Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Unseen potential: photovoice methods in hazard and disaster science

  • Published:
GeoJournal Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

While still a nascent field, disaster science is surprisingly methodologically stagnant, often relying solely on traditional surveys, interviews, and focus groups to gather qualitative data. Social science disciplines that have long contributed to disaster research and the practice of emergency management, however, have begun to explore the value of alternative, participatory methodologies and their potential contributions to knowledge generation. In this paper, we discuss one such participatory method, photovoice, and its potential contribution to disaster research. We explore the epistemological roots of the method, lay out the steps involved in conducting a photovoice study, and briefly review previous applications of the method. We then enumerate what we see as topics ripe for exploration using photovoice in hazard and disaster contexts. We suggest that photovoice is an innovative method for capturing understandings of hazards and disasters and for providing rich theoretical insights related to extreme events, which are intrinsically geographical and place-based. Photovoice not only offers policymakers a valuable window into the public’s understanding of issues related to extreme events, it also empowers individuals to consider their own capabilities to reduce risk in their communities and contribute to broader resilience building efforts.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abara, W., Wilson, S., Vena, J., Sanders, L., Bevington, T., Culley, J. M., et al. (2014). Engaging a chemical disaster community: Lessons from Graniteville. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 11(6), 5684–5697.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Adger, W. N. (2006). Vulnerability. Global Environmental Change, 16, 268–281.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aldrich, D. P. (2012). Building resilience: Social capital in post-disaster recovery. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Annang, L., Wilson, S., Tinago, C., Sanders, L. W., Bevington, T., Carlos, B., et al. (2016). Photovoice: Assessing the long-term impact of a disaster on a community’s quality of life. Qualitative Health Research, 26(2), 241–251.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barrows, H. H. (1923). Geography as human ecology. Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 13(1), 1–14.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bateson, G., & Mead, M. (1942). Balinese character: A photographic analysis. In W. G. Valentine (Ed.), Special Publications of the New York Academy of Sciences (Vol. 2, pp. 17–92). New York.

  • Beilin, R. (2005). Photo-elicitation and the agricultural landscape: ‘seeing’ and ‘telling’ about farming, community and place. Visual Studies, 20(1), 56–68.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berke, P. R., & Campanella, T. J. (2006). Planning for postdisaster resiliency. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 604(1), 192–207.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Binder, S. B., Baker, C. K., & Barile, J. P. (2015). Rebuild or relocate? Resilience and postdisaster decision-making after hurricane sandy. American Journal of Community Psychology, 56(1–2), 180–196.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Binder, S. B., & Greer, A. (2016). The devil is in the details: linking home buyout policy, practice, and experience after hurricane sandy. Politics and Governance, 4(4), 97–106.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boas, F. (1921). Ethnology of the Kwakiutl. In Bureau of American Ethnology (Ed.), Annual Report to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution (Vol. 35). Washington: Smithsonian Institution.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, B. B., & Perkins, D. D. (1992). Disruptions in place attachment. In I. Altman, & S. M. Low (Eds.), Place Attachment. New York: Springer.

  • Burnside, R., Miller, D. S., & Rivera, J. D. (2007). The impact of information and risk perception on the hurricane evacuation decision-making of greater New Orleans residents. Sociological Spectrum, 27(6), 727–740.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burton, C., Mitchell, J. T., & Cutter, S. L. (2011). Evaluating post-Katrina recovery in Mississippi using repeat photography. Disasters, 35(3), 488–509.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Buttimer, A. (1971). Society and milieu in the Franch geographic tradition (Monograph series of the Association of American Geographers). Chicago: Rand McNally.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cadag, J. R. D., & Gaillard, J. C. (2012). Integrating knowledge and actions in disaster risk reduction: The contribution of participatory mapping. Area, 44(1), 100–109.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cai, Y. (2015). Picturing climate givernance: Photovoice and public participation. In K. Lofts, S. Duyck, & S. Jodoin (Eds.), Public Participation and Climate Governance Working Paper Series. Montreal: Center for International Sustainable Development Law. http://cisdl.org/public/docs/CAI.pdf.

  • Carlson, L. (2005). Session 45: Emergency Management for Native Americans. In E. Enarson, C. Childers, B. H. Morrow, B. W. Thomas, & B. Wisner (Eds.), A social vulnerability approach to disasters. Emmitsburg: FEMA Emergency Management Institute, Higher Education Program.

