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The Impact of Photographs on the Researcher: An Ethical Matter for Visual Research

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Ethics and Visual Research Methods

Abstract

Discussion about visual research ethics predominantly focuses on the effects of visual research methodologies on participants. The effect of visual research methodologies on researchers has received little attention and there has been no sustained investigation into how visual materials generated by the research methodology can impact on the researcher. This chapter draws on a research project where participants created photographs to share their experiences of antidepressant use and wellbeing. It shows how photographs act in particular ways with serious ethical consequences for researchers. The effect that photographs can enact on the researcher introduces an ethical issue that requires further attention and articulation by visual researchers. We discuss some of the implications of considering the action of photographs themselves to ethical discussion about visual research.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia

    Kim McLeod

  2. University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Marilys Guillemin

Authors
  1. Kim McLeod
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  2. Marilys Guillemin
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia

    Deborah Warr

  2. University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

    Marilys Guillemin

  3. Melbourne, Australia

    Susan Cox

  4. University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

    Jenny Waycott

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© 2016 The Author(s)

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McLeod, K., Guillemin, M. (2016). The Impact of Photographs on the Researcher: An Ethical Matter for Visual Research. In: Warr, D., Guillemin, M., Cox, S., Waycott, J. (eds) Ethics and Visual Research Methods. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-54305-9_7

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