[The image in qualitative research in health].

This paper explores the use of the image as a methodological instrument in qualitative research in health. It is divided into two parts. The first part, which is theoretical in perspective, deals with aspects of anthropological fieldwork in which different views interact in the interpretation, either in the speech of the social actor or in the image that is produced. The second part describes two empirical studies on the image as a methodological instrument to obtain qualitative data, presenting research with images recorded on DVD and photographs of garbage pickers and garbage collectors, respectively. The conclusion reached is that the image can be used both as a complementary example, and as an instrument in qualitative research. Participant observation and interviews can be supplemented with the image but the image itself generates an accumulation of information, stimulating the viewer's ability to comprehend.