    Google Scholar 

  • Charron, J. M. (2000). Symbolic interactionism: An introduction, an interpretation, an integration. New York: US Imports.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chingombe, W., Pedzisai, E., Manatsa, D., Mukwada, G., & Taru, P. (2015). A participatory approach in GIS data collection for flood risk management, Muzarabani district, Zimbabwe. Arabian Journal of Geosciences, 8(2), 1029–1040.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Collier, J., Jr., & Collier, M. (1986). Visual anthropology: Photography as a research method. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cosgrove, D. (2008). Geography and vision: Seeing, imagining, and representing the world. London: I.B. Tauris.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crabtree, C., & Braun, K. (2015). Photovoice: A community-based participatory approach in developing disaster reduction strategies. Progress in Community Health Partnerships: Research, Education, and Action, 9(1), 31–40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crawford, M., & Marecek, J. (1989). Feminist theory, feminist psychology: a bibliography of epistemology, critical analysis, and applications. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 13(4), 477–491.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Curtis, A., Duval-Diop, D., & Novak, J. (2010). Identifying spatial patterns of recovery and abandonment in the Post-Katrina Holy Cross neighborhood of New Orleans. Cartography and Geographic Information Science, 37(1), 45–56.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cutter, S. L. (1996). Vulnerability to environmental hazards. Progress in Human Geography, 20(4), 529–539.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Delgado, M. (2015). Urban youth and photovoice: Visual ethnography in action. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Dempsey, J. V., & Tucker, S. A. (1991) Using photo-interviewing as tool for research and evaluation. In Annual Convention of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology, (pp. 24).

  • Dewitt, B., Fischhoff, B., Davis, A., & Broomell, S. B. (2015). Environmental risk perception from visual cues: The psychophysics of tornado risk perception. Environmental Research Letters, 10(12), 124009.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Douglas, K. B. (1998). Impressions: African American first-year students’ perceptions of a predominantly White University. The Journal of Negro Education, 67(4), 416–431.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Evans, W. (2004). Many are called. New Haven: Yale University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Evans, W., & Agee, J. (1941). Let us now praise famous men. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ewald, W., & Lightfoot, A. (2001). I wanna take me a picture: Teaching photography and writing to children. Boston: Beacon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Federal Emergency Management Agency (2007). Principles of emergency management supplement.

  • Federal Emergency Management Agency (2016). National disaster recovery framework. In D. O. H. Security (Ed.), (2nd ed.). Washington: Federal Emergency Management Agency.

  • Fraser, J. C., Doyle, M. W., & Young, H. (2006). Creating effective flood mitigation policies. Eos: Transactions American Geophysical Union, 87(27), 265–270.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Freedman, D. A., Pitner, R. O., Powers, M. C. F., & Anderson, T. P. (2014). Using photovoice to develop a grounded theory of socio-environmental attributes influencing the health of community environments. The British Journal of Social Work, 44(5), 1301–1321.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Friere, P. (2000). Pedagogy of the oppressed (M. B. Ramos, Trans.) (30th anniversary ed.). New York: Continuum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gorman-Murray, A., Morris, S., Keppel, J., McKinnon, S., & Dominey-Howes, D. (2017). Problems and possibilities on the margins: LGBT experiences in the 2011 Queensland floods. Gender, Place and Culture, 24(1), 37–51.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harper, D. (2002). Talking about pictures: A case for photo elicitation. Visual Studies, 17(1), 13–26. https://doi.org/10.1080/14725860220137345.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heisley, D. D., & Levy, S. J. (1991). Autodriving: A photoelicitation technique. Journal of Consumer Research, 18(3), 257–272.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hissa, K. (2016). Using photovoice to understand climate change adaptation in rural Ontario. Waterloo: Wilfrid Laurier University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hom, J. (2010). Making the Invisible Visible: Interrogating social spaces through photovoice. Ph.D. Dissertation, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH.

  • Kienberger, S. (2014). Participatory mapping of flood hazard risk in Munamicua, District of Búzi, Mozambique. Journal of Maps, 10(2), 269–275.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Klockow, K. E., Peppler, R. A., & McPherson, R. A. (2014). Tornado folk science in Alabama and Mississippi in the 27 April 2011 tornado outbreak. GeoJournal, 79(6), 791–804.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kniffen, F. B. (1936). Louisiana house types. Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 26(4), 179–193.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Knobloch, D. M. (2005). Moving a community in the aftermath of the great 1993 Midwest flood. Journal of Contemporary Water Research & Education, 130(1), 41–45.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kuehne, G. (2013). “I don’t know what’s right anymore”: Engaging distressed interviewees using graphic-elicitation. Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung/Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 14(3), 20. https://doi.org/10.17169/fqs-14.3.1909.

  • Kyle, G., & Chick, G. (2007). The social construction of a sense of place. Leisure Sciences, 29(3), 209–225.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lange, D. (1960). The assignment I’ll never forget: Migrant mother. Popular Photography, 46(2), 42–43.

