Lesson 1
Before you Begin
Photo interviews require careful preparation. This includes clarifying your purpose, selecting or producing appropriate images, and thinking about how to create an open, respectful space for the conversation.
- Clarify the purpose – What are you trying to understand through the interview? In the context of biodiversity, this might involve exploring how people relate to natural places, how they perceive changes in local ecosystems, or what role they see themselves playing in environmental stewardship. As part of clarifying your purpose, you may also choose to write a research question, but this is not essential as long as you have a clear focus and direction for the conversation. Being able to explain this purpose in simple terms will also help participants understand why their contribution matters
- Clarify the Format – The format of a photo interview can vary depending in your needs and time, consider the
- Photo interviews are usually semi-structured, with the photographs acting as prompts for discussion and the interviewer using open-ended questions to encourage reflection. A framework of themes or guiding questions can help shape the conversation, while still leaving space for participants to direct the dialogue. Depending on the aims of your project, you may wish to experiment with a more or less structured format, but it is important to define this in advance.
- Participants can take photographs on a theme before the interview, take photos during the interview, or respond to a set of pre-taken photos, consider which of these formats would work best with your participants and the purpose of your project
- Other visual mediums, such as videos, drawings, or found images, can be integrated if appropriate for your project and support participants in expressing their perspectives
- Consent and ethics - If participants are being asked to reflect on their own images, ensure they are aware of how their responses and images will be used. Be mindful of who is represented in them and ensure that nothing used reinforces stereotypes or exploits vulnerable subjects
- Subject Matter - Discussions about biodiversity loss and environmental change can evoke anxiety and strong emotions. It is important to manage and acknowledge these responses within the method. Facilitators can support participants by offering ways they can take to change or advocate for biodiversity conscious decision making. Additional advice on facilitating these conversations can be found at (e.g.) Education Reboot, Natural Resources Defence Council, and Force of Nature
- Checklist - Do you have the skills, resources, equipment and time to dedicate to this method – if not it might be worth considering a different method instead.
In this video Ghezal Sabir explains participant hesitations and the potential benefits of taking part:
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Lesson 2
Recruiting Participants
When recruiting participants, consider the range of perspectives you wish to include, as well as demographic factors and how these relate to your research question. Depending on your approach, you may choose to proactively recruit individuals with particular experiences or characteristics, or you may decide to issue a more open call that allows people to self-select into the project, either way consider the following supportive factors:
- Accommodate – Photo interviews often ask participants to prepare images in advance, but not everyone may feel comfortable or able to take their own photographs. Alternatives can include taking the photo during the interview, bringing an existing image that represents them, or, as in the PLANET4B project, asking the interviewer to take the photo on their behalf. Be responsive to the needs and capacities of participants, and adapt the approach accordingly
- Show Appreciation – Cover expenses such as travel and provide refreshments. If permitted within your project’s ethical guidelines, offer financial payments or token in-kind gifts to participants by way of acknowledgement of their time and contribution. If direct payments are not possible, consider alternative forms of recognition such as free access to training, workshops, or other events. This signals respect and values people’s contributions
- Partner – Collaborate with trusted community groups. Think about your network, who could benefit from this training and how?
- Accessible – Address language, digital literacy, and technical support needs, and where possible offer childcare options during the training workshops
- Proactive – Be present in the community you wish to work with. Build relationships through face-to-face conversations, attend local events, and spend time understanding the context. Place invitations in spaces where people already gather, such as schools, libraries, community centres, or local cafes, and frame the invitation as an opportunity for creative collaboration and recognition
In this video Ghezal Sabir reflects on how visiting participants in their spaces can build trust:
Lesson 3
The Interview
Once participants have been recruited and the scope and focus of your research are defined, you can begin conducting the interviews.
- Prepare images - If you are asking participants to take photographs on a particular theme to bring with them, ensure they have been given sufficient time to complete this task and that you are available to respond to any guiding questions. If you are going to take photos during the interview, or discuss other images ensure you have prepared the relevant equipment and materials
- Create a welcoming environment and explain the interview - Begin by fostering a relaxed atmosphere and clearly outlining the purpose of the interview, what you hope to cover, the format, and the expected timeframe. Reiterate any ethical considerations and give participants the chance to ask questions or raise concerns so they feel comfortable and informed. An informal conversation at the start can also help put people at ease
- Integrate the images – Images are at the heart of a photo interview, you might show one photograph at a time or lay out all the images and invite the participant to choose those they feel most drawn to. Wherever possible, let participants take the lead in guiding the discussion
- Ask open, reflective questions: Use prompts such as:
- What does this image remind you of?
- What emotions or memories does it bring up?
- Can you tell me a story that connects with this picture?
- How does this image relate to your experience of nature, community, or change
In this video Ghezal Sabir explains how Photo Interviews were used to empower participants to share photographs:
Tips for Interviewers
- Be present, not directive - Let the photograph do the work. Sit with pauses. Follow the participant’s lead and do not rush to fill silence.
- Follow up gently - If a participant gives a short response, you might ask “Can you say a bit more about that?” or “What makes you say that?” to deepen the reflection
- Focus on feeling - If a photo evokes emotion, be attentive to how the participant expresses this. You can reflect it back, “It sounds like that place holds a lot of meaning for you”, without pushing them to elaborate more than they wish
- Document carefully - With consent, record the conversation or take notes. You may want to transcribe or summarise the discussion to return to it later for analysis or feedback
- Closing the interview - Summarise key insights with the participant, and if appropriate, invite them to reflect on how their story might be shared more widely, which could include contributing to a digital gallery, exhibition, or policy briefing
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Lesson 4
Understanding your Interview Data
When you finish your photo interviews, you will have two kinds of material: the pictures people chose and the conversations they had about them. Below are examples of photographs and quotes from the conversations that took place when the photo interview method was used in the PLANET4B project:
When you have gathered the photographs and interview transcripts, the aim of the analysis is to understand what they mean in relation to one another. Strategies to interpret your data include:
Organising what you have
- Keep the photos and the notes or recordings from each person together
- Write down key points from the conversation, especially what people said about their photos
- Note anything important about the context, such as which photos were most discussed or moments when someone’s response felt especially strong
Looking for themes
- Read through the notes and look at the photos to see what ideas come up again and again
- Notice both similarities and differences in how people explain their pictures
- Pay attention if a photo means something different to different people, or if people hesitate or show mixed feelings
Bringing words and images together
- Try to match quotes with the photos they refer to, so that the story and the image stay connected
- You might want to visualise along with the photos and the main points people raised
- Decide whether you want to use the photos just to illustrate people’s words, or if the images themselves also say something important on their own
Sharing and reflecting
- Be open about how you are making sense of the material
- If possible, share your notes or summaries back with participants to check you have understood them well
- Be careful with sensitive images and always respect people’s choices about how their photos are shown
