Image-based research is well developed within visual anthropology and visual
ethnography, but it is little used outside of these disciplines. This article
discusses an innovative research project which sought to use the outputs of a
community development arts project as a source of visual data for the evaluation of
an area-based health initiative. The use of such material in applied research
required the development of a method unique to the project, and the aims, process
and outcomes are discussed. In particular, the article details the difficulties
encountered and the attempts made to overcome such challenges. It ends by suggesting
there is scope for the development and application of the method, if it is developed
within key guiding principles.
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