    Google Scholar 

  • Latham, A. (2003). Research, performance and doing human geography: some reflections on the diary-photography, diary-interview method. Environment and Planning A, 35(11), 1993–2017.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lewis, P. (1983). Learning from looking: Geographic and other writing about the americal cultural landscape. American Quarterly, 35(3), 242–261.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Livingstone, D. N. (1992). The geographical tradition. Oxford: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Loebach, J., & Gilliland, J. (2010). Child-led tours to uncover children’s perceptions and use of neighborhood environments. Children, Youth and Environments, 20(1), 52–90.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lopez, E. D. S., Eng, E., Randall-David, E., & Robinson, N. (2005). Quality-of-life concerns of african american breast cancer survivors within rural north Carolina: Blending the techniques of photovoice and grounded theory. Qualitative Health Research, 15(1), 99–115.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lowenthal, D. (1985). The past is a foreign country. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Madsen, W., & O’Mullan, C. (2016). Perceptions of community resilience after natural disaster in a rural Australian town. Journal of Community Psychology, 44(3), 277–292.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McIntyre, A. (2003). Through the eyes of women: Photovoice and participatory research as tools for reimagining place. Gender, Place and Culture, 10(1), 47–66.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Milligan, M. J. (1998). Interactional past and potential: The social construction of place attachment. Symbolic Interaction, 21(1), 1–33.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mohr, E. (2014). Posttraumatic growth in youth survivors of a disaster: An arts-based research project. Art Therapy, 31(4), 155–162.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moletsane, R., de Langer, N., Mitchell, C., Stuart, J., Buthelezi, T., & Taylor, M. (2007). Photo-voice as a tool for analysis and activism in response to HIV and AIDS stigmatisation in a rural KwaZulu-Natal school. Journal of Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 19(1), 19–28. https://doi.org/10.2989/17280580709486632.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moustakas, C. (1994). Phenomenological research methods. Thousand Oaks: Sage.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Nowell, B. L., Berkowitz, S. L., Deacon, Z., & Foster-Fishman, P. (2006). Revealing the cues within community places: Stories of identity, history, and possibility. American Journal of Community Psychology, 37(1/2), 29–46.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nykiforuk, C. I. J., Vallianatos, H., & Nieuwendyk, L. M. (2011). Photovoice as a method for revealing community perceptions of the built and social environment. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 10(2), 103–124.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O’Brien, K. L., & Leichenko, R. M. (2000). Double exposure: Assessing the impacts of climate change within the context of economic globalisation. Global Environmental Change, 10(3), 221–232.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oliver-Smith, A. (1991). Successes and failures in post-disaster resettlement. Disasters, 15(1), 12–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peek, L., Tobin-Gurley, J., Cox, R. S., Scannell, L., Fletcher, S., & Heykoop, C. (2016). Engaging youth in post-disaster research: Lessons learned from a creative methods approach. Gateways International Journal of Community Research and Engagement, 9(1), 89–112.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peters-Guarin, G., McCall, M. K., & van Westen, C. (2012). Coping strategies and risk manageability: Using participatory geographical information systems to represent local knowledge. Disasters, 36(1), 1–27.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Raber, M. P., Lopez, K. K., Pomeroy, M., Mody, A., Markham, C., & Sharma, S. V. (2011). Brighter sights: Using photovoice for a process evaluation of a food co-op cycle nutrition intervention. Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice, 9(3), 20–34.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ratzel, F. (1896). Die deutsche Landschaft. Deutsche Rundschau, 88, 346–367. https://archive.org/details/deutscherundscha88stutuoft.

  • Relph, E. (1976). Place and placelessness. London: Pion.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ritchie, L. A., & Gill, D. A. (2007). Social capital theory as an intergrating framework in technological disaster research. Sociological Spectrum, 27(1), 103–129.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rose, G. (1993). Feminism & geography: The limits of geographical knowledge. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Royce, S. W. (2004). Breaking the Culture of Silence: An Examination of Youth Empowerment Experiences Through Photovoice. Ph.D. Dissertation, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC.

