Participatory Photography: The Conclusion
03rd April 2011
Last Friday I conducted the last of my sessions with the Halton transition group. For this session I had the participants’ chosen twenty images printed, plus a selection of my own workshop in action images for use by the group. The aim of the session was to create scrap books of their images and then to caption these pictures.
To do the captioning I wrote on a flip chart some instructions and suggestions for details they should include. These were
1. Give your picture a name
2. Who or what is in the image (family, friends, teachers, personal assistants etc)?
3. What is in the picture that we cannot see (feelings, relationships to people etc)?
These types of captions are very important as the images (and the project as a whole) are meant to inform policy makers as to the effect on the service users. Given the size of the group it was very important that I had the help of teaching assistants and care staff, as I would not have been able to work with the all the group members in a one on one capacity in the time allowed for the session. During this activity I moved round the different members of the group and checked on how they were doing, giving tips and pointers to those who needed them.
By the end of the session all of the group members had managed to produce a scrap book with all their images glued in and captioned. In the final edits we had pictures that ranged from pets to family members, favourite teachers to recreated scenarios of problems or experiences from previous schools, to hopes and fears of new schools. A very common experience across the group was that of teachers not listening to the needs or wants of the participants.
Given that we would like to roll this project out across schools across Halton, and that I am always looking to improve my work in response to the participants’ experiences, we undertook a feedback activity. With two sheets of flip chart paper stuck to the wall, we asked each of the participants to write down the things they did and didn’t like about the project on a post it note and stick them to the appropriate piece of paper. I am very pleased to report that all the group members said how much they enjoyed the project (and working with me) and that they would like to do it again. The only negative responses were that we did not do any outdoor photography. We also asked the teaching assistants and other staff to feedback and their responses were much the same, adding that it was great to see the different members of the group growing in confidence.
For me the confidence part is really what these projects are about. It is great for the group to produce focused, issues based work but more importantly that they find something enjoyable about photography and grow as people. As such, I think that praise and giving responsibility are key methods to achieve this. I always tell the participants how well they are doing and how proud I am of the work that they have produced.
In May there will be a an event where the young people will show their work to their parents, school staff and council officials. This too is an important part of any project that I do, as it gives the participants an opportunity to celebrate all their hard work with the people close to them and also to demonstrate their feelings about transitions to those who make the important decisions.
