Photovoice: - KFL&A Public Health

Photovoice:
See the bigger picture
Participant Guide - East Region

Photovoice
is a method that enables people to define
for themselves and others, including policy makers, what is
worth remembering and what needs to be changed.
¯
Caroline Wang

Table of
Contents
Welcome to Photovoice
1
• Background of Photovoice ................. 1
• Photovoice Goals ..................................... 2
How Photovoice Works 3
What You Need to Know 5
• Signing Up ..................................................................... 5
• What to Take Pictures of? ...................................... 6
• What are Health Issues ............................................ 6
• What Matters to You? Worksheet ....................... 9
Photovoice Guidelines 10
• Invasion of Privacy ............................................. 10
• Ethical Questions to Ask Yourself ............... 12
Tips for Taking Good Pictures
12
Writing the Story of Your Photo
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Welcome to
Photovoice
Photovoice is a photography project that allows you to explore and
highlight issues around healthy living in your community, as it relates
to tobacco use/exposure, healthy eating, physical activity, substance
& alcohol misuse, mental health, dental health, sexual health and injury
prevention. Photovoice provides a platform for you to discuss and plan
social action using photography.
Photovoice is organized by the Eastern Ontario region Tobacco
Control Area Network (TCAN) and is funded by the Smoke-Free
Ontario Strategy.
Background of Photovoice
(*Adapted from Photovoice Hamilton’s Manual, 2007)
Photography as a medium has shaped modern culture significantly.
In particular, the rise of “photojournalism” enabled both the fascinating
and the heartbreaking to be shared through pictures. Photovoice
creator Caroline Wang started the project in the early 1990’s with
women living in rural China who used photography as a way to
increase awareness of social inequality. By distributing cameras
and encouraging conversations and advocacy, the participants successfully
influenced the policies and programs that served them.
The Photovoice project is based on ‘Participatory Action Research’
which proposes that the entire project, from its conception and
design through to every step of the research is done by the
participants whenever possible. When the research is finished,
the participants themselves “own” the data and decide how to
publish or share this information. The whole idea of Photovoice
is to put the power back into the hands of those who usually
don’t have much power. Youth in many communities feel they
are not listened to or that they do not have a voice.
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Photovoice is your chance to share ideas about
health issues in your community and advocate for
change.
Photovoice has four goals:
1. It encourages you to record and think about your
community’s strengths and problems.
2. It identifies important issues through photographs
and narratives.
3. It gets the attention of politicians and other
decision makers.
4. It works towards positive changes in your community.
2

How it
Works . . .
Get out there!
• Use your own digital camera, your cell phone or disposable
cameras to take pictures that document issues around health in your
community. Answer the question “Does my community make it easier
– or not – for me to be healthy?” by using photography.
Be heard and validated!
• Use the participant guide to create a photo story for each photograph.
See the bigger picture!
• View your photos on the Smoke Free East website (smokefreeeast.ca).
Share your photos and thoughts and view what others in your area
are taking pictures of and the stories being told.
Find your voice!
• Work with peers in your community during this project and/or an
adult ally (i.e. teacher, guidance counselor, a mentor) and discuss
what the photos mean to you, your peers and your school/community.
• Participate in the photo gala in your community at the end of the
project. Let others see what you have accomplished. You will be
eligible to win great prizes!
Advocate for social action and change!
• Work with a peer group, adult ally, or the public health unit to come
up with a plan of action for change. What are some common picture
themes in your community? What changes do you think need
to be made? How can you make those changes happen?
• Your pictures will be used to help set priorities and develop policies
that will promote the reduction of tobacco use/exposure,
healthy eating, physical activity, substance & alcohol misuse,
mental health, dental health, sexual health and injury prevention.
More information can be found throughout the guide.
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Photovoice will run from:
October 11, 2011 to November 30, 2011
Your Photovoice contact will be:
Nicole Szumlanski,
Tobacco Information Line
613-549-1232 or 1-800-267-7875, ext. 1333
Online: www.kflapublichealth.ca
Email: til@kflapublichealth.ca
Fax: 613-549-7896
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What you need to
Know
Step 1: Register to participate
Fill out the consent form which can be downloaded from
www.kflapublichealth.ca. If you are under the age of 18, a parent or
guardian will need to sign the form. Forms can be submitted via e-mail,
fax, or mail to the photovoice contact. You should be aware that upon
signing this consent form, all pictures submitted will become the
property of the Tobacco Control Area Network in Eastern Ontario
including KFL&A Public Health, and will be used to promote the Photovoice
project as well as in other potential health related programs.
Step 2: Take pictures!
Go out and take pictures! Remember that photos should be of places
and objects. We ask that you stay away from taking pictures of people
where the individual can be identified. If people are in the photos,
have them turn away from the camera so their likeness is not recognizable
(i.e. don’t photograph their face, take pictures with their back turned
to the camera, crop the photo or blur the faces). If you take a great
photo with someone in it and you want to submit it but don’t have
the technical capabilities contact your Photovoice contact.
Photovoice will cover the cost of developing up to 24 copies of 4x8
pictures as well as enlarged pictures for display at the photo gala.
You are encouraged to use your own camera however; disposable
cameras will be provided to you if needed. To obtain a disposable
camera and to inquire about developing your pictures contact
your Photovoice contact.
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Step 3: Upload your pictures
To submit your pictures and ‘Description of Pictures’ form,
send them by email to til@kflapublichealth.ca or online at
www.kflapublichealth.ca within an e-mail.