  • Sauer, C. O. (1925). The morphology of landscape. Berkeley: University of California Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sauer, C. O. (1944). A geographic sketch of early man in America. Geographical Review, 34(4), 529–573.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scheib, H. A., & Lykes, M. B. (2013). African American and Latina community health workers engage PhotoPAR as a resource in a post-disaster context: Katrina at 5 years. Journal of Health Psychology, 18(8), 1069–1084.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schlüter, O. (1899). Bemerkungen zur Siedlungsgeographie. Geographische Zeitschrift, 5(2), 65–85.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schlüter, O. (1906). Die Ziele der Geographie des Menschens. Berlin: Oldenbourg.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Schumann, R. L., III. (2015a). Historic landscapes as cooperative animation: Exploring networks of memory with photographic methods. In S. P. Hanna, A. E. Potter, E. A. Modlin, P. Carter, & D. Butler (Eds.), Social memory and heritage tourism methodologies. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schumann, R. L., III. (2015b). The meaning of place recovery on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Columbia: University of South Carolina.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schumann, R. L., III, Ash, K. D., & Bowser, G. C. (2017). Tornado warning perception and response: Integrating the roles of visual design, demographics, and hazard experience. Risk Analysis. https://doi.org/10.1111/risa.12837.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Seamon, D. (2000). A way of seeing people and place: Phenomenology in environment-behavior research. In S. Wapner, J. Demick, T. Yamamoto, & H. Minami (Eds.), Theoretical perspectives in environment-behavior research. New York: Plenum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sherif, C. W. (1998). Bias in psychology. Feminism & Psychology, 8(1), 58–75.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sims, S. B. (2014). Minority Health Perceptions in the Lower Mississippi Delta: A Grounded Theory Study Using PhotoVoice Methodology. Master’s Thesis, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS.

  • Siskind, A. (1981). Harlem document: Photographs 1932–1940. Providence: Matrix.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, G. (2011). Planning for post-disaster recovery: A review of the United States disaster assistance framework. Fairfax: Public Entity Risk Institute.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, K., Barrett, C. B., & Box, P. W. (2000). Participatory risk mapping for targeting research and assistance: With an example from East African Pastoralists. World Development, 28(11), 1945–1959.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Suchar, C. S. (1988). Photographing the changing material culture of a gentrified community. Visual Sociology, 3(2), 17–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tierney, K. (2014). The social roots of risk: Producing disasters, promoing resilience. Stanford: Stanford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tran, P., Shaw, R., Chantry, G., & Norton, J. (2009). GIS and local knowledge in disaster management: A case study of flood risk mapping in Viet Nam. Disasters, 33(1), 152–169.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tuan, Y. (1977). Space and place: The perspective of experience. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Turner, B. L., II, Kasperson, R. E., Matson, P. A., McCarthy, J. J., Corell, R. W., Christensen, L., et al. (2003). A framework for vulnerability analysis in sustainability science. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 100(14), 8074–8079.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • United Nations. (2015). Sendai framework for disaster risk reduction 2015–2030. Sendai, Japan: United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR).

  • Wang, C. (1999). Photovoice: A participatory action research strategy applied to women’s health. Journal of Women’s Health, 8(2), 185–192.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, C., & Burris, M. A. (1994). Empowerment through Photo Novella: Portraits of participation. Health Education & Behavior, 21(2), 171–186.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang, C., & Burris, M. A. (1997). Photovoice: Concept, methodology, and use for participatory needs assessment. Health Education & Behavior, 24(3), 369–387.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, C., Yuan, Y. L., & Feng, M. L. (1996). Photovoice as a tool for participatory evaluation: The community’s view of process and impact. Journal of Contemporary Health, 4, 47–49.

    Google Scholar 

  • Watson, H. (2013). Citizen journalism as data for disaster research. International Journal of Mass Emergencies and Disasters, 31(2), 219–246.

    Google Scholar 

  • White, G. F. (1942). Human adjustment to floods: A geographical approach to the flood problem in the United States. Chicago: University of Chicago.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, N., Dasho, S., Martin, A. C., Wallerstein, N., Wang, C. C., & Minkler, M. (2016). Engaging Youth adolescents in social action through photovoice. The Journal of Early Adolescence, 27(2), 241–261. https://doi.org/10.1177/0272431606294834.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Worth, S., & Adair, J. (1972). Through Navajo eyes: An exploration in film communication and anthropology. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ziller, R. C., & Lewis, D. (1981). Orientations: Self, social, and environmental percepts through auto-photography. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 7(2), 338–343.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Emergency Management and Disaster Science, University of North Texas, 1155 Union Circle #310637, Denton, TX, 76203, USA

    Ronald L. Schumann III

  2. BrokoppBinder Research & Consulting, Allentown, PA, 18102, USA

    Sherri Brokopp Binder

  3. Department of Political Science, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, 74078, USA

    Alex Greer

Authors
  1. Ronald L. Schumann III
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Sherri Brokopp Binder
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Alex Greer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ronald L. Schumann III.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Informed consent/human subjects

Since this is a methodological and prescriptive piece, no human subjects data were collected as part of this research.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Schumann, R.L., Binder, S.B. & Greer, A. Unseen potential: photovoice methods in hazard and disaster science. GeoJournal 84, 273–289 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10708-017-9825-4

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10708-017-9825-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation