What is Action Research?

Action is to put forth into motion; research, is to collect, analyze and review data. Action Research is a problem solving method used to improve the quality of or the process of something. This something can be at an individual level to an organizational level. A typical question may be 'How do I improve a portrait?'

This question I have heard time and again from various levels of photographers. They desire to improve the skill, the quality and the process of capturing a portrait. However they look not just towards a perfect picture but one that will gain them a higher positioning among their competitors.

There are several steps a researcher can use to complete Action Research successfully. A researcher needs to remember that Action Research is about improvement and not problem solving alone. The first step is the question, a review of what the researcher desires to improve. In this case the quality of portraiture. Once the question is identified the researcher needs to create an action plan in that is a direction and/or aspect/s to uncover. With this example the direction can be a variation of lighting techniques from constant, natural to strobe or any combination thereof.

Throughout the experiments the researcher will review and record the various conditions and situations surrounding the variances in portrait lighting. How does the lighting react, reflect, bounce, absorb, and fall upon different skin tones and textures as well as clothing types, materials, colors, textures, and other. The research should maintain an open mind during the experiments so that they are able to modify as needed. With portrait photography the research may also review the outcome of colored gels are introduced into the equation. How the gels interact with not only the subjects but also the background, foreground, hair, main and side lighting styles may be a factor in improving the quality of a portrait.

Experimentation, review and modification are continued until the researcher is able to obtain a level that is an improvement of current practices. Even though this seems very rudimentary in example, it is more complex than many may think. When working as a photographer for a client the actual capturing of the image becomes a very small part of the bigger picture.

In the collaborative spirit of Action Research, the photographer wishing to improve their portraits may involved the efforts of a makeup-artist, a hair and clothing stylist as well as set-builders and a number of assistance for various tasks. How does one take this very complex system of commercial photography and make it more efficient? The photographer in the example will not only research and find a solution to improve on the objective but will also imminent it within their standard practices.

References

American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington DC: American Psychological Association. Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, Joseph M. Williams (2003). The Craft of Research (2nd ed.). Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.