Photo Elicitation in Evaluation: Deep Dive
Updated: Oct 24
What it is, when it works, and how to use it responsibly in evaluation
Last updated: October 2026
Nonprofits and community organizations are looking for more creative and engaging ways to both include their members in evaluations and share findings back. I am seeing more RFPs (request for proposals) include asks for photos to be included in a final report or as a stand-alone album.
Photos can be a great way to spark meaningful conversations, elicit rich qualitative data, and share findings! And also...there is more to it than just point and shoot.
This post is a deep dive into photo elicitation as a method in evaluation and how we at AND practice with pictures. Here's what you'll find:
What is photo elicitation?
Photo elicitation is the process of using photos to elicit reflections or data. Think of it as the "a picture is worth 1,000 words" technique.
When should you use photo elicitation?
Photos are great at evoking memories, abstract or metaphorical thinking, emotions, and multi-sensory wisdom (smell, taste, sound, sight, touch). So, it can be helpful in data collection when:
Asking about experiences that are difficult to articulate head-on, and a metaphor, story, or memory is an easier entry point.
The people involved have already been asked the same questions and could benefit from a novel way to engage in topic (e.g., the participant group is over-surveyed or the planning team is sick of boring meetings).
Tapping into underlying assumptions, values, beliefs, or biases will help answer the guiding evaluation question(s).
What steps are involved in photo elicitation?
These are the core steps of our photo elicitation projects:
Craft evaluation questions and goals that guide the whole process (i.e., what are we trying to learn or discover to do what?)
Facilitate a photo-taking or photo selection activity
Debrief the photo activity with a qualitative interview or focus group
Analyze the data from the qualitative debrief (e.g., notes or transcripts)
Use the data to inform learning, make decisions, take action and shareback
Are there any limitations to photo elicitation?
Yes. Photo elicitation is far from a perfect technique.
Photography isn't always appropriate. If visuals and image-based communication is not accessible, safe, or useful then photo elicitation is not a good choice.
In our experience, the resulting data are stronger when participants interpret prompts metaphorically, not literally. Prompts need to be strategic and invite participants to reflect before pointing a camera or choosing a photo. For example, we start our course Arts-Based Methods for evaluators with an invitation for learners to take a photo of "what good learning means to them." When folks take pictures of a classroom or school supplies and tell us that school is learning, we don't have much to work with in terms of tailoring the experience. When learners take photos that represent what it feels/looks/sounds/smells/tastes like to stretch beyond their comfort zone into a learning zone, we have a better sense of what success might be like in this course and how to make the experience meaningful.
Is photo elicitation the same thing as photovoice?
Short answer: no
The longer answer is literally something we grappled with during our PhDs. So, to spare you a literal thesis, here's the sumamry.
Photovoice is a process that, like photo elicitation, uses photography and resulting qualitative data to answer questions and bring about change. That change is tied to redistributing power, which also informs how the project is designed. Ideally, a community decides they want a photovoice project, select an evaluator or researcher to lead the project (who can be within their own community rather than an external person or team), set the goals and questions, and then bring about social change with the findings (e.g., engage in advocacy or inform policy). So, the process and outcomes benefit community and counter the parachute researcher or evaluator model. This is very much in the community-based participatory action research lane.
Photo elicitation does not need to be rooted in social change. But, of course for it to be an evaluation it still needs to result in learning and action (at least in our practice). So, the outcome can be smaller, like refining a program or service or improving the working culture of an organization. While photo elicitation should always be wanted by the participating community or organization, it can fall anywhere on the spectrum of community control/ownership. This may seem like a pedantic difference. But, it matters because we have seen many evaluators and researchers make bold unsubstantiated claims about the benefits and impacts of their work because they used photovoice (when they actually used photo elicitation...or maybe not even that). Using photos does not automatically make a process participatory, redistribute power, or lead to clear benefits for participants. Like any other research or evaluation project, it could just be a dressed-up meh.
How to choose an activity that fits your timeline, budget, and context
In line with our evaluation questions/goals and guidance from the communities we're working with, we typically structure a photo activity one of two ways. Both are great techniques and offer unique pros and cons that you can bring to your team to help make a decision on what works best for your evaluation.
