Re-Viewing Photographs: Unexplored Resources for Communication Research

Photographs, treated as evidence of patterns of communication, can make a so-far neglected contribution to communication research. Specific reference is made to three issues: the kinds of evidence to be found in photographic materials, the assessment of the evidentiary quality of a photograph or group of photographs, and the considerations to be taken into account when analyzing photographs as evidence. Suggestions for appropriate ways of analyzing photographic materials are made in light of the small, but diverse, body of research exploring the roles photographic communication has played, and continues to play, in American society. (Author/AA)