This year we gave out forty cameras, but only had nineteen returned (fewer than in past years). Not all of the students who returned cameras returned consent forms, so we did fourteen photo elicitation interviews and we have entered the photos of 13 students, omitting ones with people in them. The photos are here. We asked students to take pictures of places in the neighborhood that they liked to play, hoping to see if they took pictures of playgrounds, parks, or unstructured open space. Instead students, as they have in earlier years took pictures of their rooms, objects that were important to them, their houses, and, because we gave them cameras right before a two week fall break, their vacations.
We categorized all pictures as inside, outside, or driving, and then tagged other characteristics. About twenty percent of the photos were taken while students were being driven in cars and buses, sometimes of the cars themselves and of those one third were vacation pictures. The rest were taken in transit, mostly around town. The vacation pictures capture the out of routine events that seem “photo worthy.” But the other photos taken in cars and school buses capture how boring it can be to be a kid driven around. The photos themselves show the differences in neighborhoods that students drive through, some more suburban, some more urban or commercial, some that seem specific to a place and others that seem generic.
The photos that students took of interiors were mostly in their own homes and mostly of objects and pets. The objects included electronics, toys, art, musical instruments, trophies, and Halloween candy. The pictures capture their hobbies and what is important to them. (We didn’t include pictures of family members, but there were lots). Pets were pictured frequently, as the children have connections to their pets! Some were indoor animals and others were pictured outside. The indoor animals include a snake and a gecko.
The outdoor photos comprised of many vacation photos as the students were going on a school break. Some of the students traveled and others stayed at home for their break. The photos ranged from rivers in a forest to their local parks and neighborhoods. Many of them were just buildings around their neighborhoods.
