Image and look in research: beyond the visible

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to show that the use of photographic pictures as research material and instruments allows the researcher to reach beyond the image in order to understand its richness, since it conveys an implicit range of hidden meanings, which can only be brought to light by the person who experienced the research. Because images are only part of the whole that can be apprehended by the human eye, when photographs are utilized as additional sources for the reading of reality the researcher will make use of the available resources in order to be able to transform an inert object (the photograph) into language that is filled with meaning. Like craftspeople, researchers weave the threads of theories, techniques and epistemology and enhance their sensitivity to see through what lies before them and what had not been disclosed to their eyes.