Option 1: Evaluator-Selected Photos | Option 2: Participant-Selected Photos | |
What | The facilitator chooses a stack of photos for participants to choose from when responding to a prompt. This is sometimes called, "picture sorting." Other people might be familiar with variations of visual facilitator cards. For example, we facilitated a program planning session where we brought a variety of images and asked staff to select a photo that best represents a key buzzword central to their program (community). | The participants choose an existing photo they have or take a new photo in response to a prompt provided by a facilitator. Depending on the project, the activity may include some photography tips or training. And, a camera may be provided (to keep or borrow). For example, we conducted an evaluation of a program where we asked participants to take a photo that best represents where they are now at the end of the program. |
Pros |
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Cons |
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Pro tip:
Not sure where to start? We recommend Option 1 (the evaluator brings photos) because it is a little easier to navigate. And, it is easy to practice and gain confidence using this technique. Just bring it (with consent obvs) to your next team meeting where you have a key topic to unpack or decision to make. Practice getting your colleagues to pick a photo that best represents a topic, buzzword, or concept that is central to your work (e.g., what represents evaluation, collaboration, evidence, success). Then, give everyone a minute or two to share their choice and why. All you need to do is choose a few photos to print or put on a slide. Take a few notes after on your experience and perception of how it went and what you'd do differently. et voilà! You have a portfolio.
How to use photos to collect data
The "data" part of the activity comes after a photo is taken or selected. A facilitator holds a qualitative activity like an informal chat, interview, or focus group to unpack:
The experience of taking or choosing a photo.
What the photo means relative to the original prompt (i.e., what the photo represents).
How the photo connects to other key elements of the evaluation (e.g., key experiences, insights, memories, perceptions, stories, assumptions). This can include both what is in the photo, and what is not in the photo.
If in a group, what the range of photos say about an key topic or experience (e.g., similarities and differences, collective wisdom).
So, the data are the qualitative reflections about the process of taking or selecting a photo and the photo itself. The photo is not the data.
Pro tip:
At the end of the debrief, invite participants to create a short caption or artist statement for their photo to keep track of the intended meaning. This can be a sentence or two, nothing major. This way, if you use the photos in a final report, as part of a gallery tour, or presentation you don't lose the context.
How to analyze and use photo elicitation data
We recommend analyzing the qualitative notes or transcripts, not the photos. To do this, choose a qualitative data analysis technique that best aligns with the evaluation question(s). Discourse analysis, descriptive analysis, thematic (deductive or inductive), and grounded theory all work. Then, analyze as you would normal qualitative data. When you're finished, use the findings to inform recommendations and for whatever other deliverables are expected as part of the evaluation.
Can you analyze photos?
Technically, yes. In research, there are many forms of visual and media analysis (e.g., visual discourse, material culture, and rhetorical analysis). But, in evaluation, the goal is to spark learning and doing, rather than theory-building. So, it is rarely helpful or feasible to engage in a visual analysis.
How does the evaluator know what each photo means unless they ask? Some of the most interesting photo elicitation projects we've facilitated centred on what was not in the photo because of how important the absence of something was to the participants (e.g., absence of noise, violence, pollution, choices). We would never have understood that the photo was actually about something else if we only focused on what was in frame. Even more reason to
We often see evaluators doing a visual content analysis or counting the number of times a certain image appears in a photo (e.g., the number of photos that have trees). This is not something we recommend.
Can you use photos in evaluation presentations and reports?
With consent, for sure. The photos work like an illustrative quote to accentuate or add depth to a particular finding. And this is where that caption comes in handy. Make sure you include it with the photo to maintain the participants' own meaning and interpretation.
Pro tip:
Check with your community advisory group, team, or client about which photos to use. Aim for a good balance of photos that shine a light on both positive and negative findings. And come prepared with options in case there are concerns about representation, culturally-specific nuances you might have missed, or how others might interpret or perceive images.
Ethical questions to answer before getting started
Whether or not you have a formal ethics review process as part of your evaluation practice, having a clear protocol is important. This is not an exhaustive list (or a way to bypass formal review if you have that mandate) here are some questions we find helpful when planning a photo elicitation project:
How will consent work?
How will participants be able to opt-in or opt-out of:
The photo activity
The qualitative debrief
Sharing their photo with you or in a group (if its a focus group, circle, or informal meeting)
Sharing their photo and reflections beyond the evaluation (e.g., in a final report or any other public materials)
Can people consent to one thing and not something else (e.g., doing an interview, but not taking a photo or sharing a photo within the interview, but not as part of any public materials after)?
How will consent work for the subject of photos?
Can participants take photos of other people?
How will you get consent for those people?
What about minors?
What if you have a no-people rule for photos, and people still take pictures of people? This has happened in 100% of photo elicitation projects we have facilitated. So, we cannot stress this point enough. Even when you are careful and set limits, you will get photos of people (and honestly, probably kids).
Can participants take photos of sensitive, vulgar, or graphic material?
How will people consent to seeing these photos after (e.g., will you need a content warning in a focus group, report, or presentation)?
Can people take photos of cultural practices, ceremony, or sacred experiences?
