Visual Intimacies: Faith, Sexuality, Photography

Abstract

This article offers critical insights and reflections for how the use of visual methodologies can enrich ethnographical investigations in relation to sexual identities and sexual practices. Using a visual methodology grounded in research undertaken with a participant, the function of photographs within sexuality research is based on three observations: (1) photographs ‘undo’ dependence on the written word alone; (2) photographs pose their own (silent) questions to the viewer who is encouraged to reflect on them and (3) photographs provoke sensory engagement between viewer and image. This article contains both content and images of a sexual nature.