Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
I documented the decay of an inner-city neighborhood by photographing
the buildings during every site visit during a 3-year period. These photographs
vividly displayed the growing problem of arson (see Figure 2.3). This docu-
mentation is particularly useful when comparing notes with coworkers in the
field. In this study, another investigator and I disagreed about our descriptions
of the neighborhood. The other observer thought the area was in reasonable
condition; I thought it was severely decayed and worsening. My colleague,
however, typically took a cab directly to the school, without spending time in
the neighborhood. I made a point of spending a great deal of time in the neigh-
borhood taking photographs and learning about the environment before even
entering the school. As evidence, my photographs were compelling. They were
labeled, cross-referenced with map locations, and tabulated according to sever-
ity of decay and decay over time. The disagreement was easily resolved.
Photographs are mnemonic devices. During analysis and writing periods,
photographs can bring a rush of detail that the fieldworker might not remember
otherwise. By capturing cultural scenes and episodes on film at the beginning
of a study—before he or she has a grasp of the situation—the ethnographer can
use the pictures to interpret events retroactively, producing a rare second
chance. Also, the camera often captures details that the human eye has missed.
Although the camera is an extension of the subjective eye, it can be a more
objective observer, less dependent on the fieldworker's biases and expecta-
tions. A photographic record provides information that the fieldworker may
not have noticed at the time. Photographs are also excellent educational tools
in the classroom, in a sponsor's conference room, or on a protected blog. In
class, digital photographs can vividly show students a world they might never
see in any other context and are useful in demonstrating specific methodolog-
ical and theoretical points. Digital photographs can also be useful in educating
research sponsors. Graphic representations of behaviors and locations can be
illuminating and compelling. My pictures of the inner city—the context of a
dropout program—had a powerful impact on the funding agency that was far
beyond the impact of test scores and descriptions. The sponsors were able to
appreciate with greater clarity and understanding the difficulties the schools
had to surmount to continue operating. They could then appreciate the gains
and losses on student test scores in these schools.
The standard complement of photographic equipment in the field includes
a digital camera, extended battery, cables, and software to crop and adjust pho-
tographs. A variety of excellent digital cameras are available. There are expen-
sive and extremely high-quality digital cameras. I typically use a pocket-sized
high-resolution digital camera that works under low-light conditions to mini-
mize obtrusiveness. I also use a digital camera to facilitate transfer to the
Internet.
