Snap Judgment: Rethinking photography in the early learning environment

There was a time before photographs existed, when information was recorded and conveyed through art, words, and music. The invention of the first photograph in the 18th century introduced a new method for enhancing our narratives and experiences. 

 

Originally photographs were taken with great intention. Initially accessible only to the wealthy, due to the necessity of specialised tools (cameras) and equipment (film), photography very soon became established as a way of documenting important events and milestones. Photographs were often carefully arranged into photo albums with dates, occasions and people annotated on the bottom. As a child of the 1970’s these albums served as a testament to a well-documented childhood.

 

Photographs used to hold great significance. Now, we take photos of our breakfast.

 

In 2019, I wrote an article for The Spoke titled “Do you want me to ‘be’ with your child or photograph your child?” This piece sparked meaningful discussions across various social media platforms and captured the growing sentiment that the use of photography in early learning environments might have become excessive. 

 

In the article, I suggested that the practice of using photographs to document children’s learning and development had become a runaway train, with some services struggling to rein it in to more manageable, authentic, and ethical applications. 

 

Since that article was published, I have sought to better understand the use of photography within the early learning context. If we can grasp the value something holds, we can better comprehend its power, and photography has a significant influence on how we document and assess children’s learning and development. 

 

Photographs can facilitate revisiting, rethinking and assessments and are an integral part of the knowledge-building process. A portrait of a child can be constructed through a photograph. The significance of photographs lies in their role as evidence and in the early learning context, there is a focus on using evidence to support our assessment and programming decisions. But do photographs offer us that evidence?

 

Photographs serve as irrefutable proof that something occurred, effectively freezing a moment in time. Unlike narratives, which can be altered, photographs remain unchanged. 

 

Images captured seconds apart will depict something different, thus highlighting the unique power of photography to preserve moments indefinitely. A photograph allows you to stop time.

 

A common idea I encounter when discussing with staff the use of photography in documentation is the belief that photographs are objective. This is not the case. 

 

The photographer decides what, when, where, and how to take the photo, determining what is included in the frame and what is excluded. Photography is inherently subjective as a method of data collection. Using a camera is a form of participation; when you capture a photograph, you engage with, and become part of, another person’s reality.

 

This subjectivity prompts ethical considerations. When individuals view your photos, they see things through your perspective. However, whose viewpoint does it authentically represent? Taking a photograph means becoming a participant. 

 

This is not necessarily a bad thing. When considering the value of subjectivity in our documentation decisions, it is useful to view it through the lens of the Reggio Emilia Project. 

 

Carla Rinaldi, President of the Fondazione Reggio Children, argues that “Point of view is always subjective, and observation is always partial” (Rinaldi, 2006, p. 128). She further adds that “Deciding what to observe is primarily the responsibility of the observer, but it is even better when the choice is shared collectively” (Rinaldi, 2006, p. 128).

 

Photographs can offer a powerful lens through which to view children’s learning and development, but they should be used with discernment. The following questions may help in making more informed choices:

 

1. Why are you taking the photograph? What is the learning?
2. Whose story does it tell?
3. Can it be used to communicate learning and development with others?
4. Is this photography ethical and respectful of children’s rights?

 

The introduction of the National Model Code Guidelines which have been developed for use in early childhood care and education services under the National Quality Framework, encourages educators to implement child safe practices regarding the use of electronic devices for taking images of children. 

 

One application of the National Model Code aims to address the issue of consent in taking children’s images as well as how to provide advice on which images to share and how. This is a timely and much needed initiative and can provide the sector with an opportunity to think about not only what we evidence regarding children’s learning and development using digital technologies, but also how and why.

 

It would be a challenge to find a service that does not use some form of photography to document children’s learning, and there is significant value in this. When you stop to take a photograph of a child, or their work, it can communicate a powerful message that what they are doing, thinking, or feeling matters and that the image captured communicates something about them. We talk a lot about ethics in the work that we do so adopting an ethical approach to photography extends on this. By taking the time to consider the principles that guide how we take and use photographs in our daily practice, we can gain a deeper understanding of their impact.