Photo go‐alongs for researching the relations between people and place

Abstract This paper demonstrates the value of photo go‐alongs as a qualitative method for researching the complex relationships between people and place. By integrating two traditional research methods, photo elicitation and go‐alongs, the paper considers the utility of photo go‐alongs in providing rich insights into how participants make sense of themselves and the world in the present moment. Photo go‐alongs were used as part of a research study in Prestwich, Greater Manchester, UK, which worked with older people to better understand places of significance across the life‐course. This was against a policy back‐drop of the city‐region becoming more ‘age‐friendly’. Within this context, photo go‐alongs were used to showcase participants' lived experiences. Through vignettes and using a more‐than‐representational epistemology which prioritises movement and the present moment, the paper highlights three key advantages of using photo go‐alongs to research the relations between people and place. First, photo go‐alongs show how pasts and futures shape the unfolding present. Second, they highlight how biographical and social memories intertwine. Third, they reveal place‐making practices and routines. The conclusions highlight the utility of photo go‐alongs in illuminating the interplay between people and place, as well as how method itself can be a space of potential. The benefits of photo go‐alongs are stronger when they are approached with a flexible, adaptive, and responsive ethos.