Words matter. And how we use words to describe photovoice matters quite a lot to various publics—including those who engage with our projects. For a neophyte researcher, all the ways concept of photovoice is presented in the literature can be really overwhelming. There is a lot of variation. And a lot of different— _words_. Over the years, I have seen photovoice presented in the following ways, as you can likely guess from the title: photovoice, Photovoice, PhotoVoice, and photo-voice. This is not an exhaustive list, but it's a good place to start. In the four notes that follow, I will do best to explain I believe is meant by each distinct variation. * * * ## photovoice Across all my work with the methodology, photovoice is the way I have presented it. Quick addendum. In the case of starting a sentence with the word, I would capitalize the P. More on the non-sentence-starting Photovoice in a moment. I see photovoice as a methodology and a _common_ noun. In just the same way I would not capitalize autoethnography, case study, or narrative approach, I do not capitalize photovoice. While the use of photovoice (without capitalization) is very prevalent in the literature, sometimes it is framed as a proper noun. ## Photovoice Capitalizing the p within Photovoice frames it as a _proper_ noun. While I do not think this is necessary, some scholars may see the methodology as being so specific or niche that it warrants capitalization. This orientation may stem from a lack of understanding of the breadth and depth of the photovoice literature at this point; photovoice is quite well-established. However, when something is new to us we tend to think it is new to everyone. Reverential reasons may incline some to capitalize, and I can certainly respect that. Some may believe capitalization is the best option when you are unsure which direction to take—using capitalization out of respect. I can get behind that, too. Still others might think photovoice is a corporatized approach or owned by someone or some entity—trademarked even. While that is broadly _not_ the case, some derivations of the word photovoice _have been_ trademarked in the United States (see here and here), which leads me to the next iteration of the word. ## PhotoVoice PhotoVoice (https://photovoice.org/) is the name of a UK-based charity that engages in photovoice training and photovoice projects across the globe. I had the chance to attend their in-person training in London in the fall of 2017 and absolutely love it. And this organization _has_ , in fact, trademarked the word _photovoice_ —"in the UK and EU territories" (see https://photovoice.org/trademark/, para. 1). I strongly recommend reading the information posted on their website about this (see link in previous sentence). As a general rule, do not use the word PhotoVoice unless you are referencing this organization. ## photo-voice One final variation I have seen is photo-voice. When I step back from what I know to be true, blending the words photo and voice with nothing in between does seem a bit odd. _Is this really a legit compound word?_ So, we can see here, again, why a neophyte researcher may be inclined to separate the two with a hyphen. And, frankly, this stuff really _is_ complicated. Even the dictionary says so. I have also seen photo voice. But this is _four_ note friday. I digress. Let's dig just a little bit deeper. photovoice = closed compound word (noun) photo-voice = hyphenated compound word (noun) photo voice = open compound word (noun) In the case of photovoice, use the closed compound word, which is a noun. Use of of other variation is not necessarily wrong, per se, but it is imprecise. In any case, and again, when you are writing about the stuff I write about here, use photovoice. * * * What are your thought on how the word photovoice is presented in various spaces and spheres? What do the variations mean to you? Have you ever wondered about this—whether there are definitional or practical differences between the written presentations? I'd love to hear from you on this, so please reach out anytime. * * * 🥹 _Thanks for spending a moment with me this Friday._ 💌 _If you’re new here, welcome! I hope this space becomes one you look forward to each week._ 📖 _Interested in a book version of these posts? Check out the_ paperback_and_ ebook_!_ 📬 _Have a question you want me to answer in a future post? Reach me at photovoicefieldnotes@gmail.com. I'd love to hear from you._ Thanks again for being here. Warmly, **Mandy** _photovoice field notes_ https://www.photovoicefieldnotes.com/

TL;DR: 'Currents of Change' brought together residents in Liverpool to explore how water shapes lived experience, through photography. Via the method based of Photovoice, participants controlled what ...

YouTube video by Trinity College Dublin - The School of Psychology

Glass eels in a tray. Photo credit: Alison Hutchinson New Publication: Alison Hutchinson shares her new book chapter on European eels ‘Photovoice for Ecojustice: Following the European eel from the Sa...