schooling needs to be better funded. Jobs, of course, for local communities.” The after a moment of talking off topic my mom suddenly exclaimed, “Racism! It’s so hard being black. You deal with racism so often, see it so often, that it becomes part of your daily life. You live with it because it’s the status quo.”

After the interview she said, “Maybe I should go back and change what I said in the beginning?”

10 images my collaborator picked:

Pg. 2 the photo with the young man holding up the ‘Bmore United’ sign—“shows how the people have come together for the cause”

Pg. 5 The photo with the young Asian man was “a good representation for how multicultural Baltimore is”; the photo with the two women in purple “shows how the whole community comes together as a whole”; and the photo with the family “represents all the families that have made Baltimore their home”

Pg. 8 The photo of the young boy “shows how even kids feel racism towards themselves even at such a young age”

Pg. 36 and pg. 37 “All the girls on these pages have a sense of pride; they are representations of girl power by holding their heads up and letting us know that they are somebodies”

Pg. 60 the photo of the young man—“he’s looking out, but no one can look in; he’s deep in thought wanting to get out of this struggle”

Using the book This is Baltimore definitely added another layer of depth to the conversation between my mom and I. She did not identify with many of the pictures I selected for the 20 to focus on, but pulled similar contexts from the photos she did pick. Running themes were pride, family, and a feeling of wanting to break free. After going through the book, my mom had said she wanted to take back what she had said earlier about Baltimore being a good place to raise families and visit. I was actually surprised with some of her answers, as she had grown up in Baltimore city as a child. Of course, back then Baltimore was not the place it is today. She would speak highly of that time in her life, when all the kids in her neighborhood would gather at the end of the block and climb some old statue. Even though it was just her, my grandma, and aunt living in a tiny townhouse, she never felt unsafe. Whenever we drive by her old stomping ground now, she says she almost cannot believe how run down it has become. I believe we did break the frame with the elicitation the moment my mom wanted to take back everything she said earlier. I also can agree that the images acted as a bridge for communication between my collaborator and I. I was able to see how important family was to my mom, and how she wishes to see the pride expressed by the girls in the photos to shine through myself as well.

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