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An experiment in visual ethnography

Morgan-Trimmer, Sarah ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5226-9595 2007. An experiment in visual ethnography. [Visual ethnography].

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Abstract

This paper discusses a one-day exercise in visual ethnography using a digital camera to take photographs of Deptford in South East London. For me, this represented an experiment in using photography in social research. My area of research interest is ethnographic case studies in regeneration areas, looking at processes of change and the relationships between people which drive these. I am interested in how visual images can be used for data collection and presentation to expand an understanding of the dynamics of communities of place. The exercise here was a first experiment in using visual data. The images were produced as a result of a random walk with a camera in Deptford, so although they are ‘about’ an area they do not represent it in a systematized way. They instead produce fragments of data, representing the interaction between researcher and the field. Mirroring the process that exploratory research often takes, the exercise began with photographs of large-scale street scenes and then began to focus on smaller details. A few of the resulting photographs are presented here, following which I discuss issues concerning the collection of visual data and also how it prompted more general reflections on how I engage with material as a researcher.

Item Type: Artefact
Date Type: Publication
Schools: Development and Evaluation of Complex Interventions for Public Health Improvement (DECIPHer)
Social Sciences (Includes Criminology and Education)
Subjects: G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GN Anthropology
T Technology > TR Photography
Date of First Compliant Deposit: 30 March 2016
Last Modified: 25 Oct 2022 08:21
URI: https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/52491

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