Using photographs to capture women's experiences of chemotherapy: Reflecting on the method

Frith, Hannah; Harcourt, Diana

Abstract

This article examines the value of using the photo-elicitation method for generating health-related narratives. Drawing on research in which women kept a photographic record of their experiences of chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer, this research explored how this method (a) produced elaborate accounts of illness experiences through an exploration of the process of representing experiences and through an interrogation of the images themselves; (b) allowed an opportunity to capture experiences over time and a way of capturing the past, which can then be reexplored from the present; (c) enabled patients to retain control over their images of themselves and how they choose to represent their experiences; and (d) provided a window into the private, everyday experiences of patients away from a health care setting. © Sage Publications, Inc. 2007.

Citation

Frith, H., & Harcourt, D. (2007). Using photographs to capture women's experiences of chemotherapy: Reflecting on the method. Qualitative Health Research, 17(10), 1340-1350. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732307308949

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Dec 1, 2007
• Journal: Qualitative Health Research
• Print ISSN: 1049-7323
• Electronic ISSN: 1552-7557
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 17
• Issue: 10
• Pages: 1340-1350
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732307308949
• Keywords: photography, chemotherapy, breast cancer, cancer, psychosocial aspects, interviews, qualitative methods, reflection, method, women, body image, visible difference
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/1023679
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1049732307308949