The idea of having ordinary people document their lives is not new. This
method, known as documentary photography-has been used in anthropology for
decades, from Sol Worth and John Adair's 1972 book Through Navajo Eyes, to Wendy
Ewald's book Portrait and Dreams. It is also a part of British photographer Jo
Spence's photo- autobiography of her struggle with breast cancer, which pushed
the boundaries for "a better understanding for making and using
photographs." These works have all served as models for encouraging
community participation in the articulation of health concerns through visual
images.
Caroline Wang, assistant professor of public health, has added a new angle to documentary photography. Wang, has taken the extra step of "transferring the idea of community people taking photos that tell their stories into the policy arena where these visual narratives have policy relevance for the people who govern their lives." She has developed documentary photography into a public health methodology, "PhotoVoice," that others can adopt. "PhotoVoice embraces the basic principles that images teach, pictures can influence policy, and community people ought to create the images and text that inspire healthful public policy," says Wang.
In 1998, Pete Hutchison, director of the Neighborhood Violence Prevention Collaborative, a coalition of 265 neighborhood groups and block clubs heard about the photovoice method, and approached Wang about launching a photovoice project in the Flint community. The project team and participants met with city policy-makers in Flint, Michigan to establish policies addressing such issues as green spaces and violence prevention and to increase overall funding for Flint-area programs. Photos and text developed in that project have been displayed in several exhibitions, and were brought together in a book, Strength To Be: Community Vision and Voices.