Once reviewed your pictures will go up on the Smoke Free East website as
part of a slideshow and you will have a chance to win great prizes!
What to take
Pictures Of?
Some ideas to get you started…
• What do you see in your everyday life that affects your health? You could take
your camera with you, and make a “photo essay” about a typical day for you.
Afterwards, look at the pictures, and see what stands out for you.
• Start with an opinion or idea. Have you ever wanted to write a letter to the editor
of a newspaper about issues effecting youth in your community? What would
you say? Now, try to create a picture that gets your idea across.
• Make a collection of pictures showing all the things you are proud of in
your community.
• Make a collection of pictures showing all the things about your community
you are disappointed with.
• Use your emotions as a cue. Consider where you live and how you live… what gives
you a strong emotional response (excited, angry, afraid, sad…)? Tell the story.
• What is important to you? What is a big part of your life?
Take pictures of objects, possessions, services, places…
Please ensure photos capture a health issue that matters to you.
What are
Health Issues?
Health issues are important topics or problems that are currently affecting
individual, group, or community well-being. This question list will help to get you
started thinking about how to view health issues in your community and what to
take pictures of.
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Tobacco Use and Substance Use
• Is smoking an issue at your school or in your community? Do you have
to walk through a haze of smoke to get to your job/school?
• Do you see alcohol or drug misuse as a serious issue in your community?
• How is alcohol advertising targeting youth in your community?
Healthy Eating
• Are healthy options in school/community cafeterias/vending machines
readily available?
• Are there a number of grocery stores or farmers’ markets available?
• Are there many fast food restaurants and unhealthy options in your
community?
Physical Activity
• Do you have access to locations to exercise i.e. community centres,
recreation centres, or outdoor spaces? Are new condominiums being
built where your favourite park is?
• Is not exercising a problem (i.e. watching TV, playing on the computer,
playing video games all day)?
• Are you lacking recreation areas (i.e. a skate park, tennis courts,
mountain bike trails)?
Mental Health
• Are there issues or pressures around body image i.e. advertisements,
billboards?
• Is stress (i.e. school, work, relationships) an issue? What about access
to resources and help?
Dental Health
• Are mouth piercings (i.e. tongue, lip) popular?
• Do you and your peers have access to regular dental treatments?
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Sexual Health
• What issues around healthy sexuality do you and your peers deal
with?

• Are protective measures (i.e. condoms) and education readily accessible?
Injury Prevention
• Do people wear helmets when biking and skateboarding?
• Are there hazards in your neighbourhood that could cause harm (i.e. needles/
broken glass in parks, lack of street lights)?
The Environment
• Is there a pollution problem in your area (i.e. cars, smoking, water, or factories)?
• Are cigarette butts or garbage littered all over your favourite park or beach?
• Are there lack of options for recycling and composting in your community?
• Are there bike lanes, bike racks and sidewalks in your community?
• Are buildings/parks accessible for disabled persons and/or seniors?
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What Matters
to You?
If you are struggling with what to take pictures of, try filling
out these questions and see if you get inspired.
Think about: WHERE YOU LIVE, and HOW YOU LIVE …
Things I am proud of…
Inside me:
Close to me:
Wider Community:
Things that need to change…
Inside me:
Close to me:
Wider Community:
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Now, think of an image or picture that would tell this.

