Doing Visual Research
- Claudia Mitchell - McGill University, Montreal, Canada
Doing Visual Research offers an innovative introduction to the use of photography, collaborative video, drawing, objects, multi-media production and installation in research. Claudia Mitchell explains how visual methods can be used as modes of inquiry as well as modes of representation for social research.
The book looks at a range of conceptual and practical approaches to a range of tools and methods, while also highlighting the interpretive and ethical issues that arise when engaging in visual research. She draws on her own work in the field of visual research throughout to offer extensive examples from a variety of settings and with a variety of populations. Topics covered include:
- Photographs and memory work studies
- Drawing as a participatory visual methodology
- Working with images/Writing about images
- Can visual methods make a difference? From practice to policy
Doing Visual Research takes an interdisciplinary approach to the subject of visual research, producing a practical introduction to the subject that will be of great use to students and researchers across the social sciences, and in particular in education, communication, sociology, gender, development, social work and public health.
Doing Visual Research offers an excellent starting point for imagining how visual methods might be fruitfully employed.
A great supplementary text to aid in the understanding of visual analysis, the importance and technicality of it.
Book to advanced for my class, but it is an excellent Text! Should I teach a visual comm methods course, I will definitely use this text!
The fact that this book takes an interdisciplinary approach to the subject of visual research is worthwhile for a departmental elective course such as "Mediated Arts Research". Participatory archiving with drawing and photos is a significant feature included in the book that offers demonstrative new media literacy, unlike other published work. We will be using it as a methodological guide that embarks upon other introductory course materials.
My students have found the text very insightful to visual communication from the theoretical perspective to actual interpretation of images.
An accessible text that is also methodologically rich, also has very helpful illustrations from a range of different projects.
Very interesting book, especially when new to the field. Covers wide array from theoretical/scientific background to detailed "how to"-suggestions. Very good for starters who would like to deepen their knowledge in the medium to long run. I will definitely intensify usage when preparing new course on (Service) Design Thinking."
A very useful textbook to support students who wish to do visual research
This is an excellent text that supplements my already existing guidelines for visual research.
This is an accessible and engaging book that I would highly recommend to undergraduate and masters level students who are planning to undertake a dissertation applying visual research. The book will be particularly useful for students with an interest in data production approaches employing photography and film.
