Describe the photovoice method and give an example of its successful use

Answer 1

A method called photovoice enables community members to use photographs and narratives to communicate a setting or experience. Photovoice can give a voice to all members of a population but has especially powerful potential with vulnerable populations such as those who face poverty, language barriers, social isolation, cultural barriers, or other challenging circumstances. The goals are to record and reflect on current conditions, encourage community consensus on issues, and bring about change in conditions by reaching decision and policy makers. Photographers can produce powerful, moving images that foster awareness and communication. Photographers need direction by a question, prompt, or issue. Prompts and questions reflect the issue that is being assessed and described. For example, in a somewhat famous use of photovoice, children of sex workers living in Calcutta were asked to use cameras to document "a day in their life." The powerful photos became the inspiration for the Academy Award-winning documentary Born into Brothels.?