Who else needs to weigh-in on this?
How will you mitigate potential risks?
What happens if the process of taking or reflecting on photos evokes uncomfortable feelings, memories of a difficult experience, or past pain?
If you provide cameras, how might this impact the participating group?
Any additional risks to be mindful of?
If you rely on participants to use their own devices to take photos, how might this impact them?
Any potential risks or weird vibes to navigate?
How will you be thoughtful about self-expression and representation?
What happens if someone takes a photo that may be perceived by others as stereotypical or deficit-framing and creates a risk of causing harm to others?
What will you do during the evaluation (e.g., as part of a focus group or team meeting)?
What will you do after the evaluation (e.g., as part of sharing photos and findings out)?
How does ownership and stewardship work (for both the photos and data)?
Who will own the photos and qualitative data?
Who can access, use, or share the photos and data?
Until when, with what caveats or conditions, and with what safeguards?
What privacy and data storage considerations need to be in place?
If you are selecting/bringing photos, are there any copyright considerations for you to be mindful of?
What if people change their mind?
You cannot unsee or unshare a photo. Once its out there its out there.
Is there a timeline or limit for when people can change their mind about participating or sharing their photo?
Are there any additional safeguards you can offer (e.g., swapping the real photo for a stock image lookalike)?
Common photo elicitation mistakes to avoid
Not all photo elicitation projects are done well. While we are not trying to gatekeep or be the arbiters of "good" photo elicitation, it is important to keep each other accountable. We need to ask critical questions to make informed practice choices and learn as a community.
In the spirit of learning (not shaming), here are some photo elicitation practices we have observed in conference presentations, journal articles and blog posts, and in consultations with other evaluators that gave us pause and raised our methodological eyebrows.
Claiming that photo elicitation offers participants health benefits or healing
The method itself does not heal. It may be cathartic and a participant may describe the experience as therapeutic, but it is not equivalent to art therapy. Be wary of methodological snake oil. Read more about the difference between arts-based methods and arts therapy in our post Arts-Based Methods 101.
Claiming that photo elicitation is empowering or "gives voice to the voiceless"
There is no such thing as a voiceless person.
When done well, participants may have more agency in the data collection and analysis processes. But, do they have more power, freedoms, opportunities, benefits, and/or control in the evaluation process, in their communities, and in society?
Photo elicitation can be used to uphold structures of oppression just as easily as a survey or interview. The key isn't the art. It's how the evaluator attends to power, decision-making, and benefits at every stage of the process.
Assuming photo elicitation has fewer risks or is ethically sound
Like any other method, photography carries risks and requires an ethical protocol. There are many ways for this technique to go wrong and create the potential for harm.
For example, when we cover photo elicitation in our course Arts-Based Methods for Evaluators, we always tell students they are not allowed to take photos of other people. And if they break that rule, they are extra not allowed to take photos of minors. Every year, people send us photos of kids. Such a simple parameter with such complex consequences.
Using photo elicitation interchangeably with other arts-based techniques
Not all arts do the same things, work the same way, or elicit the same kinds of data.
Attempting to quantify the activity or results of photo elicitation
Photo elicitation is not quantifiable and cannot be evaluated with quantitative metrics of success (i.e., generalizability, replicability, or reliability).
Using photo elicitation as both an evaluation and marketing tool
If the goal of the photo elicitation is to simultaneously promote a program while evaluating it, the data and ethics may be questionable. Yes, the photos may - and should - offer reciprocal benefits. But, how will you ensure people can meaningfully opt-in and opt-out, share candidly, and change their minds if a fundraising campaign is riding on their participation?
The bottom line
More funders and organizations are asking for photos, and that’s a real opportunity to make evaluation more meaningful and relevant. But, photo elicitation isn’t about getting compelling pictures for a report. It’s about creating a different way into a conversation, one that lets people use metaphor, symbol, and story to express themselves. Done well, it gives participants a more meaningful way to share their experiences and perspectives and be heard. Done carelessly, it overpromises and disappoints (just like a medicore survey). The key difference is in the planning. Our number one recommendation? Start with solid evaluation questions, not a shiny camera.
Want to go further with photo elicitation?
Learn it yourself: our Arts-Based Methods for Evaluators course covers photo elicitation, drawing, collage, and poetry. No artistic or photography skill required.
Bring it to your team: Custom Training & Workshops, built around your team’s real context.
Talk it through: stress-test a tricky project design or activity with Evaluation & Research Advising for fellow data practitioners or Data Strategy Office Hours for staff at community-serving organizations.
New to arts-based methods? Start with Arts-Based Methods in Evaluation 101.
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