"Photography has become omnipresent in our lives. Due to the ease of taking photos on smart phones and other devices and publishing them through various social media apps and platforms, more photos are taken than ever before. At the same time, photos are much more than just depictions of everyday life. Indeed, photography has had a long history in promoting social change, as social work pioneers were using photography in the late 1800s and early 1900s to illuminate and ameliorate social problems (Squires, 1991). This early use of photography by social workers is not surprising given the fit between the tool and the profession"--

The only book to cover the most popular tool for social change - photography.

"Photography has become omnipresent in our lives. Due to the ease of taking photos on smart phones and other devices and publishing them through various social media apps and platforms, more photos are taken than ever before. At the same time, photos are much more than just depictions of everyday life. Indeed, photography has had a long history in promoting social change, as social work pioneers were using photography in the late 1800s and early 1900s to illuminate and ameliorate social problems (Squires, 1991). This early use of photography by social workers is not surprising given the fit between the tool and the profession"--

Photography is taking on an ever-stronger role and prominence in social work practice and research. An increasing number of projects and articles utilize or describe photography as a method for practice, or present research on applied photographic methods. Photography in Social Work and Social Change provides a comprehensive overview of photography in these areas. It features original applied content, state-of-the-art case examples, and user-friendly guides to introduce readers to the theory, methods, ethics, technical aspects, and cultural considerations of this practice. It bridges theory and knowledge with applications that can be replicated by students, practitioners, and researchers. With step-by-step guidelines, this book will be the go-to resource for anyone interested in photography in social work.

This book provides inspiration for social workers to explore the possibilities of using Photovoice to engage with communities. Built on strong theoretical foundations and grounded in ethical principles, Jarldorn assesses Photovoice as an arts-based approach that provides a valuable mechanism for social workers to engage people in participatory action research, with the potential to influence policy and public opinion. Positioning Photovoice as a method aligned with feminist and radical social work perspectives, the author draws upon her research project which used Photovoice with former prisoners to demonstrate the transformative potential of participatory methods. Photovoice Handbook for Social Workers is intended to be a useful, hands-on resource, combining the importance of theory and the practicalities of doing action research.

The book takes up some of the theoretical and practical challenges offered by Visual Sociology, Image-based Research, Media Studies, Rural Development, and Community-based and Participatory Research, and in so doing offers audiences an array of visual approaches to studying and bringing about social change.

How can social workers integrate expressive arts methods as a complement to their work to better support individual, group, and community growth? Expressive Arts for Social Work and Social Change explores the values and benefits of expressive arts (i.e., visual arts, movement and dance, expressive forms of writing and narrative, music, and performance) and the role they can play in social work practice and inquiry. Although previous research has illustrated the efficacy of expressive arts to individual therapeutic goals, this is the first work that looks at the use of these approaches to fulfill the values, ethics, and principles of the social work profession. The authors draw from current and emerging concepts related to green social work, including individual and collective well-being, Indigenous perspectives and practices, social justice and social action, and individual as well as collective creative expression. This book provides insight and advice that will benefit all human service professionals interested in expressive arts.