A single scene: using smartphone cameras in ethnographic research A methods@manchester masterclass thursday 15/02/24 2-5pm, university of manchester

This Methods@Manchester Masterclass is co-hosted with The Centre for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, Granada Centre for Visual Anthropology and the EASA Visual Anthropology Network and features:

Dr Angela Torresan, Lecturer in Visual Anthropology, University of Manchester

Read more about Angela here

Focus of workshop

Smartphones have become indispensable tools in both our personal and professional lives. While these devices are commonly used for spontaneously and unsystematically capturing both still and moving images. This 3-hour workshop will explore how researchers can harness the capabilities of their smartphone cameras as tools for research. The workshop will be divided into three segments, one of which includes a hands-on filming session outdoors.

How is the workshop structured?

Presentation: In the first part of the session approx (1 hour), attendees will be introduced to basic guidelines on how to use smartphone cameras for capturing a coherent scene effectively. This part of the workshop is available to both in-person and online attendees (please select the appropriate sign up link below).

Activitiy: In-person attendees will be placed in pairs and will collaboratively identify a theme they wish to investigate during the hands-on exercise. During this part of the session, attendees will focus on recording a standalone scene resonating with a research theme or subject of interest, such as the tangible world, social dynamics, interactions between humans and the environment, personal accounts, and more. The objective is to capture a scene that stands on its own without necessitating any editing (nb. you will need to bring a smartphone with you).

Final part of session: Pairs will regroup to view the captured videos and share their filming experiences. Through this exercise, participants are expected to gain insights into the vast opportunities that smartphones present in enhancing their research endeavours.

To register

Places for the in-person element of this workshop are strictly limited because of the nature of the activity. Please only register if you intend to attend. Of course if you do register and find that you can no longer attend, please email methods@manchester to cancel.

The full in-person session takes place 15/02/24 2-5pm at University of Manchester, the online element is 15/02/24 2-3pm.