While images are largely used in social studies, an increasing number of professional photographers—including documentary photographers—produce series of photographs directly inspired by social sciences, especially by ethnology. However, even if photographers and ethnologists have a rather common approach, their purpose differs substantially: the former compose images, the latter elaborate scholarly analyses. Moreover, their cooperation remains unusual and is not always fruitful. Yet social scientists would have much to gain by learning more about the photographical techniques of setting in images. They would thus enlarge the range of methods of survey and of data restitution.