Poetry and Photography

Abstract

This study explores the use of photography and poetry as tools of qualitative social research. The question guiding this exploration is how might the visual representation of reality (photography) and the compression of experiences expressed in words (poetry) provide insight and understanding into human behavior and the social world? The authors address this question through an extended conversation to critically examine the nature of poetry and photography in the gathering, organizing, and interpretation of data. In particular, both mediums are discussed in relation to the history of social research, methodological issues, and implications for social work. A subsequent thematic analysis is conducted by a third researcher and is presented as a means of treating the conversation itself as data for qualitative research. This exploration therefore demonstrates the use of a creative medium as research and as data for research.