Self Evaluation

The defining characteristic of visual research is that it requires images only as its source of information. All that can be understood from the image comes from within  itself with no need for a worded explanation. John Collier argued that using an image to support written findings presented only a preconceived selective perspective of reality. He believes that images on their own contain enough detail to record significant analysis and projections of social interaction and material culture (Harper, 2005, 23).

 Roland Barthes perceived an image to withhold two variations of interpretation. Firstly the studim, the contextual aspects of the image provide an informative view and an atheistic value towards the picture. He argued that this interpretation of images is open to all who share similar cultural codes. The second form of interpretation Barthes identified is the punctum. Where an image evokes an emotional reaction from someone causing them shock, fear, excitement and so forth. Barthes perceived this emotional reaction to be personal to the individual. So on two levels Barthes saw the general interpretation of the context of an image as communal and the reaction the image caused to an individual as personal (Cronin, 2005, 63). To gain these versions of interpretation however the image must first be interpreted.

On considering how a person interprets an image two theories are present. The symbolic folk myth suggests that an image by itself is empty. It gives no information. It requires someone to use what data it holds to their own understanding to reflect its meaning. The realist folk myth expects images to replicate reality. To present an accurate portrayal of that moment in time. Cronin argues that following investigation on a group of adults all participants possessed the ability to engage both types of folk myth theories into their interpretation of images (Cronin, 2005, 66,67).

A significant aspect of visual research is the researcher. When proposing a final investigation the end product is a reflection of the researcher. Images that are included are those which have been internally validated as significant. A personal perspective on the importance of the data in the selected images is imposed. To be able to provide a final outcome the photographer must consult their own speculation and opinion as to how the data in an image is to be interpreted (Adelman, 2005, 134,5).

On the offset of this project my intention was to photograph the exterior of a selection of Hebridean dwelling places examining how the culture of the human inhabitants had changed over time. I planned to take snaps of ‘home's’ dating back from the Iron age right up to the present day to uncover what developments the civilisation had made over the generations. Bazin theorised that 'photographs, like statues and other icons, exist in order to create an ideal world which has its own trajectory through time' (Cronin, 2005, 64). I intended to be able to display the history of cultural and civilised development through the use of images of the 'home' exterior.

I commenced the research using a grounded theory approach. By this I mean that I did not know what discourses I would be able to extract from the images. I did not have a specific question for research in mind just an idea that I could gather some data relating to human activity from the images collected. I began by capturing images of a few dwellings from different time periods and then brainstorming some notes alongside them as I added each group of pictures to my blog.

During the research a number of elements arose that caused a large hindrance to productivity. The biggest problem I discovered was the weather. Whilst choosing my project topic I completely overlooked that fact that it would require being outdoors and that we were heading into rough winter conditions. This limited the amount of time and ability I had to gather data with my time slots for photography disappearing into short days and ferocious gales.

The second issue I encountered was myself. Looking at the images I had gathered I became increasingly aware of 'my own opinion'. from the houses photographed to the content included in each image, it was all my taste, what I thought might be interesting or important. I was trying to capture shots that would give me some of the  information I felt I was looking for to create my development and progress timeline. Adleman says 'The person with the camera 'follows' and 'captures' the significant action only by prior observation and understanding of the culture' (Adelman, 2005, 135). In a sense I was detached from my grounded theory approach and gearing my research to meet my own ends.

Commencing with snaps of 'homes' I perceived to be of interest to the project. There was soon a steady repertoire of various dwellings gathering on the blog. The brainstormed notes I had applied to most of the images highlighted elements that I deemed 'significant'. Following this there was a block in my thinking. I had extracted data but was unable to understand what information it possessed. It appeared random and chaotic. After following a suggestion I reformatted the data into tables and miraculously the haze was lifted. The information I had gathered conveyed numerous sets of discourses, many common occurrences  between the different sets of images. This uncovered potential for further progression in research along various streams of investigation.

The discourse that's discovery in the images surprised me the most was that of Modernity. Despite setting out in the hope that progress would be apparent in the images, I did not initially realise that it was strikingly dominant. The appearance of the products of technology such as telegraph poles and power lines, satellite dishes and aerials showed a stark contrast between the oldest buildings and the more modern ones. It would have been interesting to have carried this aspect of research out on a larger scale, photographing a much higher number of dwellings or perhaps taking shots of the original dwellings at different angles to consider the effect modernity may have had upon them or their context.

Rurality was also a consistent discourse. I feel this element in particular produces a valid field of interpretation of the images. To those unfamiliar with the location of the images the clear representations of rurality within them, the open grass land, barren landscape and isolated houses provide an easily understandable geographical sense of position.

On Summary the experience of carrying out a research project in this manner was very interesting. For a large part of the duration I struggled to understand what I was doing because fundamentally I did not know, it was a process that needed patience., the outcome was to be discovered gradually. Initially I found this frustrating and uninteresting but on reflection it turned out to be exciting. The breakthroughs in my thought and direction happened suddenly and unexpectedly, the picture of where the research was taking me began to build up around me and ended with several specific ideas on how I could develop my initial research into a more in depth investigation. On considering how I would use this type of research in the future, I realised that I have already begun to apply some of the methods learnt during this project to my other research coursework.

           

References

Órla Cronin, Psychology and Photographic Theory, in Imaged Based Research: a source book for qualitative researchers, 2005, Ed. Jon Prosser, UK Falmer Press, London.

Clem Adelman, photocontext, in Imaged Based Research: a source book for qualitative researchers, 2005, Ed. Jon Prosser, UK Falmer Press, London.

Douglas Harper, An Argument for Visual Sociology, in Imaged Based Research: a source book for qualitative researchers, 2005, Ed. Jon Prosser, UK Falmer Press, London.