Abstract

This photo essay places into dialogue practices of photographing urban space and the market research practices of the U.K. outdoor advertising industry. It explores photography as a method for accessing understandings of cities, and it examines ways of analyzing the interplay between photographic practices and data gathered through ethnography. Through personal reflections on the research process, the essay considers the spatial practices of the outdoor advertising industry and how its billboards and panels act to space out cities and city imaginaries.