Employing photography and photos in research on childhood
This article deals with the question of whether the process of photography and its result the photo can contribute to empirical studies of childhood, and if so, what does this research strategy mean for both the researcher and the researched (the children). The article is based on two sources. The first is a pilot project in three parts of Den-mark in which children spontaneously took pictures of their daily lives (including family, friends, activities, institutions) for a week. The second is the use of photo-graphy in ethnographic research.
The children constructed a set of empirical material about their lives as lived in different social arenas in the photos as well as explanations of these in discussing them with the researcher. While the material is not sufficient to provide a conclusive answer to the questions raised in this article, it does provide material for serious reflection.
