A picture is worth... capturing meaning and facilitating connections: Using outdoor education students’ photographs

Abstract

Abstract The study examined the meaning of outdoor education experiences and the role photography plays in assisting students to make connections from their outdoor experiences to their everyday lives. Specifically, this exploratory qualitative study utilized photo-elicitation interviews to investigate the inner significance of structured university-based outdoor experiences for participants. Photo-elicitation provided a model for collaborative research in that the researcher became a listener as the research participants interpreted the images and their meanings for the researcher. The meanings that emerged from the data were grouped into three explanatory themes: spiritual connection with the outdoors, connections with others through shared outdoor experiences, and self-discovery and gaining perspectives through outdoor experiences. Additionally, photography proved to be a powerful reflective tool used by participants as anchors and triggers for past memories. Photographs assisted in capturing meaningful moments from participants' outdoor experiences, the images being used to share their experiences more easily with family and friends. This innovative approach contributes to both understanding outdoor experiences and to the ways in which photography facilitates participants' connections to those experiences. Findings suggest that outdoor educators facilitate participants' photography during outdoor experiences. Introduction We must remember that a photograph can hold just as much as we put into it, and no one has ever approached the full possibilities of the medium. (Ansel Adams, cited in Radeka, 2003, [paragraph]4) Photographer Ansel Adams' quote provides us with insight into how we might use photographs to research the meaning of outdoor experiences. Photographs are containers in which many things can be stored; they can hold details, memories, emotions, and meanings. They allow moments to be captured and stored for later recall and sharing. Photographs can 'speak' for us when we cannot find the words. Nature writers and philosophers have struggled for decades to find the words to adequately describe the meaning of their experiences in the outdoors. Several academic studies have also searched for the meanings of outdoor experiences (for example, Arnould & Price, 1993; Ewert, 1989; Kaplan & Talbot, 1983; Pohl, Borrie & Patterson, 2000; Priest, 1990; Quinn, 1990). The current study is the first to utilize participants' photographs to attempt to answer the question, 'What are the meanings of an outdoor experience?' This innovative research approach utilizes photo-elicitation interviews to investigate the research question (Collier & Collier, 1986; Harper, 2002). Along with illuminating various meanings of outdoor experiences, the study reveals the value of the photographic process for outdoor programme participants. Participants rely on their photographs to act as memory triggers, to provide reflective opportunities, to facilitate connection, and as potent reminders of their experiences. This paper explores the theoretical underpinnings of photo-elicitation, discusses the study methodology, presents results, and then makes recommendations related to both the use of photography in outdoor programmes and the further use of this methodology. Theoretical considerations Participants frequently document their outdoor adventure experiences with photography. This study utilized these photographs to establish rapport, to share in the narrative of the experience, and to delve into the meanings of both the photographs and the experience. A photograph preserves a moment in time. Photographers, mimicking a .lm manufacturer's successful advertising campaign, often refer to the act of photography as capturing a "Kodak moment." Photographs, then, emanate a past reality (Cronin, 1998). Walker and Kimball-Moulton (1989) noted that photography is about time in that "the act of photography anticipates the future by ripping the appearance of a moment out of its time, creating a tangible image for the future of what will be the past" (p. …