HSBC's recent adverts summarise more eloquently than us why single images can be "too good to be true" in research terms. Only after very careful choice and validation, can their meaning in a research environment be understood with any clarity.
We might think that an image is bypassing cognitive processes - that might be true, but that image is evoking such different life experiences that we might never know a true single meaning.
We still believe in the power of images for the right research project and we have our own validated set, but we use with great care!
David H