Photovoice
Privacy Guidelines
These guidelines are important to remember when taking pictures,
particularly to remain ethical, keep you safe and to protect the privacy
of those you may be photographing.
• Always ask before taking a photo of someone’s personal property
(ex. someone’s house).
• Be respectful.
• Use a buddy system, especially when going to places you are not
familiar with.
• Don’t do anything you wouldn’t usually do.
• Don’t go anywhere you wouldn’t usually go.
• When confronted by someone aggressively, stay calm, do not resist,
and give up the camera
• Be aware of your surroundings.
• Stay safe!
• ASK FIRST before taking a photo.
Invasion of privacy
While we want you to get the best photos possible, we don’t want you
to get in trouble for the sake of a picture. Here are a few suggestions to
stay safe and to stay within the law.
Public versus private property
You are free to take photos of any object or building you see as long as
you are on public property (for example, if you’re standing on the sidewalk
and see a big box store being built where your favourite park once
stood, you can definitely get that shot).
Examples of public property:
• A park • Town squares • The sidewalk
• Shopping malls (be careful, a mall is public AND private—you can take
photos inside but if asked to leave by security, then you must leave)
Notes: Legally, you are allowed to take photos of people’s homes
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from the sidewalk. For this project, we DO NOT want photos of private residences.
You cannot photograph military bases, nuclear plants, arms factories,
because then it would become an issue of national security.
Trespassing: This is going on to someone’s private
property (like your neighbour’s front lawn). If someone
tells you to leave, you must leave immediately.
Always ask permission first.
Do not tell anyone you are someone you are not. Do not
lie to or manipulate people to get your photo.
Privacy
When choosing subjects for your photos you have to
consider people’s right to privacy. You cannot take a
picture of someone without their permission if they are
in locations where there is the expectation of privacy:
• In the home.
• In the bathroom/change room at the gym.
You also have to be careful of how you portray the
subject in the photo. For example, if you decide that
you want your photo to show that drug abuse is a serious
problem in your neighbourhood park, you can’t just
take a picture of someone in the park. Then it is implied
that the person in the picture is a drug user, when this
might not necessarily be the case. Instead ask a friend,
who knows what your photo is about, if he or she is willing
to pose in the picture instead. Once again remember,
people in the photos should NOT be recognizable,
even if the photos are staged (i.e. don’t photograph
their face, take pictures with their back turned to the
camera, crop the photo or blur the faces).
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Ethical Questions to Ask Yourself
(Taken from the Photovoice Procedural Manual: Port Colorne/Wainfleet
FOCUS Resource Centre)
• If I put myself in the person’s place, how would I feel?
• What am I saying with this picture?
• Do I have permission to take this picture?
• Am I being respectful of privacy?
• What are the risks of taking this picture?
• What are the benefits of taking this picture?
• What can I influence with this picture?
Tips for taking
Good Pictures
1. Use a plain background
A plain background shows off the object or landscape you are
photographing. When you look through the camera viewfinder, force
yourself to study the area surrounding your subject.
2. Use flash outdoors
Bright sun can create unattractive facial shadows. Eliminate the shadows
by using your flash to lighten the object.
3. Move in close
Your goal is to fill the picture area with the object you are photographing.
Up close you can reveal telling details, like tiny words on the side of a
distant building. But don’t get too close or your pictures will be blurry.
4. Move it from the middle
Center-stage is a great place for a performer to be. But, the middle
of your picture is not always the best place for your object. Bring
your picture to life by simply moving your subject away from the
middle of the picture.
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5. Lock the focus
Usually you can lock the focus in 3 steps: 1. center the object & press
and hold the shutter button halfway down; 2. reposition your camera
(still holding the shutter button) so the object is no longer in the center;
3. press the shutter button all the way down to take the picture.
6. Know your flash's range
The number one flash mistake is taking pictures beyond the flash’s
range. Pictures taken beyond the maximum flash range will be too
dark. For many cameras, the maximum flash range is less than 15
feet. To be safe, position yourself so objects are no farther than 10
feet away.
7. Watch the light
Next to the object, light is the most important part of every photo.
It affects the appearance of everything you photograph. Try taking
landscapes early or late in the day when the contrasts and colors
are more pronounced.
8. Take some vertical pictures
Is your camera vertically challenged? It is if you never turn it sideways
to take a vertical picture. Try turning your camera sideways
and look at the world from a different angle.
9. Be a picture director
Take control of your picture-taking and watch your pictures dramatically
improve. Pick the location and add props. Take charge of your
pictures!.
For more photo-taking tips and techniques visit these
websites:
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Kodak: Tips and Projects Centre
http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier.jhtml?pqpath=38/13915&pq-locale=en_CA

HP: DEMO: Simple tips for taking better photos
http://www.hp.com/united-states/consumer/
digital_photography/take_better_photos/
index.html
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S “What is seen here?” (Describe what the eye sees)
O “How does this relate to our lives?” (or my life personally)
D “What can I do about it?” (What will I or we do about it?)”
Writing the story of
Your Photo
Here are some worksheets to help you write the story of
your photo*.
SHOWED - If having trouble writing the ‘story’ of your photo,
try answering these questions.
Title of Picture: Date:
H “ What is really happening?” (The unseen “story”
behind the image)
W “Why are things this way?”
E “How could this image educate people?”
(*Taken from Simcoe & Muskoka District Health Unit’s Photovoice Participant Booklet).
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Notes

Notes
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Notes