Further Than the Eye Can See? Photo Elicitation and Research With Men

Abstract

Photo elicitation studies have attracted modest attention in qualitative health research. However, few researchers have focused exclusively on men's health and/or illness experiences. In this article, the authors discuss the benefits of using photo elicitation among a sub-cohort of 19 prostate cancer survivors from a larger ethnographic study. Specifically, participants were asked to imagine that they were being paid to mount a photographic exhibition entitled Living With My Prostate Cancer, an exhibition that would show prostate cancer from their unique perspective. The authors subsequently discussed the photographs with the participants during individual interviews using photo elicitation techniques. The methods provided some unique and unanticipated benefits, the details of which the authors share to guide researchers considering similar approaches. In addition, the authors make specific recommendations for future photo elicitation applications to men's health research.